Starter relay problems

[lukefrompalmy]

Hey guys, I've got the best up bike that I've been working on for the past 2 months up and running finally but its a bit dickey while actually starting. When I press the start button (which itself needs to be looked at as it's sticky as hell) sometimes she cranks up and I can get it running and sometimes nothing happens and there is and clicking comming from the starter relay that sounds like it's getting power but just not quite getting there. I whipped the fuse out an dnd it looks like it has some sort of corrision on it (see photo) I'm quite the noob when it comes to electrics but I suspect this is what's causing the issues. Would standard contact cleaner fix this? Or is it something a bit more serious?

[oldiebutagoody]

By all means clean up any electrical connections you can.

The problem is more likely to be the starter solenoid. Should be located on the right side of the bike as you sit on it, just behind the right side cover, rather than the stater relay.

Old Suzukis suffer from decrepitude, just like old humans. The solenoid will be working on occasion, or randomly just making a clicking sound when either there is not enough juice to fire it or the mechanical contact inside it is corroded and not sufficient to pass it to the starter motor. Think of it as a plunger that goes up and down with the starter button and rotates around each time it is used, and sometimes it lands on a spot which has been eaten away leaving nothing to make contact with. Hence the intermittent problem you have. A new one on Tardme would fix the problem for a while if you do nothing else to solve to current/voltage problem from bad connections around the whole wiring loom.

White powdery stuff around the contacts of the connections on the solenoid (or battery for that matter) will indicate not enough voltage flowing around the circuit and so more amperage being drawn to compensate causing the white powdery stuff of electrolysis induced corrosion. Easily cleaned off with boiling water/wet n dry paper/wire/brass wire brush and reconnected with silicone di-electric grease to aid connection/reduce corrosion.

The starter button itself, yeah I got one of those that plays up occasionally too. If all else is working well, try pushing slightly down as well as in. Usually works for me.

Edit: sometimes a clicking solenoid can be a s simple as a battery on its way out....and needing replacement, so check that for voltage it holds after fully charging, should be ar ound 14v with engine running and fully charged. Any point of the loom should yield approx 13v upon testing while running, coils require a min of 11.4v to give sparkers juice to fire a good spark. Common for voltage drop over the loom to only yield 10v or so, which means time for attention to electrical connections, battery etc.

[lukefrompalmy]

By all means clean up any electrical connections you can.

The problem is more likely to be the starter solenoid. Should be located on the right side of the bike as you sit on it, just behind the right side cover, rather than the stater relay.

Old Suzukis suffer from decrepitude, just like old humans. The solenoid will be working on occasion, or randomly just making a clicking sound when either there is not enough juice to fire it or the mechanical contact inside it is corroded and not sufficient to pass it to the starter motor. Think of it as a plunger that goes up and down with the starter button and rotates around each time it is used, and sometimes it lands on a spot which has been eaten away leaving nothing to make contact with. Hence the intermittent problem you have. A new one on Tardme would fix the problem for a while if you do nothing else to solve to current/voltage problem from bad connections around the whole wiring loom.

White powdery stuff around the contacts of the connections on the solenoid (or battery for that matter) will indicate not enough voltage flowing around the circuit and so more amperage being drawn to compensate causing the white powdery stuff of electrolysis induced corrosion. Easily cleaned off with boiling water/wet n dry paper/wire/brass wire brush and reconnected with silicone di-electric grease to aid connection/reduce corrosion.

The starter button itself, yeah I got one of those that plays up occasionally too. If all else is working well, try pushing slightly down as well as in. Usually works for me.

Edit: sometimes a clicking solenoid can be a s simple as a battery on its way out....and needing replacement, so check that for voltage it holds after fully charging, should be ar ound 14v with engine running and fully charged. Any point of the loom should yield approx 13v upon testing while running, coils require a min of 11.4v to give sparkers juice to fire a good spark. Common for voltage drop over the loom to only yield 10v or so, which means time for attention to electrical connections, battery etc.


Thank you so much! Ill look into all of it any hopefully get the problem fixed haha