Intermittent starting problem

doghouse · Post by **doghouse** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:01 pm

Hi all,

Before I pull the bike to bits I thought I better ask you good people if you have any ideas?

Bike is a 53 plate R1100S.
Now and again the bike doesn't want to start. It is as though the battery is flat. It seems to be more of a problem if the bike is warm. If you give it a few minutes it starts again as normal. Happened again today but when I got home it started fine 5 times on the trot. Very odd.
Battery is a 1 year old Oddysey and is kept on an optimate so not that I think.

Any ideas?

Adrian

Bikerhoss · Post by **Bikerhoss** » Sun May 19, 2013 3:24 pm

Could be quite a few things Adrian, not helpful I realise.
Do you have a volt meter to check your battery? Is it clicking like the battery is dead, or nothing at all? Is the fuel pump priming?
Check simple stuff like your earth connection, kill switch, sidestand switch

sounds like it'll be the simple earth problem.

doghouse · Post by **doghouse** » Sun May 19, 2013 5:00 pm

Bikerhoss wrote:Could be quite a few things Adrian, not helpful I realise.
Do you have a volt meter to check your battery? Is it clicking like the battery is dead, .

I will check with a meter but don't expect problems with a year old Odyssey.
It doesn't click, it just struggles to turn the engine over and then disingages the starter. Also batteries don't ressurect themselves so can't be that i think.
I will check the charging circuit first, but I'm thinking dodgy earth, dodgy starter solenoid or dodgy starter. Going to work from the easiest to check to the hardest. Bike has done 23,000 miles so nothing should be worn out per se.

tanneman · Post by **tanneman** » Sun May 19, 2013 6:37 pm

Fairings off I'm afraid. Sounds like the battery terminals has vibrated loose. It happens.

dave the german · Post by **dave the german** » Tue May 21, 2013 1:39 am

I had a starter go at less than 12 000 miles - seem to remember it made a noise as if it was "dry"

slparry · Post by **slparry** » Tue May 21, 2013 9:36 am

One of the myriad of issues the K44 K12's suffer from is occasional lazy starting when warm. This has been found to be either loose battery terminals or what the later discovered was the actual wiring wasn't up to the job so they did a recall and fitted a beefier loom. As the R259's have never had that as an issue I'd suspect loose or corroded terminals, don't forget to check the starter motor end as well as the battery end

doghouse · Post by **doghouse** » Tue May 21, 2013 5:50 pm

Thanks for the advice chaps.
Will remove the fairing on the weekend at take a look see.

dave the german · Post by **dave the german** » Wed May 22, 2013 3:58 am

this has just reminded me - I need to look at the old starter and clean it and put it back together and see if it is OK - I suspect it will be but I needed to get a new one cos I needed it to start cos I was off to Moffat a week after it started going funny

doghouse · Post by **doghouse** » Sun May 26, 2013 7:15 pm

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Battery terminals tight.
Earth lead ok.
Live terminal on solenoid tight.
Battery good.
Starter body has a bit of corrosion around it and it does sound sluggish. Can't reliably get the problem to repeat itself (sounds a bit counter intuitive i know) so am only left with replacing the starter motor.
Guy on ebay selling new pattern part for £95,..anyone bought one?

Adrian

doghouse · Post by **doghouse** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:29 pm

New motor fitted.
The motor cover bolt is a bit of a pig to get to though.
New motor seems to be the fix, much quicker to spin up and no repeat of the warm start problem thus far.

Hope that's it as I think I might sell the old girl on.

dave the german · Post by **dave the german** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:49 pm

if you like playing with spanners (as I do!! - I know - sad git) pull the old one apart and have a look - it may be salvagabubble and of use to someone