Starter motor stuck on
 

Hi I went to start my 2004 TTR600RE today and the starter motor just stuck on I turned that cut out switch off then turned the ignition off and nothing stopped it till the battery went flat luckily the Engine never started running.

Has this ever happened to anybody on here ? I must say thats never happened to me before in a car or Bike, I'm glad to say I was at Home when it happened I tried bumping it but it was a bit hard, then after charging the battery for 10 mins the bike started up normally.

Anybody any idea what could of caused it ? the Bike wasn't wet at all and hadn't been for awhile.

Yes .. not uncommon on bmw k series.

There is a large (current) relay between the battery and the stater motor .. that can stick closed. The contacts in the relay 'wield' closed .. the easiest fix is to replace the relay. It is sometimes caused by the battery being partially flat .. check if the bike is discharging the battery when parked.

If it does happen (again) .. you should find a method of disconnecting the stater motor .. find the easiest place to get to and develop a method of disconnection .. that way you won't end up with a flat battery miles from nowhere. If miles from nowhere .. configure the stater motor this way .. a lead from the starter motor with the end not connected .. when you want to start the bike .. connect (by hand - you may want your gloves on for this .. can get warm) the end of the lead to where it is normally connected (this is usually the really) .. . If the starter motor does not turn over .. go to the other large lead on the relay .. once the bike starts remove the lead .. [I'm not talking about bolting the lead on, just touching it by hand].

definitely sounds like a knackered relay, just fit a new one!

Relays are fairly generic (signal in, load in, load out and earth) so I carry one with me on big trips, but then again I have an Italian machine so carry more electrical spares than a Maplin lorry.......

agreed. replace relay.

Note:, if your battery was partially flat, ....the drain would cause the voltage to drop. However the wattage required to turn the starter remains the same. This causes the amperage to climb to compensate for the voltage drop which then can cause the relay point to "weld " together. In fact the entire system starts getting uncomfortably hot. This is basically a runaway system... the more amperage required the more the voltage drops the more the amperage required until your battery gives up the ghost.
When this happens it's not just the relay that takes strain. You'll notice the starter motor getting rather hot to. Beware the starter brushes packing it in too.

Thanks for the replies so it seems like the relay went faulty, as it seems to be working again but could cause problems again do you think fitting a battery isolater switch on one of the big leads i presume they will be big leads like on a car starter motor similar to what Frank Warner said would be a worthwhile thing to do, it could of perhaps been a random glitch this happening ?

random, yes. In as much as the battery may have been a bit flatbut otherwise ok. You may have no further damage caused and carry on per normal. I would, the system is surprisingly hardy. But if it happens again I would certainly change the relay. When the points stick in this manner they do pit etc and so reduce the effectiveness of the connection which then creates more deterioration.

I do recall an auto electrician doing a job on my car and he opened up a relay and did clean the points up, do you think it would be worth me if its accesable trying to inspect the relay for pitting and perhaps clean it up ? I have started the bike 4 times since and it was OK.

Oh yeah when my Brother in Law bought his 94 XT600 the other year we had to bump start that it was the relay that was faulty on that Bike but that had been stood a few months when we picked it up, so are they known as a bit of a weak point or could it be down to just a random glitch ?

could do, but it might be a sealed unit. Have you replaced/recharged the battery since the problems? Higher load across the relay would cause it to stick, have known relays (in non-automotive) settings jump open without a signal if the load across them got too high

Id like to think the battery is alright,the Bike turned over for about a minute till the battery went dead and only took 10 mins charging before it got enough life in it to start the Bike again then I did a few short errand's and it started everytime.

if it happens again I will deffo change the relay money is a bit tight Ive had the Bike 12 months now so had to reinsure it this week and tax it at the end of this month and tax is £47 quid :(

Hi! that has happened to me on my 1990 XT600E... all it take to stop it was to just giggle the cables with my hand and it stopped trying to turn the bike on...

Check all the connections . even the one on top of the starter clutch.
Mine has 2 small cables that connect to the solenoid and the one that is blue and white severely corroded......

Cheers I will check tomorrow not sure how accessable the wires are near the starter, i think I was panicking a bit turning ignition off and cut out switch hoping to stop it and hoping it would'nt start the engine and do some real damage.

the solenoid has a black rubber band and is located on the outside of the battery box towards the engine...the flasher relay is just under the solenoid..you might have to take the left hand side seat fairing so you can have a more clear look or to just to unplug the battery cables.... and clean the battery connectors if needed to! :innocent:

You can also take some time to checkup all the other wirings just in case ;)

I,ve got a spare solenoid, bought off ebay last week, not needed now. Just got a starter motor(99p!!!) Cheers T

Yep. If you have never heard of it before that is the normal reaction.

Bashing it with a hammer sometimes works.

Getting a new one is a 'permant' fix.

"Sealed" units were at one time made - so they can, with some work, be 'unsealled'. Use a points file .. not a normal file - you don't want other metalic particals in there. Be very carefull of teh coil windings - they are very fine wire and can easily be broken ... I'd only do this if you have the skill, are stuck with a faulty one or have another one lying around .. see a wrecker for a cheap one?