Electrical problems

[Roger Hogg]

The electric starter fails to work on an increasing number of occasions. The lights go but the starter button is no go. I have checked wiring from switch to junction block by headlight and have a circuit. I have wiggled all wires around the coil and condenser? (that little thing in behind and below the coil) and striped back all tape and while that has seemed to solve the problem in the past it is not helping now. The bike roll starts okay. I put the test meter over the coil and got a reading and same with the condenser. Can either of these give problems as described or could I have a broken wire somewhere up underneath the tank? Have looked at the wiring there and it all looks well bound and original. The bike is a 95 KLR 650 C2 with 56,000 kms.

HELP

[Kurt]

How about the battery? Just because it can run lights it might not be up to the task of delivering the relatively high current needed for the motor. The battery is wired right to the starter. I've never delt with this issue on my KLR, but somewhere between the battery and the starter should be a relay. Does this operate? If so, and the battery is good you may have a bum starter motor. It is possible with these motors to have an open commutator bar (or associated wiring) which could prevent it from running if stopped in just the right (wrong) place. My money's on the battery though.

Kurt

[Roger Hogg]

Thanks Kurt, Brand new battery! Lights all go, indictors horn etc. Thought of that first. If it has stopped in the wrong place should putting it into gear and rocking it help? It can't be the starter solenoid because when the starter was working I pulled out the plug into the starter solenoid and felt a pulse through the little cylinder thing that sits behind and slightly lower than the starter solenoid the three wires go into and from which one wire goes back to the connector in the starter solenoid. But now that the starter button isn't working at all I get no pulse in that little cylinder thing. Have rechecked a circuit from starter button to connecting block by headlight and have a circuit. Have also followed four wires from that block that are okay (black/yellow goes to battery(okay); brown to fuse box then becomes blue/white (okay); black/yellow to starter solenoid (okay); blue is handbrake light (okay) so that just leaves the yellow/red which must change colour somewhere and emerge as something else -can't confirm that this one is okay). Anyone got a wiring diagram?

[Kurt]

Looking in my shop manual, the starter relay should have two control wires going to it: Black and Black/Yellow. The Blk/Ylw is common. THe other wire, Blk, should go to the starter circuit relay. Presumably, when the start button is pushed, there should be 12v here. If there is, and the starter doesn't turn, I'd look at the start relay more carefully. If there isn't any voltage going to the starter relay, then check for voltage on the Ylw/Red wire going to the starter circuit relay. This wire comes directly from the starter button. Another possibility is the Blk/Red wire going to the starter circuit relay. With the ignition on and the bike ready to turn over, this should have a direct circuit to common (negitive). It goes through the starter lockout switch (?) and the neutral swith.

The only way I know of checking the starter motor commutator is to remove it and check for continuity between the segments.

Hope this helps

[Roger Hogg]

Thanks again Kurt,
Problem solved. Checked starter relay and it was okay. Found power into relay but not out suggesting earth was missing somewhere. Checked out sidestand circuit and found to be okay then clutch circuit only to find a loose connection in the main block of plugs by the headlight! Ohla we are motoring again.