• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Extra black wire after I fooled w/ solenoid

  • Thread starter Thread starter robdsuzuki
  • Start date Start date
R

robdsuzuki

Guest
1982 GS750TZ, 11,750 miles. Wouldn't start today. I get a click out of the solenoid when i hit the start button. Took the solenoid off to clean. But putting it back on, I have a black wire that i do not know where it goes. And i cannot find a wire diagram. AND I took a picture of it all and cannot seem to post it on this thread. So I wonder if it a ground and where it goes. BTW - if I try to jump the solenoid, it does not spark. Maybe because the ground isn't connected? Thanks - RD
 
You jumped the two big terminals? They're both positive. If you touch a screw driver to both of them, the engine should turn over. if not, it's most likely a dead battery, and that clicking you're hearing is the solenoid working, but not turning the starter.

This can all be checked with a multi meter btw. You can check if that's a ground, check the voltage, check to see if the solenoid is working, etc. Get one.
 
Yes it is most likely your ground. I know disconnecting the ground near the solenoid on my bike will keep it from turning over, I forgot to reconnect it once when I replaced my solenoid.
 
I do have a MM

I do have a MM

The battery read 12.2 yesterday when the battery wouldn"t turn over. But I am still not sure where the black wire - the ground goes.
 
I'm not sure on your bike, but I believe mine was mounted under one of the bolts that mounted the solenoid to the plate.
 
Thanks

Thanks

I believe that is where mine came from, too. What shouldd my battery be reading? Is 12.2 ok?
 
It should be more like 12.8 if it is a standard battery. I believe the AGM's are like 13.2.
 
It's a bit low but going through the stator pages hardly takes any time. Touch that ground to the frame, see if it'll turn over.
 
If your solenoid is clacking and you are jumping it without the starter turning I'd check the starter.
 
Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. robdsuzuki,

There should be a wiring diagram on my little website for your bike.

Let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'. :D

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.
big_hi.gif


If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....
hat1.gif


Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

carpet.jpg


Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike! :D

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed. I will put you on my prayer list.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Well, I replaced my solenoid, the battery reads 13.1v on my mm. When I hit the start button, the solenoid clacks. But the motor does not turn over. I wonder if I have it grounded properly. I connected the ground to the base of the solenoid - where it touches the frame. I think the next step is to clean all connections again. I have only had the bike 2 months, so I am still learning about it. However, when I touch the 2 large posts of the solenoid with a screw driver, it does not spark. So it must not be grounded is all I can think. Am I correct? Thanks - rd
 
Doesn't matter if it's grounded when you're touching the two posts together. Those two big posts are both positive. One should go directly to the battery, and the other directly to the the starter. It's pretty hard to have a bad ground between the starter and engine, unless the ground cable from the battery to frame is bad. So If it's not sparking and turning the engine over when the two posts are jumped, either your starter is bad or the wiring from the battery to starter is interrupted somewhere.

Use your mm to check voltage at the relay, one post should say 13.1v, this is the post that should lead directly to the battery. If neither post reads 13.1v, your problem is between the solenoid and battery.

Now check for continuity between the starter positive terminal and the other post on the solenoid. If there isn't continuity, your problem is between the starter and solenoid.

If both these tests work, I'd be a little surprised, since you say there's no spark, should be a small one when connecting that much voltage and amperage. But if they do, than your starter is bad.

I'm guessing, since there's no spark, the wire leading from the battery to the solenoid is bad. You can also test this by unbolting the starter side and touching it directly to the battery positive terminal.
 
Have you tested your main fuse since you replaced the solenoid? Remember that it can "look" good to the naked eye but blown under the metal caps.
 
No. I will. thanks . If the main fuse was blown, would the solenoid still clack and all the accessories still light up? RD
 
robdsuzuki said:
No. I will. thanks . If the main fuse was blown, would the solenoid still clack and all the accessories still light up? RD
Click to expand...
No on both counts. I suspect your starter is either bound up or you're not making good contact at the starter. If you can't make the starter spin by direct positive 12v to the starter terminal (it's grounded through the bolts), you need to pull the starter and fix it.
 
If you are pushing the starter button and the solenoid is clicking, then you are getting voltage to it, all is fine up to the solenoid, the solenoid itseld is working as well, as the clicking you here is the contact plate being brought up into contact with the two terminals to bridge them out.
I would look down at the starter, I recon your problem lies there.

It helps a little bit to understand what the solenoid does and how it operates.
The solenoid is just a switch allowing current from the battery to the starter when "on" and no current flows when "off".
The thick wire rom your battery in effect runs straight to your starter and is broken half way by the solenoid "switch" just as you would put a switch on the wire between a light bulb and the power outlet to control it on and off.

With me so far......
Ok how does it work?
Inside the solenoid there is a copper plate that is spring loaded and attached to a coil.
You can see the two posts are next to each other, the battery connects to the one, and the other is connected to the starter, obviously when you bridge them out you create an uninterupted bridge and the current can flow across, from the battery all the way to the starter, that s why the motor should turn over when you bridge it out.
The solenoid does exactly the same thing, but inside.
The copper bar is springloaded away from the terminals, when you push the starter button, it energises a coil inside the solenoid which pushes the copper bar against the spring pressure and up into contact with the two terminals, creating a bridge across them and a path for the current to flow from the battery all the way to the starter...just like whe you put the screwdriver across the terminals, that is the 'clack' sound you hear, as the bar is pushed against the terminals.
When you leave the starter button, the current to the coil stops and the spring pressure pushes the copper bar away from the terminals.

Hope this clears it up a little bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top