Starter button or starter?

[Toledo Mark]

99 standard with 56k on it.  I am original owner.  Checked battery with meter.  Voltage doesn't drop below 11.8 when starting so battery is fine.

Problem is it will start fine about 90% of the time.  Sometimes though you hear the starter click but not turn the motor over.  If you hit the button several times it will turn over eventually. 

I have done the starter button cleaning twice over the years.

Is it the starter? Or should I replace the starter button?

Thanks

[biguglyman]

How about the relay behind the right side cover? Check for corrosion on contacts and/or melting of the plastic housing.

[Chrisj CMA]

definitely check out that starter solenoid behind the right sidecover.  However, just because you did the maintenance on the starter button doesnt mean its not the problem. I have seen several that the reason they are intermittent is because the little brass contact is stuck in its hole and doesnt bounce up and down by that spring under it. That will make a weak contact, will get dirty faster and become intermittent fairly fast.

[Toledo Mark]

Chris how do I check the solenoid?

[Toledo Mark]

Here is what I found.  Dirtier than normal?  What is the best way to clean it?  Dielectric grease too?  That would make my day if cleaning this works.   What do you think?

[Toledo Mark]

Cleaned the contacts and same problem.  Hit starter button and I can hear the relay click but it is like it does not have enough power to turn over.  Battery doesn't drop below 11 volts.  Thoughts?
Could it still be the starter button?  Or the relay?  Or what?

I have a new starter button assembly but hate to swap it out if it is something else.

Is the relay the little black box attached to the green female wire thingy in the above picture?  and is that different from the solenoid?

[Bone]

Checked the battery cables ends ?

[Toledo Mark]

Checked the battery cables ends ?

The ones at the battery are fine.  Do I need to check the other ends?

[Chrisj CMA]

Solenoid doesnt look too bad.  You should clean that white build up off and put some dilactic grease in hem contacts.

If all the batter and ground connections are clean and tight, I would check that stater button again an make sure you have bouncy contacts with dilactic grease in there as well.

Lastly, spray some WD40 in the kill switch and function it many times.

[Toledo Mark]

So even though when hitting the starter button I here the solenoid click it can still be the button?  I thought if the button is dead absolutely nothing happens when you hit the button.

[Chrisj CMA]

So even though when hitting the starter button I here the solenoid click it can still be the button?  I thought if the button is dead absolutely nothing happens when you hit the button.

I think it can still be the button, but verify quick and easy stuff first like the cables and possibly jumping it to your car battery.  The intermittent aspect is what brings me back to the button

[Toledo Mark]

But the battery is showing over 12 volts sitting and when I hit the button it stays above 11 volts.  But, I will be swapping the button out later tonight and I will let you know.

Thanks and to anyone else who would like to jump in.

[Chrisj CMA]

But the battery is showing over 12 volts sitting and when I hit the button it stays above 11 volts.  But, I will be swapping the button out later tonight and I will let you know.

Thanks and to anyone else who would like to jump in.

volts are good...Amps is what the Valkyrie craves.....a few short on the amps and she not happy

[indiandave]

If you are getting a click and can feel the relay click, then the start switch is working. If you have a test light or a volt meter.  Check for volt at the hex head bolts one side gose to the battery( should be power all the time) and the other gose to the starter motor( power only when the starter button is pressed. If you do not have this tools , do this - maked sure that bike is in neutral and ignition & kill switch on. Take a heavy gauge wire jumper the wire from the 2 bolt head this will bypass the button system (Hotwire). Note just touch the wire - do not secure wire as the starter will remain enaged if you keep the wire on bolts. If the starter spins then it is not the heavy gauge wire to the starter or the starter.
Thus if the starter spins you need to check 30A fuse on relay, the red wire out of  relay puts power to the ignition switch, this sends power to two places 1(neutral/side stand indicator) and 2(thur a 10 amp fuse to the bank angle sensor relay) then power to/thur eng stop switch and starter button comes back to starter relay thur yellow/red wire.
So to check with connector pluged into realy with starter buttom not pushed you should have power to red wire. With the starter buttom pushed to should have power to the Y/R wire.  If not there check out the above fuse and relays and switches. If you have power to the Y/R then check the Green/Red this is the ground for the relay pull coil. It gets ground 2 way one is when the side stand is up and the clutch switch is closed(when to pull in on the clutch lever)- 2nd is thur the Diode in fuse block thurr the neutral switch. . hope this helps .
David

[indiandave]

One other thing is that amps not volts crank the starter so make sure no corrsion is on the battery post neg or pos and that the hex bolts on relay are corrsion free. Thight connection at all heavy gauge wire are need for the amps to flow. This still could be a battery problem with a shorted cell.
David

[Toledo Mark]

Replace the starter button with a new one and seems all is ok so far.  Started a dozen times with no problems.  I took apart the old starter button and it was wet with dielectric grease from the last repair but it was also corroded with the greenish stuff.  We will see how it goes tomorrow.  I hope this is the fix.  Thanks

[Valkpilot]

Replace the starter button with a new one and seems all is ok so far.  Started a dozen times with no problems.  I took apart the old starter button and it was wet with dielectric grease from the last repair but it was also corroded with the greenish stuff.  We will see how it goes tomorrow.  I hope this is the fix.  Thanks

Dielectric grease is an insulating material.  Too much will prevent electrical contact.

[Chrisj CMA]

Replace the starter button with a new one and seems all is ok so far.  Started a dozen times with no problems.  I took apart the old starter button and it was wet with dielectric grease from the last repair but it was also corroded with the greenish stuff.  We will see how it goes tomorrow.  I hope this is the fix.  Thanks

was the contacts on the old switch bouncy or stuck?  How bout the new one?  My brand new one was stuck right out of the box.

[Toledo Mark]

it looked like the old one didn't make contact in the right places.  As for the new one I did not take it apart.  But it worked every time I hit the button.

[eric in md]

its all the battery,,

[Chrisj CMA]

it looked like the old one didn't make contact in the right places.  As for the new one I did not take it apart.  But it worked every time I hit the button.

Well, if the problem repeats in a few months, and it will if the new contact is stuck, remember to make sure to check that.

[salty1]

Glad to hear the Valk is starting normal again. I still would pull the battery and have it checked, that is see how it holds up under a load. FWIW.

[Earl in Pensacola]

I agree with "Valkpiolet" concerning that diealectric (spelling?) grease.  All your connections should be put together "CLEAN" and tight, THEN some protection put "on" the connection, not "in" the connection.  Diealectric can actually prevent a good connection, it is designed to prevent corrosion!!

[Ricky-D]

Green inside the switch would indicate to me that some kind of cleaning solution/spray has been used and same has some kind of acidic formulation that corrodes the working parts of switches.

What would make matters worse would be to use those kind of preparations and then use a blower to dry the bike off.  The blowers tend to blow the stuff into places that don't normally see any kind of wetness.

Not saying this is the case, but kinda thinking it could be.

***

[RP#62]

When mine did that, I checked the connector at the start relay and it was fine, so I did the starter switch maintenance.  Switch contacts weren't to bad and it seemed to help for a while, but then started doing it again.  I replaced the start relay and it hasn't done it since.
-RP

[Valkpilot]

Green inside the switch would indicate to me that some kind of cleaning solution/spray has been used and same has some kind of acidic formulation that corrodes the working parts of switches.

Not necessarily.  Copper contacts, even tin plated ones, will oxidize green in the presence of moisture.  All it takes is a pinhole or a little wear in the plating.

[bogator]

   Mine did that ----sooo---I replaced the solenoid---108.00 at stealer---all is fine now--GOD BLESS