well.....everything is working it seems, but when i punch the red starter button i get NOTHING.
horn, lights, brake lights, turn signals, idiot lights, speedo lights ALL work, but no engine
turn over.
very strange...but considering the bike is 13 years old & i still have the original OEM control boxes, i am
wondering if the control box is the first place to start troubleshooting....?
thanks for any thoughts :)
Jiggle the starter wire a little it happend to me the other day .
appart from that :
-hare you earring the "click" from the solenoid ?
-do you have some voltage going the the starer motor ?
-the 30a fuse (beside the battery box) is it OK ?
Quote from: ducatigirl100 on July 02, 2012, 07:40:04 PM
Jiggle the starter wire a little it happend to me the other day .
appart from that :
-hare you earring the "click" from the solenoid ?
-do you have some voltage going the the starer motor ?
-the 30a fuse (beside the battery box) is it OK ?
yeah.....no click, plenty voltage going to starter motor & fuses are fine.
i am pretty sure it's the stupid old starter switch. but i can't be that mad at it; it's
13 years old at this point. probably gonna order a new control box from dealer.
thanks for the input, Ducatigirl...!! [evil]
Check to see if the solenoid plug came loose.
Quote from: Bergweiserus on July 02, 2012, 09:43:49 PM
... plenty voltage going to starter motor & fuses are fine.
...
If you had plenty of voltage going to the starter, it should be starting. :P
If you don't figure it out by hit or miss luck, get a multi-meter and start testing all of the related components.
Test the + to the solenoid, the solenoid to the starer, the motor to the -.
If that's all good disconnect the solenoid to starter cable, and test the solenoid by jumping a + to the trigger lead.
(or you could leave the cable connected, but make sure the bike is either in neutral, or on a rear stand, or both. It'll take off if you don't take precautions.)
If that's good, check the switches. I leave that for second to last as they are a bit of a PITA to check IMO.
If that's good check the harness. PITA
It's late, and I've been [drink], so I'm a bit sort on words.
Quote from: seanster on July 02, 2012, 10:25:45 PM
Check to see if the solenoid plug came loose.
checked and it seems to be connected correctly. hmmm..
Quote from: Bergweiserus on July 03, 2012, 12:19:50 AM
checked and it seems to be connected correctly. hmmm..
remove and re-insert it.
If the switch isn't working you won't have juice at the starter motor. There is a lot to check in the system. Start with the easy stuff first. Yes, the firs step is to make sure the kill switch is in the "run" position. While you are following Nate's advice about the solenoid connection take your volt meter or test light and make sure you are getting juice to the solenoid with the key on when you hit the starter button. You should also get an audible click from the solenoid when it is connected. If you do, ignition switch, side-stand safety switch (if so equipped) and the right side switch with related wiring are good. If not, post back and we will get you through diagnosis of the starter control circuit.
Power to the solenoid? Bypass it (heavy conductor across the two big connections on the solenoid) or battery voltage directly to the starter. If the starter now works you have a bad solenoid. If it doesn't spin you may have a bad starter, but don't panic yet. There are still two cheap possibilities. One is a bad ground. The other is a dirty connection at the starter. Hit the grounds first. Disassemble and clean. Careful with the connection to the starter. The tab coming out of the starter is delicate and can break internally.
Oh, before doing any of this you did you properly check your battery? It needs to be fully charged and load tested.
i mispoke about the starter getting juice.
i don't think it is getting juice because when i place the tester needle on the connector i get no light.....
checking solenoid again...
turns out, it was the solenoid. my control box is fine, checked everything with a multi-meter and the solenoid is the trouble spot. plus i get no click.
ordered a new one from DesmoTimes and also ordered the thicker wiring kit from him.
thanks for all the help everyone. i just realized that this thread is super old, lol....i've been riding my BMW & neglecting my Duck for too long, lol....now i have both running.
Wow! 2 years! Thanks for updating this, too many people don't bother, and the solution will probably help someone down the road!
Quote from: SpikeC on August 11, 2014, 10:50:46 AM
Wow! 2 years! Thanks for updating this, too many people don't bother, and the solution will probably help someone down the road!
[laugh]
i know, i was super embarrassed to post that little bit of info! BUT, i've had my monster for 15 years now and I figured i could spend 2 of them giving the BMW some attention ;)
i'm just glad that i figured out the problem....there was no click, so busted solenoid. the replacement was only $55 from DesmoTimes. order was shipped this morning along with the heavier-wiring kit. i'm really excited to get the parts and get back on my monster.
one good thing about not riding the monster for the last 2 years, is that i was able clean the heck out of it; it's sparkling clean now.
next up are the wheel bearings, fork rebuild & some new belts for good measure.
i did something kind of ridiculous; disconnected the old solenoid without noting which side goes to battery and which side goes to starter.
from the wiring diagram, if i assume they are drawing it with the connector plug at the 12:00 o'clock position, then the battery cable is connected to the left side and the starter to the right side.
is this correct?
Quote from: Bergweiserus on August 14, 2014, 08:47:43 AM
i did something kind of ridiculous; disconnected the old solenoid without noting which side goes to battery and which side goes to starter.
from the wiring diagram, if i assume they are drawing it with the connector plug at the 12:00 o'clock position, then the battery cable is connected to the left side and the starter to the right side.
is this correct?
I believe it is.
I also don't think it really matters...I could be wrong.
Electrically it does not matter. Fit I am not sure about.
On the early 900's there's plenty of room to mount it either way.
CRAP! i still get no click.
i am going to have to go through the whole thing again and 'test' it all from square one again.
i am also wondering if this is related to an incident i had at a gas station right before i stopped riding the bike 2 years ago. i rolled into the station, pulled up to the pump and when i turned the key to the off position (how i normally kill the power), the engine didn't stop - it began chugging very strangely and i had to kill the engine by putting it back in gear and holding the brake. i then smelled something burning and could not get the bike fired up again. had to push it a mile back to my house. since then i was able to get it started by jumping it, but that's it.
i wonder if i have fried something else.... bike is carbed, so no EFI stuff. hmmm.....this is a real head-scratcher for me. i totally hate electrical problems.
Check the wire harness where it passes the steering head.
The kill switch wires are known to break inside.
Quote from: ducpainter on August 14, 2014, 09:38:27 AM
Check the wire harness where it passes the steering head.
The kill switch wires are known to break inside.
OKAY! Duc-P, you are the winner, lol. Turns out it was a pinched wire on the harness up at the steering head. incredibly frustrating how Ducati sends colored wires to a plug and then changes the colors at the connector plug. Fortunately figured it all out after testing continuity of every wire near the problem. Turns out that a wire, after being pinched to tightly by a factory installed zip-tie finally gave way and gave me problems.
Happy to know the bug and now going to re-wire harness / etc. Weekend project most likely now that i'm totally sick of chasing mis-colored wires around my bike...ugh.
thanks everyone for the suggestions and help. :)
....just for reference, the blue and red wire going to the solenoid plug was broken below the harness near the steering head, right at the factory installed zip-tie to the frame.
a bit of wiggling that wire & with the starter button pushed, cranked the engine over.
update: re-wired, fired up right away, rode for two hours....feels great to have the bike going again. will not spend two years without it again. will not let moving or break-ups get in the way ever again.
[evil]