Went for a cruise today and had trouble starting the bike. Thought it might be the relay as i have tapped it in the past and the bike has started. Put a new one in tonight and still got clicking. The new relay has been sitting around the house for a while? Any ideas appreciated. Bike is 87 softail. Can i test with a multimeter and no idea how to use 1?
Thanx for that kiwi will try as soon as i get home. i did notice last night in the dark there was a flash coming from inside the relay when i hit the starter, didnt know if that meant anything. Gave the bike a wash on the weekend and thought it may be just water but have a feeling u r on target with the battery. I have a multimeter but never known how to use one thanx for the tips Cheers Burnzi
Burnzi, sounds like kiwi has set you in the right direction and you're probably onto it by now, so my thoughts may or may not help.
Soon as you posted this I immediately thought of your little roadside fix the other day, the one about the wiring and main lead to the starter.
That could have cause a few side effects, like battery not being fully charged, arcing of the starter solenoid contacts etc, etc.
I remember you saying that the fix also got a wee bit hot, to the point that you saw smoke coming from that area, possible that the voltage drop through that bit of wire may have caused the starter solenoid contacts to have chattered and arced to the point of needing some attention.
The fact that you heard "clicking" after you replaced the relay indicates that the switching circuitry is working fine, but the starter solenoid contacts are dirty/faulty/damaged.
My guess is that the battery, if servicable, will recover to full voltage, and the new relay has eliminated that area, so those starter solenoid contacts are where the problem lies.
As kiwi says, you'll need to pull them to bits and clean them up if not too bad, otherwise replace them before you get stuck big time.
Another thing to check is all the earths,especially as you say there is arcing in the relay,this is normally an indication of a poor earth.
nobody
Okay. learning at a 100 miles an hour now. Thanx for everyones help to get me this far.
Battery is good getting 12.9 on multimeter.
Relay is good and i have power to solenoid relay stud (small)
Pulled the solenoid off and cleaned both the contact washer and the contacts, put back on bike
Just get arcing when I contact the small stud across the large stud.
Pulled the solenoid off again and noticed that the wire that goes to the relay contact has two wires, one is no longer connected. (see photo, wire on right) Is this the weak point. Please say yes. Then how do I fix? Auto elec job? The rest of the solenoid appears to be sealed unit
Okay Burnzi,even though I can't make it out in the picture,it sounds like you have located the problem,unless you have a soldering iron to reattach the disconnected wire,it looks like it is time to take it to the Auto electrician,should only cost a couple of bucks to solder wire back on,and get him to test the solenoid,before you put it back on the bike.
Thanx mate thats what i was thinking I have a soldering iron but im not confident that i can fix it well enough will get the cook to drop it off at the auto elec tomorrow thanx for your help
Yeeha problem solved or I should say soldered, it was one of the wires running to the small terminal had cracked. I should have painted it before i put it back on but was too impatient to wait for the paint to dry, so i improvised looks heaps better.
