• 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.

Starter Trouble?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RevRoy
  • Start date Start date
R

RevRoy

Guest
Today, I fired up my GS550 and rode it for about 30 minutes (15 miles), and it ran perfectly. Going into the garage, I killed the engine. When I went to start it, all it did was CLICK. This continued three more times. I left the bike and returned ten minutes later and it started.

This happened one other time, when I flooded the bike on a cold start. After three attempts to start it, it just clicked when I pressed the starter button. After 10 minutes or so, it started.

Could this be selonoid trouble, a loose connection, or what?

Thanks
 
from my experience with cars, i would say it's more of a solenoid issue. GM starters did the exact same thing, and it was always the solenoid.

Mike
 
Solenoid?

Solenoid?

In my opinion, it is most definitely not the solenoid! If you hear a 'click', your solenoid is just fine. Thousands of solenoids are sold, each year, for cars and bikes when the old one is in perfect working order. They are a very simple device and only relay the charge...if they click, they're doing their job and creating the connection. If you want to check this further, take a screwdriver and bridge the two connections; you'll accomplish exactly the same thing.

Either your battery is low, you have a bad connection or the armature within the starter is expanding and not allowing it to turn over....when it sits for a few minutes, it cools off and reduces in size, allowing it to spin freely. Your brushes may also be the problem. One thing I feel sure of is that the problem is not with the solenoid.....

Hopefully, others smarter than me will add some help.:)
 
Last edited:
Thanks, guys. The cooling off period and then starting had me thinking it's probably not a selanoid because I think they either work or don't ... they usually do not fade in and out. I also thought about the starter, but the day I flooded the engine and it began clicking heat was not an issue. I haven't had the bike too long, and I was wondering about the battery. I was working on the lights one day a few weeks ago and it seemed as if the battery ran down pretty quickly. On that day, I jumped it from my wife's car, and since then the battery has (seemingly) given me no trouble. Today, when it began clicking, the lights, radio, etc, all worked. But I think I'll put a load test on it and see what's what.

Thanks again, and if anyone has any more words of wisdom I'd appreciate hearing them.
 
I agree, it's not the solenoid.I had the same issue with a Honda. It was the starter. Got a rebuilt from Stockers and it worked fine. For a while. Same issue, the rebuilt starter was defective (that could only happen to me). But Stockers made good on it and sent me another one. Worked great, no more issues. I would recommend Stockers starters, free shipping to you and free shipping of the core. Great guy.
 
Yeah!

Yeah!

Yeah, Bubba may have the right idea...or, the reverend's problem just might be his battery; which is an easy fix... let us know! (It's always helpful to each of us).:-D
 
Last edited:
clean your starter!

clean your starter!

Same problem on my 650. Took the starter out, took it apart and it was gunked up with dirt/oil that had gotten into the unit. Cleaned it out really well, reassembled and check the contact between the brushes and the copper round thing (thats a technical term!). Contacts were good, springs were still strong, put it back together the rest of the way Hooked it up to a battery to make sure it would spin.....back in business!

Dropped it back in and haven't had a problem.

NOTE: Check the wire that goes down to the starter to verify you're getting voltage there first.

Removal was a bit of a bassturd. Had to move the carbs outta the way. 2 really long bolts are what holds the starter together.

I'd try that before I bought a new one. New was like $100+ bucks. You'll have to remove the old one anyway so might as well see if its just dirty.....
 
I checked my battery (load test and cells) and found it okay. While digging around beneath the seat, I found something interesting ... some 14-3 Romex, which is 14 gauge household wiring! The former owner had spliced this into the wiring just behind the battery.

I was amazed that the wiring did not burn up, or that GS would even start, with this tiny gauge wiring. I replaced the terminals (neg and pos) with the proper stranded wire, and she now fires right up. She also seems to run a bit better, and the headlight no longer dims while the engine is idling.

Thanks for all the kind advice. BTW, Father's day was a gorgeous one, and I left at 0730 hrs and rode around the lake and on our winding country roads until 1040 hrs. Hope all you fathers were able to do something as sweet.
 
Good gravy! Some people should not be allowed near wiring! Glad nothing bad happened as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top