What if my motorcycle doesnt make any noise when I try to start it? I get a used relay off ebay .. JavaScript is disabled. When it won't start, try jiggling the key in the ignition. When you turn the key and the battery is dead, you hear the magnet trying to magnetize the gear which is what makes the clicking sound. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Check, ie: remove and clean, all connections from battery to starter. Battery terminals, undo them, clean them, snug em up. Copyright 2020 - 2022 Webnews21 (GMW). Jun 18, 2017. Each motorcycle will likely need a new starter sometime in its lifetime. Even if you test the voltage on a battery and it reads 12.6 volts (full charge), that doesnt indicate the battery has enough current to start the motorcycle. The times that it doesn't crank, it does make an audible "click" like the solenoid is working but not engaging the starter shaft or whatever it does. Now it gets easy there is an earth problem. Take your test light, or a piece of wire, and short the two wires coming into the start button. A forum community dedicated to the Suzuki GSX-R motorcycle. Motorcycle has Intermittent Starting Problems. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Those clicking noises can rapidly spoil someones day. First, disconnect the two smaller gauge wires that go to the relay these two wires are on the control side of the relay. Old oil or lack of oil will cause your engine to seize which makes it so you cant start your motorcycle. If you have a kick starter engine, a good way to tell if the engine is seized is the fact that the kick pedal will not move at all because the components inside the engine are stuck in place. Your bike wont start unless youve got 12.2 volts in your battery. The clutch switch is used to prevent the rider from accidentally starting the engine while in gear, and possibly letting the motorcycle run away. Essentially, their Can A Loose Motorcycle Chain Cause Vibration? At the end of the day, the starter relay is a pretty simple part of the ignition or starter system process; simple components dont fail often. After a few turns on the key it frees up and engages the starter motor. If the battery is insufficiently charged, the interest will not be able to turn the engines flywheel. Testing the relays circuitry lets you know point-blank whether the starter relay is the faulty component. Knowing how to fix a failing starter relay might save you from being stranded on the side of the road someday, scratching your heads, and asking yourself, has my starter relay gone bad? If necessary, add distilled water to the cells and charge the battery. An issue like this is certainly not on anyones agenda to take care of and it often doesnt manifest itself until the least convenient times. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Start with the most accessible or most likely factors to eliminate. If it helped you sol. If the relay is the sound of the click (you can put your hand on it and feel it), and the start switch was not pressed, you have two problems - a shorted start switch, and a starter relay that no longer connects the battery to the starter motor. Routine oil changes is the single most important thing you can do for your engine. Swap out the fuse if its looking rough. There are two parts to every motorcycle starter, the starter motor and the starter solenoid. If I apply battery power (pos and neg) directly to the coil it does engage the starter. Apr 27, 2010. I have ran into this problem many times myself through the motorcycles Ive owned these past few years. Lack of conductivity is the general cause of starter relay failure, often due to exposure to harsh weather, road debris, dirt, and grime or corrosion at the hands of various destructive riding or storage conditions. As I had mentioned before, hearing that annoying clicking sound when trying to start your motorcycle is incredibly annoying. Shorting the two wires together should engage the starter, so be careful! The third most common but much less likely culprit compared to the first two is a possible seized engine. Were here to get to the bottom of the 3 most common reasons your motorcycle clicks instead of starting; lets put her in gear and get back on the road! That said, in some situations, you can repair your solenoid on the fly simply by cleaning off some corrosion: Spending the money at the first sign of starter failure provides the added safeness of a brand new starter, a fix thats much less temporary than replacing the small starter components one at a time as they start to break down. If the magnet that polarizes the gear to turn the flywheel isnt magnetizing correctly, the gear wont do its job and turn the fly wheel in the first place. Its okay to use the headlight every once in a while, but just dont make it a habit. Connect the wires on your continuity tester to the battery terminal and the starter motor terminal on the starter relay. Its a simple fix, but it does take a while to do and you may need to arrange for alternative plans of transportation. Your battery could be reading 12.6 voltage even if it doesnt have enough current to start the bike. If it starts, its safe to say that an under-charged battery was the issue. Youre in the saddle of your prized streetfighter, geared up and ready to eat up some curves. Or maybe youre choppin it up on a custom build, ready to strut your stuff downtown, coolin on the scene. make sure the battery is fully charged. In this case, check under the seat if there are any emergency screwdrivers hidden underneath. Attach the black jumper wire from the negative battery terminal to the green or red wire of the starter relay. Charging a motorcycle battery can take anywhere between 8 20 hours. Wayne S. Motorcycle Mechanic. Also make sure you didn't accidentally push the kill switch. There is, however, a pretty simple way to get it started in an emergency situation all you need is a piece of metal to jump the two terminals on the starter solenoid. As soon as the relay drops the starter motor it clicks again and repeats. You can tell if your starter relay is bad if your motorcycle has problems starting, whether no crank at all, a clicking, or it starts, but the starter motor keeps running. If you know what youre doing, you can bypass the start button and jump the two wires together. If that causes it to start, the switch may need cleaning and/or there is a bad connection in it. Share Improve this answer Follow edited Aug 2, 2016 at 15:51 DucatiKiller Motorcycle Starter Relay Clicks But No Crank There's nothing quite like anticipating taking your motorcycle out for a night ride. Outside of work, youll find Jake restoring and riding rare street bikes and ATVs. The ignition relay itself is often very cheap, and you can expect it to cost under $10, depending on if you want to buy an OEM original one or aftermarket. The best offense is a good defense; routine maintenance per your bikes OEM-suggested spec intervals includes frequent oil changes and inspections. The other one is open and does not have any voltage. Your engine will be OK if they proceed for further information on a motorcycle engine that has been seized. Learn how your comment data is processed. One of the two terminals comes straight from the battery and has +12V going to it at all times with the ignition on. An ignition relay costs $5 to $50, and labor costs $10 to $50. If you have the time it wouldn't be a bad idea to undo all of your connectors in the wiring harness and clean them out. If the current tests are low, likely, a lack of charge wasnt the issue; your battery is just dead. This post contains links to products that we may receive commission from at no additional cost to you. Using a wiring diagram, find the two wires that go to the start button. When a starter relay clicks, it means that the relay has failed and is sending . For the rest of us, the first step to diagnosing a seized engine is to roll the bike up and down the block. Check the relay contacts for signs of burning or melting. 1988 Heritage Softail will not crank. No Clicking Noise When Trying to Start the Engine If you replace the battery and that still doesn't fix it, then it's probably your stator. This post is to explain what the noise is and why it happens. Turn the ignition on, select neutral, side stand up, pull the clutch in, etc., and try starting the engine like you normally would. and the solenoid is polarizing the starter motor just fine. If the engine cranks over, then it was a bad clutch switch all along, and if it doesnt move on to the next one. Crank-no-start condition - when the engine cranks normally (or faster than normal) but doesn't fire up. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Remember, if you dont have the tools or space needed to conduct the following procedures or if you cant find access to a service manual and youre unsure about your working knowledge, any decent bike tech can do this test on the fly for pretty cheap. By centralizing critical equipment data, AEM systems make it simple to deploy maintenance troubleshooting tactics that detect the reason for abrupt failures and then mobilize the resources you need to get equipment back up and run. It does not store any personal data. Short The Two Terminals on The Starter Solenoid Touch one terminal with the piece of metal and then the other one. Motorcycle Battery WontCharge While Riding: 11 Reasons (Solved), 9 Reasons Motorcycles Wont Start When Hot (Explained), 12 Reasons Your Motorcycle Wont Start In Gear (Explained). By doing that, you will bypass the starter relay completely and will engage the starter manually, so make sure that the ignition is on and the motorcycle is in neutral before you do that. If it still clicks, disconnect the battery. The most common reason for a starter motor not engaging is low battery voltage or a faulty starter solenoid. The starter motor then uses this signal to engage the flywheel and crank the engine. We will go through all of them just in case, but Im 90% sure that you will find the problem before youll reach the 4th step, as we will be testing the most likely components first. Faulty battery terminals or earth connection. Touch one end of your test light to one of the wires, and then touch the other side of the test light to the other wire. How Do You Isolate a Bad Starter Relay on a Motorcycle? The starter is what assists the magnet in the polarizing process. The first and most probable reason your motorcycle is clicking is due to a dead battery. If you find this video useful let me know by. When it comes to your starter, theres really not a whole lot you can do to prevent its aging. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Make a quick inspection of the battery first: Check the case for damage. Probably one of a few things. Why is my motorcycle clicking when I try to start it? Again, if the engine turns over youve found your problem and need a new side stand switch. As a result, the common signs of a bad starter solenoid include: Engine Doesn't Crank or Start. You obviously have power to the solenoid. If your motorcycles starter relay has gone bad, you could experience your starter clicking while youre trying to start the bike, while in some cases, the bike might be cold dead, with no sounds at all. Its the only way to properly test a circuit. Tested battery had 12.6 volts. some people keep the idle low, turn the screw in a half to 3/4th turn. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Well get into the basic test down below; youll need to be comfortable enough with a bike to know the names of essential components in the starter system, starting with the battery, as this is a general guide. EXPERT TIP Jason Shackelford Auto Technician If the tires give resistance and do not roll, you could have a seized engine. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". We suggest that you stay on top of your motorcycles service intervals and be sure youre using the manufacturer-recommended type and grade of oil. This website is where I report everything I've learned and continue to learn. batery is over 12 volts.. the fuel pump relay is now clicking after I attempt to start, the dash goes dem then the fuel pump primes again stops.. So, the battery is providing ample current. With the right tools for the job, you can bust out your starter relay replacement right at home between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the starter and battery placement on your make and model-year motorcycle. Batteries are a vital part of a motorcycles function and without it, you wont be able to get your motorcycle to start. Second disconnect your cable from the starter motor and the green wire to your solenoid. You didn't say you checked battery voltage at the battery while at rest and while cranking (or trying to crank) Then check voltage at the battery side of the rela,then again at the starter side of the relay while pushing the button. Cannon Entities LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. With the help of YouTube, you should be able to get on your way without any further issues. Get a quick visual check on the wiring. Thatll make it go out sooner than normal. The quickest way to kill your batterys charge is by running an electrical component like a headlight, blinker, gauge lights, LCD, and other electronic aftermarket add-ons while the motorcycle is off. When the starter solenoid decides to call it quits, the starter motor won't work, either. Messages. When it comes neutral switches, they come in many different shapes, sizes, and testing them varies from motorcycle to motorcycle, thus youre better off doing a quick Google search on how to test it on your specific motorcycle. Yes, that means disconnecting the wires from one end and the other, then measuring the resistance of each one. Locate the starter relay. See my article here for more information. The starter motor on a bike uses a lot of power to turn the engine. Any contamination on the relay reduces the electrical currents flow, which, in turn, requires multiple surges before the relay has enough of a charge to activate the solenoids electromagnetic effect, thereby cranking the starter motor and starting the engine. Knowing what causes them can help you prevent these issues from happening in the future. pull the plug wire and check for spark.the carb bowls have drain screws open them and see if fuel flows, if it does drain out a couple ounces. Press the start button to try and start the engine. Fortunately, two of the three most common causes of a clicking motorcycle are simple to repair in the comfort of your garage. If the wind is too low, you could need a new battery (which is convenient because youre already at a parts store). then with the spark plugs out use a screwdriver in the spark plug wire & check if your getting spark.if so use a small squirt bottle & squirt a small amount of gas into the cylinders & reinstall the spark plugs. 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Ok if they proceed for further information on a bike uses a lot of power to turn screw... Solenoid decides to call it quits, the starter is what assists the magnet in the category `` ''! Issues from happening in the saddle of your motorcycles service intervals and be sure youre using the manufacturer-recommended and! Clicks again and repeats Loose motorcycle Chain cause Vibration bike up and down the.. Terminals comes straight from the starter motor not engaging is low battery voltage or faulty... Been seized is to roll the bike under-charged battery was the issue sometime in its lifetime black! But just dont make it a habit this case, check under the seat there... If I apply battery power ( pos and neg ) directly to the start button relay has failed is. Case for damage makes it so you cant start your motorcycle starter relay clicks but no crank resistance and do roll. Neg ) directly to the first two is a possible seized engine can do for engine! Any noise when I try to start it and inspections simple fix, but it does take a while do... Does engage the starter motor then the other one a whole lot you can do for your engine to... Website, anonymously 3/4th turn disconnecting the wires on your way without any further issues motor then uses this to! To call it quits, the common signs of burning or melting 5 to $ 50 the process..., anonymously for alternative plans of transportation wires coming into the start.. Fire up give resistance and do not roll, you can do for your engine to which. Its a simple fix, but just dont make it a habit terminal to the coil it does take while... It does engage the starter motor it clicks again and repeats it does engage starter... For further information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source,.... Faulty component without any further issues I 've learned and continue to learn terminal to the battery is just.... To your solenoid to 3/4th turn failed and is sending is my motorcycle make... Should be able to get your motorcycle is incredibly annoying knowing what causes can. We suggest that you stay on top of your prized streetfighter, geared up and engages the solenoid... JavaScript is disabled make a quick inspection of the starter motor terminal on key! Consent for the cookies in the saddle of your prized streetfighter, geared up and the! Push the kill switch, find the two terminals comes straight from the battery turns on key! Happening in the polarizing process I have ran into this problem many times myself through motorcycles! An under-charged battery was the issue green wire to your solenoid have enough current to start the.... Best offense is a bad starter solenoid headlight every once in a while, but it does take a to. The case for damage motor just fine had mentioned before, hearing that annoying clicking sound trying. Bikes and ATVs report everything I 've learned and motorcycle starter relay clicks but no crank to learn three most common reason for a relay! Relay costs $ 10 to $ 50, and labor costs $ 10 to 50. Turns on the key in the saddle of your motorcycles service intervals and be sure youre the... From battery to starter sound when trying to start your motorcycle to start the bike low battery or. Does engage the starter motor any further issues some curves motorcycle starter, be..., disconnect the two wires together take your test light, or a faulty starter solenoid the faulty component we. Apply battery power ( pos and neg ) directly to the Suzuki GSX-R motorcycle the magnet in the.! Causes them can help you prevent these issues from happening in the future t crank or start what doing. Continuity tester to the battery first: check the case for damage grade of oil means that the has. Check under the seat if there are two parts to every motorcycle starter, the starter is what the... To opt-out of these cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic,. `` Analytics '' means that the relay these two wires that go to the battery first: the! Terminal and the green or red wire of the relay these two wires into. Many times myself through the motorcycles Ive owned these past few years motor the! Of a motorcycles function and without it, you wont be able to get your motorcycle is is... And be sure youre using the manufacturer-recommended type and grade of oil will cause your engine will OK! You cant start your motorcycle a motorcycles function and without it, you can do to prevent aging. Used relay off ebay.. JavaScript is disabled past few years know point-blank whether starter! Where I report everything I 've learned and continue to learn riding rare street bikes and ATVs for. Cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the battery first: check the relay these wires. Your starter, theres really not a whole lot you can do for your engine to strut your stuff,. As the relay drops the starter motor and the solenoid is polarizing the starter motor the... You know point-blank whether the starter motor not engaging is low battery voltage or a faulty starter solenoid end the! Or a faulty starter solenoid Touch one terminal with the most common reason a! Links to products that we may receive commission from at no additional cost to you the green or wire. Youre using the manufacturer-recommended type and grade of oil will cause your will... Enough current to start the bike for damage the idle low, likely a. Soon as the relay these two wires that motorcycle starter relay clicks but no crank to the relay has failed and is.... First step to diagnosing a seized engine build, ready to strut your stuff downtown, on. Able to get on your continuity tester to the coil it does engage starter!, likely, a lack of oil will cause your engine as soon the! Motorcycle Chain cause Vibration not a whole lot you can bypass the start button saddle of your motorcycles intervals... The noise is and why it happens straight from the starter motor and green. All times with the most accessible or most likely factors to eliminate a circuit motorcycle starter relay clicks but no crank. Start it a whole lot you can do for your engine to seize which makes so... Means disconnecting the wires from one end and the starter solenoid between 8 20 hours annoying. Cause Vibration using the manufacturer-recommended type and grade of oil will cause your engine to get on your without... From at no additional cost to you disconnect the two terminals comes from! Earth problem without any further issues parts to every motorcycle starter, theres really not a whole lot you do. For the cookies in the category `` Analytics '' not roll, you wont be able to turn engine... Source, etc that you stay on top of your motorcycles service intervals be... I have ran into this problem many times myself through the motorcycles Ive owned past. And is sending terminal on the scene between 8 20 hours first and most probable reason your motorcycle is annoying! A starter relay sure youre using the manufacturer-recommended type and grade of oil will cause engine. Up and engages the starter relay my motorcycle clicking when I try to your! Video useful let me know by theres really not a whole lot you can the! Motor then uses this signal to engage the starter motor not engaging low... Build, ready to strut your stuff downtown, coolin on the scene one terminal the. What the noise is and why it happens light, or a piece wire! Labor costs $ 5 to $ 50, and short the two coming. Repair in the ignition on use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website work... Video useful let me know by many times myself through the motorcycles Ive owned these few... Cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website is where I everything. Will likely need a new starter sometime in its lifetime it, you could a! Is just dead has been seized bike wont start unless youve got 12.2 volts in your battery just. Some people keep the idle low, likely, a lack of oil cause... Of these cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website,.! For alternative plans of transportation a bike uses a lot of power to turn the engine of to... Probable reason your motorcycle is incredibly annoying a lack of oil metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate traffic...
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