Starter switch lube

[scoot]

I am going to do the starter switch thing, shortly. What kind of lubricant should I use in there?

[Daniel Meyer]

White/dielectric grease. Can be had in a  small tube in pretty much any auto-parts store.

[98valk]

as DM said, just remember dielectric grease AKA silicone grease and/or o-ring grease does not conduct electricity.

[bigguy]

I did that recently with mine. It was hard to start. I wound up push starting it several times.
I took the switch apart and was unsurprised to fine the contacts corroded. I cleaned them up and went over them lightly with fine sandpaper to get everything shiny. I put the plastic switch back together and tested it. It worked fine. I took it apart again and filled it with dielectric grease. I checked it again before putting every thing back in the housing and on the bars. Seemed to be fine.
After getting it all together, I noticed that I again had to try the starter button a couple of times before it would turn over. This eventually got better and usually starts on first press. I assumed that the non-conducting grease was blocking the contacts and that with continued use I was pushing it out of the way.
Then the headlight started to not come back on. If I fiddle with the starter button, pushing it down a few times, the light will come back on. Even this got better with use, and I again assumed I was pushing the grease out of the way of the contacts. We got some weather and rain here (Hallelujah) so the bike sat for a couple of days. I went out to start it this morning, and again had to hit the start button 4 times before it turned over. I also had to fiddle with the button for a minute or so before the headlight came back on.
Did I put the grease in the correct place? (Inside the plastic switch, actually on the contacts.)

[98valk]

u don't want to cover the contact area just encase the surrounding area, to keep out water/dirt/humidity to help reduce corrosion.
yrs ago there actually was a bulb grease sold in the auto parts store that actually did conduct electricity, now its all dielectric grease. A search online will bring up the conducting type.

[Red Diamond]

Should you want to clean the contact parts, there is dielectric cleaner for that, before you use the grease.

[Chrisj CMA]

I did that recently with mine. It was hard to start. I wound up push starting it several times.
I took the switch apart and was unsurprised to fine the contacts corroded. I cleaned them up and went over them lightly with fine sandpaper to get everything shiny. I put the plastic switch back together and tested it. It worked fine. I took it apart again and filled it with dielectric grease. I checked it again before putting every thing back in the housing and on the bars. Seemed to be fine.
After getting it all together, I noticed that I again had to try the starter button a couple of times before it would turn over. This eventually got better and usually starts on first press. I assumed that the non-conducting grease was blocking the contacts and that with continued use I was pushing it out of the way.
Then the headlight started to not come back on. If I fiddle with the starter button, pushing it down a few times, the light will come back on. Even this got better with use, and I again assumed I was pushing the grease out of the way of the contacts. We got some weather and rain here (Hallelujah) so the bike sat for a couple of days. I went out to start it this morning, and again had to hit the start button 4 times before it turned over. I also had to fiddle with the button for a minute or so before the headlight came back on.
Did I put the grease in the correct place? (Inside the plastic switch, actually on the contacts.)

Sometimes the double contact "foot" thing gets depressed into the plastic slide.  If its not springing up and down when you press on it, that could be why its intermittent

[Daniel Meyer]

I did that recently with mine. It was hard to start. I wound up push starting it several times.
I took the switch apart and was unsurprised to fine the contacts corroded. I cleaned them up and went over them lightly with fine sandpaper to get everything shiny. I put the plastic switch back together and tested it. It worked fine. I took it apart again and filled it with dielectric grease. I checked it again before putting every thing back in the housing and on the bars. Seemed to be fine.
After getting it all together, I noticed that I again had to try the starter button a couple of times before it would turn over. This eventually got better and usually starts on first press. I assumed that the non-conducting grease was blocking the contacts and that with continued use I was pushing it out of the way.
Then the headlight started to not come back on. If I fiddle with the starter button, pushing it down a few times, the light will come back on. Even this got better with use, and I again assumed I was pushing the grease out of the way of the contacts. We got some weather and rain here (Hallelujah) so the bike sat for a couple of days. I went out to start it this morning, and again had to hit the start button 4 times before it turned over. I also had to fiddle with the button for a minute or so before the headlight came back on.
Did I put the grease in the correct place? (Inside the plastic switch, actually on the contacts.)

The contacts are springy too...did you free them up? Often when corroded they are also stuck tight to the plastic and don't move up/down.

The grease should not be an issue.

[Daniel Meyer]

...the same thing I did...20 seconds faster. Doh!...

Er...what Chris said LOL!

[Ricky-D]

"I took it apart again and filled it with dielectric grease."

There's where you went wrong!

Must have thought filling it up would amortize you against future problems.

"Just a little dab will do ya"

***

[RonW]

as DM said, just remember dielectric grease AKA silicone grease and/or o-ring grease does not conduct electricity.

Nothing scientific but....I believe the "dielectric" part of "dielectric grease" is just a handy catch term that manufacturers ended up using for the product. Of course, dielectric grease is not a conductor, but it's far from being a perfect insulator. I apply it for 2 reasons, for whatever insulation properties it does provide, but more as a protective layer against moisture to prevent the metal in the contacts from corroding and gradually becoming brittle. If I use dielectric grease on a non-moving connector, for example a spade connector, I disconnect and connect the female/male parts 4 or 5 times to scrape the dielectric grease off the contact patch. On a moving contact, start-button, etc, the natural motion scrapes off the dielectric grease for you. I did put a blob of dielectric grease inside the start-button....inside the plastic rectangular nylon box....with no ill effects. So, the problem might be the moving contact component of the start-button has sunk into the nylon, either worn itself into the nylon over time, or melted the nylon and sunk into the resulting depression. The moving contact is then unable to exert enough pressure on the 2 pairs of stationary contacts inside the start-button.

There's also "conductive grease," that has microscopic particles of carbon or zinc mixed in. The theory is that the conducting carbon or zinc particles will fill the intricacies between the surface of the contacts in the same terminal. The problem with conductive grease is that any surrounding area to the electrical connection that gets smudged or smeared with conductive grease becomes a live or exposed conducting surface. For example, if you applied conductive grease to the start-button, you'd bridge the stationary contacts when the conductive grease migrates. In that sense, conductive grease should only be used for non-moving connectors, preferably sealed or enclosed.

[bigguy]

The contacts are springy too...did you free them up? Often when corroded they are also stuck tight to the plastic and don't move up/down.

No I didn't. In fact, I'm pretty sure they were pretty static when I had every thing apart. Sounds like I need to pull it apart again and free them up. That makes sense as to why I have to push down on the button levering the back end up toward the contact plate. Sounds like a quick, easy fix.
Thanks for the info.

[Daniel Meyer]

Don't lose the spring! 

[98valk]

http://rattlebars.com/mtz/starter.html

[bigguy]

Thanks for the link CA.

[John U.]

I had to replace my switch. The PO had install highway lights with no relay. The switch got so hot that the contacts melted right into the plastic slide. I couldn't budge them without destroying the contacts.
I installed relays on the highway lights as well as the headlight. As a failsafe I carry a piece of heavy copper wire to jump the contacts on the relay if I ever have another problem.
A screwed up starter switch is a poor reason to be hiking.

[Fudd]

I did a 1000 mile ride last week.  After arriving home, the very next time I went to leave, the bike wouldn't crank.  The timing of that was incredible, but it is an enchanted Valkyrie.  After doing the "repair," I went another step.  I added a momentary switch (s.p.s.t. norm open) to one of the unused holes on the engine hanger.

If I ever get caught on the road with a bad starter switch, I'll have a back-up.  It just doesn't cancel the headlight when starting.

[bigguy]

The starter switch on my Valkyrie has been giving me trouble. I took it apart about a week ago and cleaned it up. It seemed better for a few days, but then got worse. I took it apart again, and checked to see that the plate on the slide moved freely.

     

My camera quit on me, so I don't have any more photos. But I found that the slider had actuall melted, and the contact plate is welded into the plastic slides. I remember that Willie's Valk had the exact same problem.
I've got the tabs bent out so that it works if you know how and take it easy. The button wants to stay down if you push it too hard. It's a temporary fix. I'm going to have to order a switch.
The thing that frosts my shorts is that I don't believe you can get just the switch. You've got to order the entire assembly. That's an $80.00 part because of the failure of a $2.00 plastic switch.

[RonW]

....got to order the entire assembly. That's an $80.00 part because of the failure of a $2.00 plastic switch.

You do have to purchase the entire housing to get the switch button, but the switch button is a generic part. The housings may be a little bit different from model to model. Perhaps, buy a less expensive housing. For example, the housing for my Honda 600 sells for $56. From there you could swap the top plate part of the new start button. It's possible to swap out the entire switch button, itself, if the terminals at the other end of the wires match the Valk terminals.