starting issues 85 Maxim X

the starter began getting weak/failing to turn the motor intermittently. I milked it along for a while with the ol' rubber mallet/balled fist to give it a whack when it acted up. eventually it stopped working altogether, and i push-started the bike for a few weeks before finding a (used) replacement starter. worked great for about 2 weeks, and started doing the same thing but at a much more accelerated failure rate. battery is good, even after a full charge, the starter doesnt turn.

i find it hard to believe that both starters are bad, and i've heard talk about a starter relay in the starting circuit that may be causing the problem.

anyone had this same problem?

 

Did you have your battery load-tested by a mechanic? It is pretty common to hear from members who thought their battery was good enough, until they have it tested the right way and realized it has almost no actual cranking power

Our XJs need a healthy battery.

 

i have not. i'll get it tested this weekend. i'm gonna kick myself if i blew 180 bucks on a starter when the battery was the real issue. live and learn, i guess!

 

You can test the starter "solenoid" (relay) by shorting the big posts on it. (Effectively bypassing it.)

***shower of sparks alert***

If the starter spins when you "jump" the posts, it's the solenoid.

 

Replaced the battery, installed new one, still nothing. Just a click from the relay. Occasionally, I'll get a sickly sound, like the starter trying to turn, but nowhere near enough to start the bike.

 

I'm off to lay a screwdriver across the relay posts.

 

Well I got the starter to spin by jumping the posts. However I only got it to do it once, and the crank sounded very weak, but now I can't repeat it. I'm puzzled.