One click from starter relay / no start

[austindv]

Hey everyone, I searched the web and the forums for a similar issue and haven't found one matching my problem. when I attempt to start my 05 FZ6s I get one click from the starter relay and no turn from the starter motor. It's not a rapid click as described by other riders, just one single click every time I hit the button. The battery is full and all fuses have been checked. I have also replaced the starter relay. I'm thinking maybe it's the starter motor and I have a new one on the way but I figured that I would see if anyone knows for sure what the issue is while I wait. Thanks for the help!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

How many miles on the bike? Starters do go bad but not often at all...

Did you have the battery LOAD TESTED?

Do you have a volt meter and can see what the voltage is at the starter WHEN PUSHING THE STARTER/CRANK BUTTON?

If not, you can also apply 12 volts from another battery to the starter (2nd battery grounded to the bike) and if the starter is GOOD, it should
crank over. If it doesn't the starter is likely the issue.


BTW, the brushes inside the starter are usually all that fail and are replaceable (unless you have 50,000 plus miles on the bike, then more parts may be worn).


Part #4:

Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 2005 FZ6 - FZ6ST STARTING MOTOR Diagram


.

 

[austindv]

Battery is for sure good although I haven't put the voltmeter on it yet. The exact situation that occured was that I was showing the bike to some friends, had it running for a minute or so then shut it down to answer some questions. I went to start it again to ride and got the click. There were no issues with starting the bike before this happened. I think it has to be the starter.

When applying power from another battery to the starter, would that be done with just jumper cables from my pickup to the connection on the starter motor? You'll have to excuse my lack of electrical knowledge, it is not my forte haha

Edit: The bike has 15,600 miles on it

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Battery is for sure good although I haven't put the voltmeter on it yet. The exact situation that occured was that I was showing the bike to some friends, had it running for a minute or so then shut it down to answer some questions. I went to start it again to ride and got the click. There were no issues with starting the bike before this happened. I think it has to be the starter.

When applying power from another battery to the starter, would that be done with just jumper cables from my pickup to the connection on the starter motor? You'll have to excuse my lack of electrical knowledge, it is not my forte haha

Edit: The bike has 15,600 miles on it

Just because the bike ran BEFORE the failure does NOT guarantee the battery is good.

When idling, the bikes charging system is barely charging, so sitting there running, is NOT doing your battery any favors....

You can get it LOAD TESTED for free at most auto parts stores, Walmart, etc. My money is on the battery failing...

CHECK BASIC'S FIRST....

Quote:
"would that be done with just jumper cables from my pickup to the connection on the starter motor?"

Yes, but you'll also share the ground (neg) cable to the bike as well..
** DO NOT HAVE THE DONOR battery, if installed in a car RUNNING...

Your basically doing a "bench test" but the starter is still on the bike.

Please post back what you find..

 

[FinalImpact]

^^ +5
Starting then and starting later is no guarantee. A volt meter would settle this in seconds.

Note: before load testing a battery it needs charged first or there is no test to be done on a dead battery.

As stated do not try jumping bike from a running vehicle like a car as you will likely damage the Regulator Rectifier.

Also, just connect to the battery and let it charge for 5min or longer and then try it. Chances are it starts.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Any updates?

 

[austindv]

Sorry for the late reply guys, I just finished my last test for the week. I'll have a chance to mess with the bike some today.

I'll probably take the battery with me to either walmart or autozone today and see if it's good or not. I'll also do the test as you've described for the starter motor.

Thanks for the help guys, I'll give you an update in a few hours

 

[austindv]

Alright, so I tested the starter motor the way you said (positive connected to the starter motor, negative connected to the frame of the bike) and didn't get even a peep from the starter motor.

I also had the battery checked at autozone and they said it has a low charge but that it wasn't dead. I'm having autozone charge the battery and I'll try to start the bike once I get it back. But I definitely think the problem is the starter motor. I'll give one more update to let you know whether the battery charge works and then my next step will be replacing the starter motor when the new one arrives in the mail.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

My starters brushes were worn, but I had over 100k miles on the bike so it had a lot of starts, so I'm guessing your brushes are good.

Can you bump start the bike? You know, roll the bike with the ignition on and then pop the clutch while in gear.

 

[austindv]

Y'all have been right all along and I have been wrong. It is for sure the battery. :spank: I had the battery charged, nothing. Tried to jump the bike, nothing. I bump started it today and rode for a bit and when I turned the bike off and tried to start it, the battery got the engine to turn a few times and then quit. I will be purchasing a new battery tomorrow.

What should I get for it so that I don't have this problem again?

I'm sorry for creating a dead battery thread btw. I know they're such a waste of space. Thank y'all so much for the help!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I'd stick with the OEM Yuasa.

That's all I've ever run in all my bikes and short of old age(worn out over time), never had a problem.

As for your old battery, it was just worn out....

**And make sure the battery is TRICKLE CHARGED (1.25 amp is best) BEFORE it goes into service.
New batteries are about 80% charged.

Trickle charging (recommended by Yuasa extends the life of the battery..

 

[Motogiro]

Since the trouble shooting on this hasn't been complete it might be a good idea to check this link out where FinalImpact has done a lot of work putting together guidelines for troubleshooting the charging system on the bike.
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-...ttery-charging-brake-bleeding.html#post579412

You still may have other issues with the charging that may contribute to battery failure. At least check your charging voltage to see that your charging system is near the voltages prescribed.

Also, I would like to thank Randy (FinalImpact) and Scott (TownsendsFJR1300) for their unending technical support to others on this forum.

 

[FinalImpact]

^^^ Thanks Cliff! Much appreciated!

The quality of jumper cables used can make or break this type of troubleshooting as cheap low strand count cables loose so much current from live battery to engine that needs cranked, they sometimes are only good for slow charging. Hence my comment to allow to charge for 5 to 10min before attempting starting.

Good cables are 6 gauge or better with a high strand count copper. Likely 100+ fine wires...
That said a 20ft cable of 6 gauge wire with good clamps may be capable of transferring 350 to 400 amps.
Now add on the fact that half that energy is trying to charge dead battery and then if you hit the starter its wanting 150 to 200 amps to crank the engine.

Point: cheap cables cant do both. In addition, a bad connection anywhere along the path is also crippling as energy is lost.

Premium cables for starting large displacement engines are likely 2 gauge cables with high quality clamps and capable of 6 to 800 amps. These are going to cost more!

Mind you cheap cables may look robust but look at the wire size not the jacket. If the wire size is less than pencil diameter increase charge time before activating starter.

 

[Koissu]

Not sure where to post this, and I am having similar issues. I had a few issues with my bike starting this summer, and trickle charging solved the problem. I eventually just replaced the battery (not with OEM). This immediately solved the problem. I was riding about 2x a week and didn't have any issues.

Now, it has been about 3 weeks and I am getting ready to put it away. When I hit the starter, I get a clicking noise (once), and a whining (is this the fuel pump). Lights and dash go on, but turn off when starter is hit. Originally, I took the battery out and charged it. Put it back in, didn't change at all.

Today, I had the time to bump start it and it started right up. Rode it for 30 minutes and then stopped home to put in fuel stabilizer. I turned it off since I have to put gas in, and in case it didn't start up, didn't want to be at the gas station. It didn't start - did exactly what it was doing. I am not sure if the symptoms mean it is, or is not the battery.

So, based on what I have seen on here. Should I start with:

1. Getting a multimeter and testing the current when hitting the starter?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Not sure where to post this, and I am having similar issues. I had a few issues with my bike starting this summer, and trickle charging solved the problem. I eventually just replaced the battery (not with OEM). This immediately solved the problem. I was riding about 2x a week and didn't have any issues.

Now, it has been about 3 weeks and I am getting ready to put it away. When I hit the starter, I get a clicking noise (once), and a whining (is this the fuel pump). Lights and dash go on, but turn off when starter is hit. Originally, I took the battery out and charged it. Put it back in, didn't change at all.

Today, I had the time to bump start it and it started right up. Rode it for 30 minutes and then stopped home to put in fuel stabilizer. I turned it off since I have to put gas in, and in case it didn't start up, didn't want to be at the gas station. It didn't start - did exactly what it was doing. I am not sure if the symptoms mean it is, or is not the battery.

So, based on what I have seen on here. Should I start with:

1. Getting a multimeter and testing the current when hitting the starter?

-You'll see the voltage drop likely way below 9 volts when cranking if even that high..


Your battery is toast too..

But to check it, fully charge it, then bring it to an auto parts store, Walmart, etc and have it LOAD TESTED.

It can show 12.6 volts sitting, then when you put a load on it, the voltage DROPS a bunch, dash lights dim, clock may re-set, etc.
Typical failing points.

Here's a video of my failing battery before I changed it out (and it wasn't nearly as bad as yours-dash lights dimming). Notice the voltages, the drop when cranking, etc.. (dual headlight mod too):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147134237@N06/29303851750/in/dateposted/

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I've replaced the rectifier, I can recall having battery charging issues way back in the past.

 

[Koissu]

-You'll see the voltage drop likely way below 9 volts when cranking if even that high..


Your battery is toast too..

But to check it, fully charge it, then bring it to an auto parts store, Walmart, etc and have it LOAD TESTED.

It can show 12.6 volts sitting, then when you put a load on it, the voltage DROPS a bunch, dash lights dim, clock may re-set, etc.
Typical failing points.

Here's a video of my failing battery before I changed it out (and it wasn't nearly as bad as yours-dash lights dimming). Notice the voltages, the drop when cranking, etc.. (dual headlight mod too):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/147134237@N06/29303851750/in/dateposted/

Got around to testing. Fully charged the battery was about 12.53. I took it straight from the charger to the bike. Upon hitting the starter, it went down to about 4.5, then returned to about 10.5 after that. I tried a second time and it went even lower. I don't have a receipt, but I wonder if this battery would have a 1 year warranty through NAPA.

 

[FinalImpact]

Fully charged yours failed right there as it didnt take a charge. A12 volt lead acid battery is not 12 volts. Each of the 6 cells when fully charged is roughly 2.142 v each so after charge and sitting 2 hours minimum the battery should provide 12.85 to 13.00 v. While being charged its float voltage once at 92% of capacity should be up over 14.2v or more.

To the extent it dropped to 4v, well that battery is toast as mentioned before. It needs replaced.

The way I use the FZ is such that it is ridden at speed almost always and has never been on a charger in the 6 seasons I've been riding it. Also it sits for 3 to 4mo in the cold without a charger.
My point is unless there is a need to charge as perhaps traffic forced you to crawl home at walking pace and the battery is depleted, then yes, it needs a charge.
** However, Do Not Charge your battery purely for sake of charging them. ** In most cases it ruins them. They can be left unattended for months if there is no load on them.
Simple rule: if after sitting over night you battery voltage is 12.95 to 13.10v (lead acid battery at room temp), leave it alone. It does NOT need charged.

Let us know if you need more info as there is more to this but for now, get a new battery. And I would opt for the OEM YUASA. 8 years from OEM battery. I cant beat that.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Plus one on replacing with the OEM Yuasa battery..

You've verified your current (no pun intended) is junk..

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

After reola

Huh??.......