Bike Wont Start

[GillaFunk]

HA! I knew posting bewbies would get this thread some attentin...but ****!

Speaking of....I think we need a "motorboat" emoticon

So were clear, Im talking about THIS kind of motorboat B)

 

[FJRScorpion]

Well, I got the battery yesterday, charged it up all night and installed it today. The bike did start so I was very happy about that. It was pretty sluggish though, so I don't know if I should look any further or just assume that the 15 Degree temperature was the culprit. I think I'll wait for a warmer day and try it again.

 

[zorkler]

I was dam sure it was my battery ,Had to wait 2 months to get up the cash to purchase 1 from bikeeffects . Installed the battery same problems looked over 30 something post on it and found the starter relay bolts were a bit loose tightened them up boom bike started Thanks for all the peps that post up here .

 

[redtail]

I did a search. I couldn't find anything relative.

Oh..but I found this:

https://www.weirdthings.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/this-kid-gets-an-eyeful-the-lucky-little-****.jpg

OK.....SERIOUSLY THOUGH:

No seriously, What was the question?

 

[zorkler]

Just got back pretty cold out there . Turned her off tryed to start her battery is dead !!!! What now?

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Zork,

I would Charge/Test the Battery without any wires connected. If it is OK, you probably have a Parasitic Draw somewhere in the system. Someone with better Ohm Meter skills than mine, may be able to point you in the right direction.

Good Luck with your fix.

 

[RadioHowie]

Just got back pretty cold out there . Turned her off tryed to start her battery is dead !!!! What now?

Become Ionbeam's best friend. That fellah is wicked smart on all this 'lectrical stuff.

 

[zorkler]

Cleaned starter relay battery charges right up ,Keeps turning over but i dont here the fuel pump .

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Cleaned starter relay battery charges right up ,Keeps turning over but i dont here the fuel pump .

Could be a Fuel Pump Relay?

 

[zorkler]

Fuel pump kicked in started right up ran it for 10 minutes Tryed to sTART it dead battery , Just going to order a stater relay switch . Will post up when i put it in .Thanks all.

 

[GillaFunk]

Posted this problem up here...lots of good feed-back..

Installed new battery....didnt resolve the problem.

Ongoing issue. Then....

Bike was in for her 26k service. My independant mechanic was buttoning everthing up, then calls asking if there is a reason I may know why the bike wont start before he starts digging into it on my dime.

- Key on, full normal dash ignition sequence, depress start button, 1 audible 'cick' is heard, yellow 'check engine' lamp lights up.

I advise him of side stand issues. He cleans side stand. Bike still has issue. Checks under faring, ignition relay contacts clean.

So, exactly what 'relay' do reorder for this **** to go away?

Looking here there are WAYYYYY too many relays to consider

Isnt this a YES issue? Cant I tell them what part to order and they will order it...or do I need to prove to them the bike isnt starting every time?

Im pretty much over the "try this" stage. The relay is ******. I need a new one.

Anyone savy? Because THIS SUCKS!

 

 

[wfooshee]

If it clicked when he hit the button, then it's not the starter interlock relay. (That's different from the starter relay.)

If nothing happened when it clicked, i.e. no clock reset, no starter turn, then it could be the starter relay (not making connection,) the wire connection at the starter, or the starter itself.

I had a bad starter that pulled almost 3 times the current it was supposed to. Really wasn't nice to the battery.

And the starter is a bit tedious to access. . . .

 

[ionbeam]

...So, exactly what 'relay' do reorder for this **** to go away?...

Isnt this a YES issue? Cant I tell them what part to order and they will order it...or do I need to prove to them the bike isnt starting every time?...Im pretty much over the "try this" stage...

4YR-81940-02-00 STARTER RELAY ASSY if you shop you can find it for ~$45.

Failure to turn the starter motor should be a YES issue. It could be onerous for a dealer to troubleshoot because the problem is intermittent. It is uncommon for a starter relay to be bad in such a young bike. The starter relay has two significant power distribution connections as well as the main power connections to the starter motor which the dealer should check. I did read that a mechanic said the relay terminals were ok or something like that but it didn't read in a confidence inspiring way. It is possible that when you swap the starter relay the problem will go away but the root cause is moving the wires on the terminals and not the relay itself.

If the problem is fairly reproducible in the mornings a good mechanic should be able to set up test points and pin-point the problem. If you have a volt meter it is possible for you to set up tests to diagnose the problem too. The advantage is that you can clip or connect wires to 2 strategic points and run the wires outside the faring and monitor them with a volt meter when you start the bike in the morning. This would let you drive your FJR normally yet give you diagnostic access until you sort out the problem. You would want to monitor the relay output that goes to the starter motor and the terminal with the heavy battery cable. If you choose to try this yourself send me a PM. I have helped some Forum members diagnose problems that have had odd root causes such as a defective fuse holder (and they also had a failing volt meter giving erroneous readings).

 

[FJRAE]

I've found on a few bikes (not fjrs, but most switches are all basically the same) in the past that this symptom has usually been the starter switch itself; the soldered connections in the switch fail and cause intermittent no starts, easy to bypass to confirm, or just take it apart and inspect, the failure point is usually pretty evident. Hth, good luck.

 

[wfooshee]

^^^ Not if the relay's clicking. That says the switch is OK.

 

[FJRAE]

Could well be that it's not the switch. In my experience when the switch fails in this way, the switch allows enough current to hear an audible click in the relay and that's all, or sometimes none at all, and sometimes a delay, as I said, easy to verify or eliminate, or just continue guessing, whatever works.

 

[GillaFunk]

I have torn apart and serviced the side-stand switch. In the process I found:

1) That was a HUGE waste of time

2) the new Gen II SS switched are sealed units and should NOT be torn into and 'cleaned'. I ended up ripping one of the wires off in the process of removing the plastic cover from the back of the unit.

3) The unit was COMPLETLY clean inside. Not a speck of dirt, NOTHING like what I have seen in images posted online here.

During my trip to Oregon this past weekend, in the CONSTANT freggn rain, I found the bike would CONSISTATNTLY fail to start on the first hit. Depress the starter again and on the second try she would fire up, no problem. So, maybe this is a moisutre / cold related issue.

So, I have resolved to keep my cell phone video camera with me. Every time I start the bike up, I will film it. 2-3 vids will show the dealer there is an electrical issue that needs to be addressed under warranty.

Happy times. Still better than a final drive failure on my BMW though

...So, exactly what 'relay' do reorder for this **** to go away?...

4YR-81940-02-00 STARTER RELAY ASSY if you shop you can find it for ~$45.

and THANKS. :rockwoot:

 

[SkooterG]

Bummer. Electrical gremlins can be infuriating. Good idea about the video.

Hang in there.

 

[Fred W]

Gilla,

As has been mentioned, there is only one relay that will click when you press on the starter button. That is the (high current) Starter Relay.

The fact that you always get a click tells you that the control side, including all the starter interlock nonsense (kill switch, sidestand switch, clutch switch, starter interlock relay, etc.) is all fine. It also means that the problem has to be in the high current side of that relay. It could be a bad connection anywhere in the large gauge cable the runs from the battery to the starter relay to the motor.

However, based on the symptoms, I would most suspect the starter relay itself. The contacts in that relay are subjected to a lot of current and will usually arc a bit when the relay switches under normal conditions. After a lot of use those contacts can get crusted up and you get flaky operation. Stabbing the button multiple times exercises that relay and you may get a better section of the two contacts touching. Pressing the button twice would have no effect on a loose connection anywhere else, unless it was the terminals right on the starter relay. You should check those for tightness and corrosion.

You could determine positively that the problem was the relay with a multimeter. If you measure the voltage drop across the relay's high current terminals you will normally see 12V. When you press the starter button it should drop to almost zero volts as the contacts engage. If you still see 12V across those terminals when the relay clicks but the starter doesn't turn that is positive proof. Problem is getting it to fail when you happen to have a meter hooked up.

Or you could just stick a new starter relay in there and see if the intermittent goes away.

 

[GillaFunk]

Not to relive a dead thread, but figured I'd go ahead and post the resolution.

I had my trused and reliable independant BMW mechanic (who had serviced my kraut bike for about 70k miles) was doing the 30k service. Upon completing the job he was about to fire the bike up to ensure road driveability. Low and behold the bike would not fire. After calling me asking if I knew of any existing starting issues I told him of the problem. He checked the starter relay.

As most of you indicated, it WAS the STARTER RELAY. When the bike goes in for her WIRING HARNESS RECALL I will have them repalce the relay.

To you all, :yahoo: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP :yahoo: . Sucks being a noOb all over again with this new bike...but...it had to happen at some point.