The dreaded click, click, click,,,,,,,,,again

[Copyman]

OK, this is the third time on just over a year and I'm getting pretty frustrated. :upset:

Bike info: 2006 AE model, just turned 4 yrs.old. Under 20K miles. Recalls have been done. No major power hogs. Only power using is wiring farkle is to run ZUMO.

Here's what happens. I put the key in, turn it, fuel pump cycles, lights come on, I squeeze the brake and press the starter and then...... all I get is the YCCS light and shift light blinking and a click, click, click.

First time it happened was just over a year ago and I was stranded at a gas station 25 miles from home. Second time was a few months later and was left stranded in underground parking garage. Today it happened again, but this time was at home. Funny thing it that it has always happened on a Saturday. I all cases I have had to have it towed or get a trailer to get to the shop. :banghead:

I have YES so I'm not too worried about bill for repair, but I am getting to a point that I'm concerned about riding because I never know when I will get stranded.

First time dealer said they could not find anything except low battery. Charged it and let me go. Second time was in shop for a month. Diagnosis was that rectifier/regulator was bad due to bad stator which also took out battery. All was covered by YES. Now it happened again. Went outside this morning to take bike in for state inspection and there it was the dreaded click, click, click.

I have not had as many bikes as many members of the forum. This is only my 4th and 1st Yamaha. I really do love the bike, but it is getting to the point that I'm afraid to get on it because I don't know where it will leave me stranded. If I can't keep this thing running I'll have to get rid of it and buy something else, which I really don't want to do. Like I said I REALLY do like the bike.

Any one else have a similar problem? Any suggestions for a permanent solution? :sadsmiley02:

 

[DonRed7]

Ground Spyder

DB

 

[kaitsdad]

Sure sounds like it. Check S4.

 

[ionbeam]

It sounds like you have a defective dealer. If at all possible you need to take your FJR to another dealer. It does sound like your problem is a low battery, the trick is to find out why. It sounds to me like your dealer was on a fishing expedition when he changed the stator and R/R. It is very, very rare for a R/R to be bad and almost unheard of for a stock stator to go bad. "Recalls have been done" this would include the ignition switch?

Since you had an apparent electrical system failure while out riding something is seriously wrong. Your battery should be charged and ready to go. One thing that would be really helpful is to have an accurate volt meter installed so you can tell if you are having a charging problem while riding. Search Datel. There is a chance that your problem could be as simple as the ground wire on the engine block (front of the engine, lower right side behind the header pipe). The starter motor is grounded by the engine block so the ground spiders should be out of the picture. Your battery needs to be load tested, the battery connections need to be checked and the current draw of the starter should be checked.

When the engine fails to crank using the starter button, have you tried to bump start the engine? The FJR starts fairly easy in second gear. Due to two ElectroShit stators burning up and a passenger that left my ignition key on for hours I have bump started my FJR by myself a few times.

Dump your dealer and get a volt meter and you will be on the road to... well, just about everyplace, with confidence that you will get home too.

 

[Copyman]

Ground Spyder
DB

I didn't relate this to the spider because it does not have the usual suspects.

The horn, flashers, w/s motor, & glovebox work just fine.

It sounds like you have a defective dealer. If at all possible you need to take your FJR to another dealer. It does sound like your problem is a low battery, the trick is to find out why. It sounds to me like your dealer was on a fishing expedition when he changed the stator and R/R. It is very, very rare for a R/R to be bad and almost unheard of for a stock stator to go bad. "Recalls have been done" this would include the ignition switch?
Since you had an apparent electrical system failure while out riding something is seriously wrong. Your battery should be charged and ready to go. One thing that would be really helpful is to have an accurate volt meter installed so you can tell if you are having a charging problem while riding. Search Datel. There is a chance that your problem could be as simple as the ground wire on the engine block (front of the engine, lower right side behind the header pipe). The starter motor is grounded by the engine block so the ground spiders should be out of the picture. Your battery needs to be load tested, the battery connections need to be checked and the current draw of the starter should be checked.

When the engine fails to crank using the starter button, have you tried to bump start the engine? The FJR starts fairly easy in second gear. Due to two ElectroShit stators burning up and a passenger that left my ignition key on for hours I have bump started my FJR by myself a few times.

Dump your dealer and get a volt meter and you will be on the road to... well, just about everyplace, with confidence that you will get home too.

AE model. Can't bump start because can't shift from neutral.

 

[ionbeam]

AE model. Can't bump start because can't shift from neutral.

Duh, on my part, and bummer on yours.

If the starter relay is going click-click you are still looking at either low battery voltage or high starter current. Hope your dealer of choice can sort it all out!

 

[ahchiu]

You might want to check the connection at the battery

 

[bramfrank]

It certainly doesn't sound like a Spider issue (it wouldn't click). Sounds more like a drained battery to me.

But if your Zumo is a 660 (or 665) it may well be the navigator. As a group no one had ever identified it as an issue, but one of the fixes mentioned in the changelog in the Version 2.20 release for the 665 (which will soon be made available for the 660 too) is that it corrected an issue where the unit would draw significant power when installed in the motorcycle mount, even when off.

Yet another good reason for connecting your navigator (and other electric farkles) to a switched power lead.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Bro,

Nothing against anyone else, but I'd trust ionbeam on this one.

 

[Copyman]

It certainly doesn't sound like a Spider issue (it wouldn't click). Sounds more like a drained battery to me.
But if your Zumo is a 660 (or 665) it may well be the navigator. As a group no one had ever identified it as an issue, but one of the fixes mentioned in the changelog in the Version 2.20 release for the 665 (which will soon be made available for the 660 too) is that it corrected an issue where the unit would draw significant power when installed in the motorcycle mount, even when off.

Yet another good reason for connecting your navigator (and other electric farkles) to a switched power lead.

Hmmmm......... My Zumo is a 550, but I never considered that it could be drawing power even when off.

I charged the battery, BTW it was replaced during the last time this happened (around 6 mo. ago), and I still get the clicks.

I can't find my multi-meter so I can't check battery voltage right now I'll make a fry's run tomorrow & pick up a new meter.

 

[Copyman]

It sounds like you have a defective dealer. If at all possible you need to take your FJR to another dealer. It does sound like your problem is a low battery, the trick is to find out why. It sounds to me like your dealer was on a fishing expedition when he changed the stator and R/R. It is very, very rare for a R/R to be bad and almost unheard of for a stock stator to go bad. "Recalls have been done" this would include the ignition switch?
Since you had an apparent electrical system failure while out riding something is seriously wrong. Your battery should be charged and ready to go. One thing that would be really helpful is to have an accurate volt meter installed so you can tell if you are having a charging problem while riding. Search Datel. There is a chance that your problem could be as simple as the ground wire on the engine block (front of the engine, lower right side behind the header pipe). The starter motor is grounded by the engine block so the ground spiders should be out of the picture. Your battery needs to be load tested, the battery connections need to be checked and the current draw of the starter should be checked.

When the engine fails to crank using the starter button, have you tried to bump start the engine? The FJR starts fairly easy in second gear. Due to two ElectroShit stators burning up and a passenger that left my ignition key on for hours I have bump started my FJR by myself a few times.

Dump your dealer and get a volt meter and you will be on the road to... well, just about everyplace, with confidence that you will get home too.

I have to go to Miami this week, but will be back Friday. I'm going to try taking it to a different dealer next weekend. Let them give it a shot.

Thx for the suggestions.

I want to get this thing going again. I still have a V-Star 1300 to ride, but I'd rather spend time on the FJR. As HOT as it in the TX right now, I still need to 2-wheel time for attitude adjustment. :scooter:

 

[Harald]

Another possibility is the starter relay. Clicking usually indicates low voltage that doesn't provide enough potential to keep the relay coil pulled, but it's possible for relays to go "weak." I just had to put a good heavy duty automotive starter relay (solenoid) on my tractor because the stock Craftsman one would click or chatter when attempting to start. Tractor works great now!

 

[FargoFeej]

Not a suggestion for a fix, but on my '07 AE I *can* shift into 1st with the key ON but the engine not yet started. Turn key ON, turn on "paddle shift" button, hold the brake lever in or press rear brake pedal, then click the paddle to shift into 1st. But I am guessing a bump start will not be possible on the AE. The clutch is disengaged until a certain RPM is reached but you will be trying to get the clutch to engage at zero RPM. If you try it let us know the result please.

 

[HaulinAshe]

+1 with IonBeam, doesn't "feel" like a ground spyder to me.

Alan's advice on a voltmeter is solid. If you run an Escort RD, the digital voltmeter function is decent.

If you find that the voltage consistently drops low while riding, I'd try jumping up and down like a little child and demanding a fix under YES. I bet Yamaha would really like to make you happy.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Bro,
Nothing against anyone else, but I'd trust ionbeam on this one.

oster_stupid:

And Copyman - I do feel your pain. My Harley had been having an intermittent starting problem - sometimes I'd turn on the ignition, everything would look fine and "CLICK!" was all I would get. Root cause turned out to be a broken terminal on the cable from the battery to the starter. The dealer soldered on a new terminal and life has been grand ever since. So keep the faith, brother! This issue you're having WILL be resolved!

 

[Slide]

I have a Zumo 550 and if I leave it in my truck, turned off it will kill the battery in two days. On the bike I have it on a switched power supply and I don't leave it in the cradle for extended time if I am not riding it. In the truck if I don't have it turned on and then turn it on when I am driving it always immediately knows where I am, so I assume that it is pulling power to continue to track you location when it is off. I would take a close look at it. It took me two times killing the truck battery before I figured it out.

 

[BikerGeek99]

I have a Zumo 550 and if I leave it in my truck, turned off it will kill the battery in two days. On the bike I have it on a switched power supply and I don't leave it in the cradle for extended time if I am not riding it. In the truck if I don't have it turned on and then turn it on when I am driving it always immediately knows where I am, so I assume that it is pulling power to continue to track you location when it is off. I would take a close look at it. It took me two times killing the truck battery before I figured it out.

Seems to me that, when in the motorcycle mount, a powered-off Zumo will not draw any power. I've left mine on either the FJR or the Harley for days (hell - weeks when the snow's-a-flying) at a time - turned off but in the cradle - with no issues whatsoever. Good to know about the car cradle, though...

 

[Zorlac]

"Hmmmm......... My Zumo is a 550, but I never considered that it could be drawing power even when off. "

All the bullshit electrogizmos of today draw power when off, gone are the days of a physical switch which actually disconnects the battery from its internal electronics.

They are just sleeping in an extreme low power mode, all this was conceived by battery company executives and shareholders.

 

[ionbeam]

Not being a Zumo 550 owner -- does the Zumo battery receive a trickle charge even when the Zumo's power switch is off? If yes, this would put a drain on the FJR battery in all installs that do not use some form of switched power while the Zumo remains in the cradle. The Zumo electronics should have zero quiescent current draw.