buzzing solenoid/ relay

samuraibiker · October 06, 2015, 06:51:45 AM

hey guys

bike ( 1997 m400 ) was running nice and lovely...then one morning.... turned on the ignition , all lights on the panel lit up.... pressed the starter.... all lights on the panel went off...checked fuses..all ok...but then noticed a buzzing noise coming from the ignition solenoid ( the one that is connected to the positive battery feed )... did some extensive research and it seems alot of bikes suffer from this too.....

a guy i know who owns an aprillia said try to jump it with a car battery ( car engine not running ) which i did and hey presto, she fired right up!!

disconnected car battery, turned off the engine.... my buzzing solenoid was back!

i read howie`s excellent thread about this but i am at a loss... i have cleaned up the negative terminal ground, tried starter cables to ground the negative etc.. but no success... I wouldnt mind if it had a kick start like my other bikes but unfortantely it doesnt....

any suggestions, advice much appreciated

cheers

mike

Howie · October 06, 2015, 11:39:02 AM

Charge and load test battery. If battery fails load test replace. Then check charging system output. Charges between 13.5 and 14.5 volts

If not, check back with us.

samuraibiker · October 06, 2015, 08:02:15 PM

will do howie... fingers crossed....

thanks

mike

samuraibiker · October 08, 2015, 07:27:17 AM

battery!!!!

gave it a slow charge....voltmeter reading was 12.09 volts

then tried my suzuki 250 battery ( reading over 13 volts )

fired up straight away with the suzuki battery!

just got to get a new battery...probably yuasa they are quite cheap here

big thanks for your help!

regards

mike

samuraibiker · October 17, 2015, 09:30:09 AM

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........

so i got a new battery... lights on the dash, indicators ( winkers ), headlight , taillight etc work but.......... nothing from the starter motor...press the switch..... absolutely zero.... voltage of the battery is 12.9 volts... tried using my suzuki battery but nothing...dead as a dodo....

when i turn on the ignition key i can hear the ( yellow ) solenoid under the seat click.

and if i connect the positive battery lead to the starter motor itself the engine will crank ( but wont fire )

i have checked all the connectors and they seem fine....

after doing some research i think it could be one of the following ;

1. bad starter switch ( any advice about testing it? )

2. starter solenoid ( the one under the battery compartment )

3. a bad wire somewhere

help....help...help...help....

Speeddog · October 17, 2015, 10:14:40 AM

Confirm that the small white plastic connector is securely plugged into the starter solenoid.

MotoPsycho · October 17, 2015, 01:45:48 PM

A bad switch could cause a failure on the solenoid. Happened to me about a year ago. It was barely making enough contact to pull the solenoid in. I replaced the switch and it was a little better but the damage had already been done to the solenoid. I ended up replacing the solenoid since it was a hit and miss affair. It got me stuck at work and had to jump contacts to get going. While I was at it I did the big 3 wire upgrade in 4ga wire and never had trouble after.

samuraibiker · October 17, 2015, 04:00:24 PM

hey guys

checked the white connector...good and tight...

Motorpyscho... which switch are you taking about? the starter switch?

when the problem first appeared, I took apart the starter switch to clean it.. it worked when it was not on the handlebars... the dead response from the switch happened after i put it back on the bars ....

if i take off the inner u shaped cover and bridge the two connections ( making it ` on` so to speak ), would that be a way to see if it the switch? or is there another way of testing it? i have a multimeter ( but am still gettting to grips with it ).

regards

mike

samuraibiker · October 17, 2015, 05:29:43 PM

When i was putting the starter switch back on the bars i accidentally overtightened the screws causing the button to remain stuck in the on position. There was no battery on the bike at the time. Could this have damaged the switch?

Howie · October 17, 2015, 10:49:56 PM

First, make sure your new battery is fully charged. If the battery you bought was previously activated a load test might be in order, or use that Suzuki battery. Diagnosis with a battery of unknown condition is like pissing up a rope. New does not mean good.The white connector has two terminals. One is ground and one is from the starter button. That one should have battery voltage when you press the starter button. If not, the problem is the ignition switch, starter button, main relay or related wiring. My first suspect would be your buzzing relay. Remove relay, place a jumper wire between terminal 30 and 87. Bike now starts, replace relay. Standard Bosch 5 prong will work.

samuraibiker · October 18, 2015, 12:35:51 AM

hey howie
changed the main relay when i got the new battery.. i really think the problem lies with the starter button assembly or ignition solenoid ( which i really hope it isnt because i will have to take the battery box off to change it )

I will check out the ignition relay voltage as you suggested using my suzuki battery

big thanks

mike

ducpainter · October 18, 2015, 06:52:05 AM

Just for grins...

check the 7.5 amp ignition fuse. On my 96 the bike won't crank if that fuse is bad.

Howie · October 18, 2015, 07:34:34 AM

Quote from: ducpainter on October 18, 2015, 06:52:05 AM
Just for grins...

check the 7.5 amp ignition fuse. On my 96 the bike won't crank if that fuse is bad.

More than grins. No crank without that fuse and you could have enough backfeed to create just enough power to make that relay buzz.

samuraibiker · October 18, 2015, 08:50:00 PM

hey ducpainter / howie

will deffo do that too!

tonight i am going to short the solenoid and see if the bike cranks..... fingers and toes crossed it is simply the switch assembly....

Howie · October 18, 2015, 11:08:42 PM

Also check your grounds, battery to frame and engine.

News:

buzzing solenoid/ relay