ignition issue can't start

Hi XJ

Can anyone help me with this power/starting issue please?

Turn ignition 'on' and ignition light on. Press starter switch, there's a 'click', and ignition light goes 'off', no turnover.
2 mins later ignition light comes on again, try to start and same result....??!!

Battery is powered up full, all fuses (in the multifuse box) are fine

Cleaned solenoid and battery terminals, reassembled and same result.

Even if I just try to turn indicator on, or back brake light etc, it cuts out the power!.....then the ignition light comes back on again...?

Surely it cannot be the solenoid again, because I only replaced it one year ago....

Any ideas anyone....grateful!

Regards.

 

Jump the solenoid contacts with a screwdriver to see if engine starts.

 

sounds like your battery is bad, just because you charge it, does not mean it has the current/amperage to do its job.

the tell tell, for me was when you mentioned the brake light/signal made it shut off. classic sign of a faulty battery. not even enough current to operate a small circuit like a light.

if your battery was "good", then it might be grounding out somewhere, but this will increase the battery temp, and you should be able to put your hand on it to see if its too hot. if it gets too hot, it can explode spraying acidic liquid all over you and the bike componets.

if its not hot, you will need to do a "load test" on the battery. this requires a special tester that can send a full load rated for your battery size and let you know if it is faulty. or you can hook a battery charger up to it with a setting not to exceed 12v 30amp.
(the charger represents your needed power for the system to function) crank it over then. if all is good its your battery. or temporarly use your car battery...lol

 

I've got a brand new battery (gel), same one I've had on for last 6 years?
I'll hook that up, and (when fully charged up of course) see if I've got the same issue. It's funny, cos when the ignition light is 'on' and I test, I get 12+ volts, but when the ignition light has gone off, and I test, it is showing next to nothing in power from the battery?

 

I understand that... but like I said, every componet on that machine requires a minimal amonut of current/power. the moment you turn the key and kill switches on, every thing electrical just sucked juice from the battery, the clicking is a tell tell sign of "low voltage", the light cuting out after a start attempt is the full current loss in the battery, and when you let the battery sit a few minutes, it has the ability to minimally raise/pool its remaining power, then your light come back on etc.... a 12v reading is not a test to determin if the current flo at any given need is correct. do you have a 12v lawn mower battery or car battery you can use to test?

if I use a known good battery to jump the potentially faulty one, the faulty one will suck so much out of the good battery and severly drop the available current/power in it. a dead/weak battery is bad, a severly dead battery is worse as thay act like a power absorbing sponge in the system. you need to eliminate the suposedly good gel bsattery from the equation, and start with one that already starts something...IE... mower battery car battery etc!

Oem charging units do not have the ability to "Balance" charge. gel, and LI-Ion will require over time.

Note:

lead acid batteries require a different wave form of charge form a charging unit(stator/wall charger) than a gel, or LI-Ion.... your factory charging system does not have the electrical wave form output to properly charge the gel cell battery over time. Yes it will charge it, but in doing so will severly shorten its life span. just because it worked last season does not mean it will this one.

my recomendation is to remove this battery and use a temporary "known" good one for your starting test.

A load test, tests the batteries available/capable amount of current it produces. a low current flowing battery can still test at 12v...

 

Jump it with a car battery. If it starts your m/c battery is dead.

 

So you have 2batteries? One new and one 6 years old?
Measure your voltage drops. Start with battery then at main fuse input and output sides. Then all the other fuses.
Last is hook to battery and push starter button see what voltage drops to.

Also do this test and jump across sloinoid terminals does starter spin?
Let us know the voltages.

I am thinking you need to clean ignition switch.also possible it's time to rebuild starter.
Also would like to know battery voltage after start attempt and when ignition light comes back on do you mean neutral light?

http://www.xj4ever.com/clean and lube the ignition switch.pdf

 

Even a new battery can be badwhen you charge battery let it sit over night test voltage should read 12.8 volts

 

Are you able to bump start bike? If you can read charging voltages at idle and 2k rpms