Bike died...

[rashad]

Well, the battery has seemed like it was going lately. Have had to jump almost every time, but it was spaced out enough that I thought maybe it was just the time in between letting it die... Then threw it on the battery tender for a few days and its been fine. Well today I started it right up, warmed it up and went to starbucks to meet up with the crew. Had the led's on but it fired right up no problem afterward and we started riding.

I get to a stop sign near a parking deck and it just dies, clutch in. I go to start it and it acts very weird. Every push of the starter wont turn it, it just makes a click (similar to dead battery) but the battery seems fully charged..the lights etc are all bright and fuel pump turns fast. Before anyone claims its the starter clutch, I know its not because I went through all that about eight times and finally switched up to the 03+ setup.

So my buddy shows up with the jeep and we attempt a jump. It acts the same. I kind of knew it would because a dead battery wouldnt kill a running bike (alternator keeps it running). So I am thinking alternator... but then the battery would run the bike until it dies as well.. so that doesnt make sense...


We tried to push start and we couldnt even get the bike to turn over in 6th gear..kept locking up the tire... oh no.. as Im typing this im wondering about a locked up motor now...I pray that isnt it.. I didnt hear any odd sounds it just died.

I got it trailered and im going to charge up the battery because its almost dead but I know that wont do it. I have heard something about a regulator or rectifier problem on our bikes? I dunno, Im gonna go try and make a baby... lol.. any ideas are welcome.(for the bike not the baby lol I just got married a few weeks ago)

Oh and its been awhile!

 

[rashad]

I just hooked the positive directly to the starter with ignition on and grounded it... same thing.. so its either a bad starter that somehow killed the engine...or... my motor seized...wonderful...

 

[kromdom]

Remove the battery from bike and take to your local auto parts store to get load-tested..best way to know for sure if it is dead/dying. Meanwhile best to walk away from the bike now lease:

 

[rashad]

yeah.. I am kromdom...I wont look at it until tomorrow... gonna change the oil and see what comes out...???

 

[karnage]

Had that same issue and it was my starter.The magnets de-lammed so the field inside was very weak and couldnt turn the armature.Turns out the previous owner jumped it a lot.

 

[rashad]

really?? You have given me hope lol.. starter I can deal with! And I have jumped it a lot.. only thing is, why did it just die?

 

[card16969]

Replace your batt first.. u might be suprised. You most likely have a bad cell then go to the starter.. a new batt wont hurt

 

[kromdom]

Replace your batt first.. u might be suprised. You most likely have a bad cell then go to the starter.. a new batt wont hurt

 

[The Big Red One]

Simple things like batteries can turn into so much more *sigh*. It has been a long time Rashad, good to see you back Constant jump starts from cars are hard on all the electrical parts of a bike....never a good idea to do instead of replacing a battery :no:
It could very well still be a battery, or something else now too tho. Best bet is to keep a battery tender plugged into the bike when your not riding it. My 04 busa and 06 14 are both on the original batteries with this method......both can sit through a long dark winter without being touched and still fire up instantly, you'd never know they'd sat <---thats what a strong battery will do......a weak battery will give you all kinds of weird symptoms. Always start with the simple things first

 

[VIPER]

true start withthe batt. cheapest parts first...then starter. i would bet batt has dead cell and is fried as was stated above.

 

[dadofthree]

Test and replace the battery

 

[wv rider]

instead of loading the parts cannon, charge the battery. reinstall and try to start with a meter hooked to the battery. dead cell or weak battery will be obvious if the battery falls on its face. put the bike on a rear stand, pull the plugs. then with bike in first see if it turns engine over (turn wheel by hand). i believe there is a nut on the right side of the case (i believe for the lower cam chain drive gear) you could try. make sure to turn in direction of normal rotation. if unsure, look in the service manual valve clearance inspection procedure for location/ rotation. If you don't have the manual, I can send it tonight or someone else could.

 

[rashad]

Thanks guys..only problem with the battery theory is I bypassed it when I went right to the starter... But checking the engine rotation with the wheel is a great idea. Ill try that.

 

[rashad]

Update.. Bike fired right up just smoked a little...wtf... Oil was maybe a quart low... Then.... It hit me. The starter clutch bolt backed out of the crank before and made that part of the case very hot to touch.sure enough after running for 20 seconds, it was burning to the touch.. Think I found my problem... Update coming when I get a chance to pull it.

 

[RussellJ]

Put some dialectric grease in the connector for your rectifier/stator. The connections do not always make good enough contact to keep the battery charged. I learned the from abouta year of intermittent problems....

Whether that be your problem or not, still do it. It is good preventative maintenance.

 

[wv rider]

let us know. Hopefully not too much damage.

 

[rashad]

I was right, and I put my foot in my mouth in my original post " Dont say starter clutch" lol.. well it was the starter clutch bolt that goes into the crank. I used red loctite, but apparently didnt tighten it enough last time... There was bits of red loctite and the bolt threads were once again chewed smooth on the end.. Basically if you can picture it this way:

The engine kept running, even though the bolt had backed out. Since there is a cover over the bolt it can only back out so far and then it gets stuck. This stalled the engine, because it was enough resistance at idle (stop sign) to stop it. The attemps at starting it again eventually let it start, but as the engine ran it ground the threads smooth on that bolt's end. I am heading to see if I can get a 10x 23 bolt somewhere... If I cant I will break down and pay 10.00 to get a bolt from ron ayers (stupid shipping on a $2.53 bolt...)

Does ANYONE know a good trick to tighten that bolt down??? The engine turns over if you try to tighten it.. so you need an impact or a special tool. I have neither. I have tried wedging a screwdriver in the starter clutch gear but that only works to a point.

 

[chrisjp]

sure glad its not as bad as you thought rashad... good to be hearing from you again....get that thing running and drive an hour or 2 and see us at HIH in gettysburgh this year...end of july 26-29th