Need to rewire my starting circuit, can someone break it down easily for me?

[Vamisk]

Recently i tried again to start my 1982 Gs1100GL. I put a fresh battery in it. and got a click. Put a battery charger on 200 amps because i already knew what was going on. Got a very very slow crank. Any more attempts and i merely got a single click. Touched the positive wire on the starter relay and it burned my finger, so i toasted my relay.

Looking at the wiring it's obvious what the problem is, Butt connectors on every circuit, uncrimped no less. No wire was left unspliced and mismatched in color.
I'm guessing and i'm probably right in that there's just too much resistance throughout the starting circuit to even get the starter to spin. My clutch safety switch would work intermittently i so i'll probably end up bypassing it.

I pulled the starter and put power directly to it and it spun free and quiet so i did that.

Now i downloaded a wiring diagram from Bikecliff's site for an 82 1100G. I assume they're the same wiring.
Can anyone give me some tips on where to even start with this project? It's very intimidating to go through everything.

 

[Big T]

Open up the starter and clean it and inspect the brushes

Carefully unscrew the solenoid and peek inside (don't take it apart). If the contacts weren't burned before, after 200 A, they are now.

Put the voltmeter on the trigger wire and push the starter button. 12 V +?. It's not the harness, then

You can get a solenoid from a lawnmower supply store or maybe Home Depot, etc

 

[Big T]

Also, check and clean the ground wire at the back of your motor

 

[Gorminrider]

I haven't compared this to your bike -it's for my 650 but as a general rule, the safety switches(clutch,neutral and a sidestand switch and starter button) interrupt or fulfill the circuit to the solenoid.

The KILL switch interrupts ignition- really a separate circuit but required ON to supply power here to, via Orange/white stripe(O/W).

With a working starter motor, you should be able to use a screwdriver across the solenoids BIG terminals to turn the motor over in NEUTRAL..no gas fumes!!it sparks!!This works even if the solenoid doesn't.

If the solenoid works, you can touch + to the small spot where the green/yellow stripe attaches and again, the motor will turn over.

If the two above work, I hope you can trace back and figure out the wiring with this diagram...of the starting circuit ALONE

 

[Steve]

... If the contacts weren't burned before, after 200 A, they are now.

I just LOVE electrical misconseptions.

Just because you have a source set to 200 amps does not mean that you will force 200 amps down the wires.

The starter (and the rest of the bike) will DRAW whatever they draw, they will not have anything forced through them.

.

 

[Vamisk]

The contacts inside looked fine but I got medieval with it trying to take it apart and check. The start is fine, almost new. I suspect the problem is between the clutch safety switch which has an intermittent problem of just being dead or the run/start and starter button. I don't know if there is a neutral safety switch but the neutral light on the cluster is dead along with some of the gear indicator bulbs.
Actually scratch that I remember is was able to somehow crank it in gear. Don't ask me what I did to achieve that.

 

[Redman]

TO describe the starter button - solenoid circuit:
- Ignition fuse to the kill switch
- Kill switch to the starter button (and also to ignition module and ignition coils)
- starter button to the clutch lever switch (called "disconnect" on schematic)
- clutch lever switch to the starter solenoid
- (solenoid)
- solenoid is grounded thru its mounting. Mounted to the battery box. Battery box need ground wire from bike, (the blk/wht wire on solenoid mounting stud).

Notice: nothing in the circuit involves if transmission in gear or not.

The solenoid either clicks or it doesnt.
Nothing in that circuit effects if starter turns fast or slow, for that need to concider the circuit of the big thick red wires from battery to solenoid, the solenoid internals, solenoid to the starter, the starter itself, and the grounding of the engine (thick wire on back of engine).

 

[Gorminrider]

Notice: nothing in the circuit involves if transmission in gear or not.

not in These bikes,no, but I would always put the bike in neutral when troubleshooting a starting system..!

 

[Vamisk]

Redman, I'm going to voltage drop the battery when attempting to crank once my new relay gets here as well as cleaning the contacts on all switches. The only wires that didn't appear to be tampered with were the positive heading to the starter. I'll grab some pictures of my wiring when I get home from work tonight.


Actually, do I need the relay to jump the starter while its bolted on?

 

[Guest]

Might want to check the main cables to the battery, those terminals can hide corroded wire strands you don't see that will cause the same sort of thing. It is quite common.

 

[Vamisk]

Alright sorry for the late picture. You can see things have been tampered with. I don't have the wiring diagram in front of me right now but I put the relay back. The green/yellow wire is broken from when I took the relay apart but I still have my lights.

I also remembered I lost the screw to the kill switch and starter button bracket so I only had one threaded in there. It might not have been making good enough contact to close the relay.

 

[Vamisk]

Attempted to jump the terminals on the relay, only got a click and glowing terminals. Does the wire coming from the starter button etc. Have to be connected to still send power to the start when jumping the relay?

 

[Redman]

Attempted to jump the terminals on the relay, only got a click and glowing terminals........

WHich terminal?
THe one from the starter button (the small one)?
Or the big one with red wire from battery?
Or the big one with red wire to starter?

. . . . . . . . Does the wire coming from the starter button etc. Have to be connected to still send power to the start when jumping the relay?

Are you asking if the little wire from the starter button carries all the current that the starter motor needs??? NO!!

THe starter button circuit just pulls in the solenoid which is a relay coil. , just enough current to make the solenoid click.
THe relay coil pulls in big contacts inside the solenoid that effectivly connect the big red wire from battery to the big red wire to the starter, and that is for all the current to make the starter grunt.

 

[Vamisk]

The big post going to the starter was glowing. I know that the small wire can't carry that amperage. I'm just wondering if the wire is physically cut the relay can't close and send power to the starter?

 

[Vamisk]

Okay guys, update. I might have found the problem. When it did work it used to spin slow like a 6v starter. Someone has been trying to get this started for a while.

 

[Big T]

That's burned. Chuck one end in a drill to spin it, and hold a fine emery paper strip against it and see if it cleans up

What do the brushes look like?

 

[Vamisk]

I cleaned it up on the inside pretty good and jumped it. It spins a lot faster now so we'll see if it was good enough.

The brushes looked like burnt toast but brakekleen got moet of the grime out of there. If it still doesn't crank I'll buy some brushes and such.

 

[Vamisk]

By chance does anyone know what size screw sits right here in the starter switch? I've spent all day tracking down potential electrical issues. By the way the highest voltage I got out of my batter was 9.6 hahah but I'm using a cheap autozone meter. I installed a new relay and tried to start it. It was in 2nd and jumped so I guess my clutch needs adjusting too.

To specify, it's the very bottom hole below the orange wire. I don't know if it's the same size as the others

 

[Redman]

........................ tried to start it. It was in 2nd and jumped so I guess my clutch needs adjusting too.
.......s

Not necessarily. If it then broke loose , then it could just be that since is cold the oil in the clutch plates grabbed a little for a little while.

I cant help with the screw size.
But good to see you made progress with the starter.
(Stocker Starters is good for rebuild kits.)

 

[Vamisk]

Thanks Redman. I ordered a rebuild kit. Whether or not the starter is bad i might as well get it rebuilt while i'm doing all this.