XJ550 won't start

My maxim's been running/starting just fine until last week when the starter button broke and fell out of the assembly. I've been roll starting the bike since and runs as usual. Today I installed a new RH switch assembly and now all I get is a rapid clicking noise from what I assume is the starter relay located directly behind the battery. It's vibrating wildly, too. When I hit the starter button it clicks and vibrates itself out of its holder. The starter motor does not turn. I did a forum search and I found a thread similar to my problem and the suggestion was to bridge the contacts on the relay/solenoid to see if that kicks the engine over. I did that and I think I heard an electric motor turning very slowly. That's where the paper trail ends. I don't know what to do with the information I have or where to go from here! Anybody have experience with this?

 

Not entirely sure. Could be more than one thing at this time. A low baterry and a starter button not making good contact?

 

+1 for low batt. Charge it and see if that makes as diff.

You no doubt checked for a short since the switch fell apart
but keep checking. You could have a grounding prob un-
relateted to the bad switch but on the same circuit as well-stranger
things have happened.

 

You can only push these buttons a million times! Seriously check that the battery is fully charged to 12.8V, and pin out the starter relay with your dvom while holding the start button in.

 

Sounds like simply a low battery or bad connection.

How "new" was the switch assembly you installed? NEW as in brand new helping chacal pay for his boat new, or new to you off eBay?

 

Thanks for all your replies!

I left the battery on a trickle all day yesterday... I'll see if that made a difference at all.

fitz, I am moderately embarrassed to say that I did not support chacal this time since the switch disassembled itself when I was at work 20 miles from my home. There happens to be a cycle salvage yard in my business complex that had one. I picked that one up with the intention of using it to get me home.

One thing I failed to mention that I just remembered. Before I installed the new switch, I re-inserted the broken button into the assembly to see if I could use that to start the motor. The engine turned over twice before the starter stopped and the solenoid/relay began clicking; the engine did not start. So this problem began before the new-ish switch was installed and the problem persists with the new switch.

 

Don't be embarrassed; the price of a NEW new switch module is quite high, although certainly not Len's fault.

Usually the relay simply clicking means it's getting enough "juice" to activate IT, but not the starter.

Coupled with the fact that you get a "slow electric motor" sound (the starter, not turning fast enough to engage) when jumping the solenoid terminals (and thus bypassing the switch) leads me to the dead/flat battery theory.

Plus, your "new" switch cluster might need to be disassembled and cleaned, but the starter should spin when you jump the solenoid terminals. Since it's not, you have a bigger problem than just the switch.

 

fitz, that's why I said I was only moderately embarrassed! Can't beat a $40 salvage yard switch assembly...

On the grounds of cleaning the switches, they actually cleaned them up for me when they removed it from the donor bike! The internals look like they could be brand spankin new.

 

Take your battery to the auto parts store and have them test it.

 

perhaps I will try that this afternoon if the trickle charger doesn't do the trick.

 

OK battery is good & is holding charge... problem persists... solenoid just clicks away... what's my next step?

 

The clicking is the starter solenoid engaging and disengaging rapidly. Likely due to interrupted 12volts at the solenoid’s input. The interruption can be due to the starter cut-off relay, another (safety) relay (possibly the side-stand relay if your bike has one), even the new starter button could have marginally good contacts. Low battery is very common cause. Since you think the battery is good:

WARNING: BE SURE BIKE IS IN NEUTRAL PREFERABLY ON CENTER STAND.
I would unplug the starter solenoid input connector and apply 12volts direct to the inputs of the solenoid using some jumper wires. The solenoid should click once and the starter should spin to start bike. (jump to the small sized wires on the connector plug of solenoid, red with white trace wire connects to positive – leave the battery cables connected on solenoid)

1st try the 12volts from the bike’s battery and if it still clicks on/off try another know good charged battery if you have one. Car battery with car turned off.
If the solenoid operates good with 12v applied direct to input then something before the solenoid is the issue.

 

ok, mdee, i tried your trick. I "hotwired" the input connector like you said and now, instead of clicking repeatedly, it clicks once when power is applied (engaging?) and again when removed (disengaging?). This occurred with both the battery and a reliable 12v supply. The starter, however, did not spin in either case.

What does this tell me? Do I have a bad sensor/relay somewhere along with a bad starter?

 

ok quick update... the starter motor is turning sporadically with the starter button and everything else plugged in as normal! Not enough to kick over the engine though. When I hit the starter button I'll get something like the engine turning over a few times followed by several solenoid clicks and back to turning over and so on and so forth until there's not enough juice to continue. I'm thinking loose connection somewhere? Making contact but not good contact?

 

Loose connection, poor ground somewhere, weak battery.........

 

Check all the ground straps between the motor and the frame and the battery box, etc. They can look perfectly fine but be all crispy and green on the inside. (The braided cables especially.)

Check all the BIG wires leading to/from the solenoid and starter.

It could also be a starter problem but the way it developed I kinda doubt it.

FUSEBOX? Do we dare ask?

 

That result is both good and bad. The solenoid is acting normal. The starter is possibly bad. That test eliminated all else in the starter circuit other than the battery, heavy cable connections, solenoid and the starter. Possibly a bad connection(s) somewhere on the heavy cables from battery to solenoid to starter. The starter is self grounding. Also check cable connections from battery negative to engine (ground). The battery used to power the heavy cables on starter must be verified good. The heavy cable connections are robust and I doubt they are THE issue. Still, all connections in the starter circuit contribute to weaken the circuit as a whole.

My starter failed fast a couple weeks ago. I chased other things like the battery before I decided it must be the starter. My starter worked fine without any indications of an issue until it began to turn very slow (like a weak battery), then worked only sporadically. In my case the difference between apparent no issue to slow starter was 3 - 4 starts.
Your quote:
‘Not enough to kick over the engine though’

I removed starter from bike and jump started the starter in hand and it worked only sometimes. Turned out to be the starter brushes.

If your starter is working sporadically, everything in the starter circuit becomes a suspect. I would remove starter and jump it in hand (using some medium heavy jump cables, connect the positive 1st to post on starter, then quickly snap the ground to a place on starter case (I used the shaft of the long bolt) that will be hidden when installed because it will spark (and scare those watching) and leave a small mark – DO NOT DO THIS NEAR FLAMABLE GAS). The starter should spin in hand when you make connections. Let the starter free spin for only a brief second, it is not designed to work with out a load.
Or instead of jumping in hand, because it may behave good and still be bad later, open starter and inspect the brushes.

 

hahaha... original tube fusebox. fuses are good to the eye and to the multimeter.

I have to be honest... this is more than I bargained for when I got the bike. I consider it a lesson learned about buying old bikes that sat for years. I'm leaning more towards letting this become someone else's project (for a small fee, of course). I have neither the time nor the patience for "tinkering." I just wanna put my key in and go.

 

You have already let this become someone else’s project. We at XJbikes are gluttons for someone else’s projects. And just wait till you get the bill
Your fee will be helping another.

Just think of the pride and self-confidence in your ride you will have after fixing it !