Starter issue

Just put a new freshly charged battery in and click, click, click. One or two knocks to the starter and roooowwwr, rooooowwwr, roooowwwr. slowly turning over three times then click, click click. Short of a new starter, any ideas?

 

Double check your battery connections, and solenoid connections. The main ground also.

 

Check connections and... clean out the starter.

 

Dave, while you are cleaning out the starter check your brush length, should be at min. 8.5mm or 0.33in. if they are at min or shorter replace.

 

Removed starter, but did not disassemble. I can turn the shaft by hand. I was able to get the motor running by pushing the bike and popping the clutch. I rode a few blocks and the headlight cut out. A few more blocks and it started working again.

I replaced the terminal on the ground for the solenoid as it was loose and corroded. I soldered a new one on and reconnected and made sure it was all tight.

Click, Click, Click. the sound is obviously from the solenoid.

 

ok, got the starter disassembled. How much oil is supposed to be in the starter? There seemed to be quite a bit. One brush is visibly shorter than the other. replace both I assume?

Thanks for all the advice guys.

 

Update: replaced both brushes, cleaned everything and reassembled. Got a few groaning turns, then click, click, click. When I said solenoid earlier, I think what I meant was starter relay.

Anyway, does anybody have a starter for a 83 750 maxim? The local Yamaha shop wants more than what I paid for the whole bike for a new starter!

75 degrees for the first time all year and I'm on 4 wheels...

 

Before you go spending money on a starter did you try jumping across the solenoid? Use a big heavy pair of pliers & jump the two big post to each other, that eleiminates the internals of the solenoid.

Don't worry about the spark, as long as their isn't any gas fumes.

 

Jumping the two terminals does nothing. You do mean the electrical device mounted just to the left of the battery with the heavy gauge wires right?

 

Doesn't this still smell like a bad battery? What is your batter voltage at rest? Can you jump it with a known good automotive battery or a charger with a built in start feature? You need to fix this issue quickly and get to riding.

 

+1 with wamax, if that battery is not fully charge you will get the click, click sound & if it does turn over you won't have enough spark to fire the engine up.

 

It's a brand new battery freshly charged and also have tried to jump it with the car battery and same results.

 

OK take the starter off and try it with a car battery or charger, it should spin freely if you have it right. This can eliminate or confirm the starter as your problem.

If the windings are not open there is little that can make your starter go bad.
especially since you have already replaces the brushes.

 

Don'tknow if this will help but, when I 1st went to start my 650 I had the click thing working as well. Tapped it with a hammer handle & starter would work. Tore starter apart, checked brushes, cleaned lubed everything inside put back together, didn't need brushes, & click again. Hit her a couple of time with hammer handle & off she went. My bike had not run since 1989 so I assumed it may have had to do with that. Anyway after awhile it started to work on its own without the handle bashing. Not sure if things just needed to reseat thems selves after such a long time or what but haven't had a problem since. Knock on wood. Have you tried the hammer handle since replacing brushes? Also, has you bike sat for a long period of time?
Keep after it, you will win in the end & you will be THRILLED.
Gregg

 

Thanks for the encouragement! I am pretty frustrated right now. I did tap it with a hammer and it turned over a few times very very slowly, then click. Dark now and I don't have a garage, so I will try the bench test tomorrow. Where do the leads attach for testing?

More info: I ride this bike all the time, but the weather has been really nasty this winter so I have only been able to get it out once in the past 2 months. I was going to ride to work on an odd nice day a few weeks and the problem started. I figured it was a dead battery, so I put it on the charger over night, but it didn't help. Took the battery out and tested it at the local auto parts store and they told me it tested bad, so I bought a new battery thinking it would solve the problem right away. I made sure to charge the new battery over night per the instructions before I installed it and tried it.

 

Plus lead goes to the post the wire attaches to, negative to anyplace else.

Just touch it and be careful to have it clamped. It will move a good bit. A touch should send it spinning. If not take it apart again and ensure everything is together right.

There was another post recently, the guy left out the insulator on the Positive lead causing a short. They are really hearty devices, short if the winding opening not much can go wrong that brushes and cleaning can not fix.

 

Looks like I reassembled wrong. I took it off and there was an obvious smell of burning electrical parts. I must have rotated the brush holder incorrectly and the copper lead contacted one of the springs and shorted out. it actually broke the spring so now I need a new brush holder. Yamaha shop is closed today, so will have to wait again. I'll keep you posted.

 

Well that is partly good news, at least you know you don;t need a new starter. They are pretty tough.