A few new questions.... hesitating/dying/eating starters

[DBSS_Gohan]

Ok, I've got a 85 GS550ES I've been working on for a while, I finally got it back together, Got a new starter in it, and got it running, but now I'm back to a problem I thought I had when I first drove it home.... It doesent want to idle when it gets warm. It idles better when it's cold, but once getting warm, it gets really finicky, and just wants to die all the time. What could the reason be? I've cleaned the carbs, really, really well. I've checked the petcock, I've cleaned the gas tank.... and I've changed the plugs. Any ideas on why it would be giving me idle problems when getting warm?

I've just changed out the starter... but... the new starter I just put in just died.... I don't know why. I'm wondering....
I was having to jump the bike off my miata at first, and I wondered if that could be the reason, or if something else in the electrical system could be the problem.
I also wanted to make sure of the way to test the starter.... Attach a 12 volt power source to the power part of the starter? And then a ground to the body of the starter?
All I'm getting right now, is a clicking, or spinning or something from the solenoid. Just noise from it whenever I hit the on button.

Also, is there a way to change out for an older models dual kick start starter? Will it fit on the 85 GS?

ty for all the help in advance,

--John

[Clone]

Well, did you have your car running when you jumped your bike? Hope not.
Ok, first of all, charge the battery and then let it sit overnight, check the resting voltage of the battery.
Then start the bike, rev it up to 2-3000rpm, check the voltage across the battery again. It should be 13.45V to somewhere around 14.5V NOT less than the resting voltage of the battery or higher than 15V. That would indicate a charging system problem, go to the "stator pages" on this site and go through the tests.
It sounds as though the battery doesn't have enough power to turn the starter, hence the clicking or buzzing from the relay.
Is the exhaust stock and the airbox complete with an aircleaner?
What were the color of the plugs you changed out?
After you get a charged battery, do a compresion test?

Before pulling out the starter charge the battery and check that the voltage is above 12.45V before trying the starter button. That little bit could save you a lot of work.

Then do the first few steps above.

[DBSS_Gohan]

The Miata wasent running when I have jumped it before. Just been jumping it off the normal battery. I road it around for a bit today, probably 5 minutes riding around in the neighborhood, and it started on it's own for a little while. Then it took a bit to start after cutting off one time, and after trying to start for a while, it just didn't have the juice. So I hooked it back up to the miata, and it started to turn over a few times, and then it just quit, and started making noise from the solenoid, and wouldent turn the starter anymore. The miata still had enough power to be able to click it over, and it had been jumped from the miata, off, several times before, I'll check the voltage tomorrow and find out what I can, but I don't think it's relating to the charging system, the batterys pretty low on water, and is kind of old, I just need to get a new one. But I still need the starter to work.... I can push start the bike as it is.... And get it going again.
The air box and the pipes are both stock.
The old plugs were brownish/blackish.... I will do a compression test when I can get the starter to work again....

[BassCliff]

Keep at it!

Hi Mr. DBSS_Gohan,

There is a definite set of maintenance tasks that must be properly completed before your motorcycle has an operational baseline from which to troubleshoot further. That list of tasks was included in your mega-welcome when you joined up.

Click here to see the new and improved mega-welcome.

Clean and properly adjusted carbs, no air leaks in the intake system (may include new intake boots and o-rings), sealed airbox, properly adjusted valves, healthy charging system, fluids, filters, etc, everything must be in order. Any single sub-system or component in disrepair can cause your bike not to run. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[argonsagas]

Battery is low on water, and you are having starting problems.......OK. That makes sense. Batteries that are low on fluid, regardless of age, cannot accept a full charge, so they cannot deliver the needed amperage draw when needed.

Why have you not adequately serviced the battery?

The ongoing dying also could relate to the battery: you are jump-starting the bike and then it dies on idle. That suggests the charging circuit is not delivering enough current to keep the bike going, but it can easily mean the battery may not be getting the power that is being generated due to poor connections, the most probable one being a poor ground. If you have a poor ground then no matter how hard the alternator tries its output will get lost in heat, trying to push through dirt, rust etc.

At idle the system puts out less power, and if what is produced is lost or partially lost in the rust and dirt, the bike cannot run.

Remove both battery cables at both ends. Clean the cable ends thoroughly and pay special attention to the contact point on the bike for the ground cable. It is probably rusted and/or dirty.

Clean all contact points, then add a second, supplementary, ground wire between the battery negative post and a new, clean, position on the frame.

Re-fill the battery properly and give it a trickle charge 1 amp overnight, or 2 amps for at least six hours.

[Clone]

No water in the battery, doesn't start the bike, maybe want to tend to that little thing.