Kawasaki Vulcan Forum banner

Yet another starter question

2K views 13 replies 3 participants last post by  sfair 
#1 ·
Hi guys.
I haven't been on the forum in quite awhile, but still enjoying my Vulcan. Anyway, I've had this issue for literally months. When I hit the starter button my bike will sometimes hesitate to turn the starter, or start turning immediately and then slow down, or start the engine perfectly. It seems to be a totally random thing. It has always started the engine, but sometimes it takes several attempts.

What I've done:
Replaced the battery. Didn't think that was it but wanted to remove it from list of suspects.
Cleaned terminals and grounds.
Measured battery voltage - Key off. 13V
Measured voltage at solenoid outgoing terminal with key on starter button pushed. 13V
Removed starter and measured voltage again at end of starter cable. Key on starter button pushed. 13V

Observations:
Solenoid seems to be working fine. Nice audible click and no voltage drop.
The starter sounds like it has a dead spot.

I've got the starter off the bike and disassembled. Since I've got a full 13V getting to the starter motor, I'm leaning towards the starter having a problem, but I'm not sure how to test it to prove it. I took resistance readings between all adjacent bars on the commutator ring and got zero resistance between all of them. I saw that was one check on youtube. Not sure if that's enough of a test. The brushes range in lengths of .43" to .45". Not sure how long they are when new. So, that's what I know. I'm wondering if a brush kit would help. All thoughts are welcome. Thanks.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Given the age of your Vulcan the starter may be worn and the remedy may be as simple as making certain that the starter armature commutator is clean including the grooves and installing new brushes. Appears that you've done a complete job of diagnosis!
 
#4 ·
Sfair,
Is there anything I can do with a multi-meter?

I've been wondering about the starter clutch too. I'm not sure how that failure mode presents itself. If the clutch is slipping that would mean the engine isn't getting turned over, which could sound like a hesitation to start. Thoughts? I can't say I've read about many failures of the starter clutch. I'll have to do a search and see what comes up.
 
#5 · (Edited)
1. How many miles on it?
2. You can test for winding to shaft short, but that is all. And if that were the problem, you would know it because starter would get smoking hot. Due to how armatures are wound, a meter is useless.
Kawasaki starters give little to no problems...clutches sometimes and also the torque limiter too.

When you have a no crank, you might be able to hear the starter spinning. Have to listen very closely as it is quiet.

Not saying it is not a starter problem, but....
 
#6 ·
Sfair,
I have a little over 66K miles. Torque limiter and starter clutch are original. (I've had since new)

I did do the short to shaft check a little while ago and didn't find any issues either. Do you have an opinion on whether the limiter or the clutch would be more likely to be the problem? If I pull the cover off, I'll have equal access to both, so I certainly check both. My manual says to not open the torque limiter, only inspect the gear teeth. That's not a lot of help. If I see the gears are good. I guess I'll put more attention on the clutch inspection since there's more opportunity to inspect at the component level. Let me know what you think. I appreciate the help. I'll spend some time digging into it tomorrow. Thanks for your help.
 
#7 ·
I would not pull anything apart until you have determined if it is a slipping condition.
What you want to do is wait for a no crank issue and then determine if the starter is still turning at that time, or not.
Examining the teeth on the torque limiter is not good enough. They have been known to slip too.
 
#8 ·
It's hard to determine exactly what's happening solely based on the sound. It all happens within a second or two as I hit the starter button. I will hear normal cranking for for a half a second then almost nothing for a split second before it catches again. If I had to guess, it sounds like nothing is happening for the split second when it hesitates. Sometimes I'll get the hesitation first when I hit the button. I can definitively say that there is zero noise when that happens. I'll just hear the solenoid click and then a half second later it will crank. Since I'm getting steady voltage to the starter, seems like it's got to be narrowed down to that or the limiter or clutch. Just don't know which one. You think if I test my starter to a battery it would prove anything? Even if the starter does have a problem, don't know if it would show up with zero load on it. I'm open to suggestions.
 
#9 ·
I did another test this morning by hooking the starter back up to the bike electrically, but not mechanically to the engine. When I hit the starter button it ran smoothly and immediately every time. Don't know if that's a totally good test since it isn't loaded, but i don't know what else I can do with what I have. I'm now leaning more toward the limiter and/or clutch.
 
#10 ·
Given its intermittent nature, I am leaning towards the clutch, but remember, I am 3000 miles away. They can develop flat spots which become troublesome only once in a while.
Intermittents can be a real bear to troubleshoot, so best guess sometimes has to come into play.
Examination of the clutch can sometimes show bad spots, but eyeballing is not always definitive. They can be bad without obvious sores.

It is up to you what to do.
 
#12 ·
After a conversation with my test engineer at work about my bike's starting problems, he thought the starter could still be bad. His concern was just because you have full voltage going to the starter, it doesn't necessarily mean the starter can process the required amperage to turn over the engine. He felt just because it ran fine with no load was no guarantee it's good. So I'm back to considering the starter, limiter and the clutch. Since there isn't a great way to do any more testing then I've already done, I think I'll bite the bullet on a starter since it's the easiest thing to replace. If that's not the fix, then on to the limiter and clutch I go. I've heard good things about Rick's Motorsport Electrics. I think I'm going to try one of his starters. Looks like his run $220. More then I could probably ebay one for, but I don't want to risk buying another questionable starter. I'll report back with my progress.

Another thing. I did ride to work today and it barely started this morning and again when I came home. When it hesitates, it sounds like there is no noise coming from anything. That's another clue that it is the starter since I think if the clutch was slipping you'd still hear the starter turning.
 
#13 ·
Just to wrap up this thread. I did replace my original starter with a new one from Rick's Motorsports Electrics and that did the trick. Turns over great again. I guess with 66K miles, the starter finally gave it up.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top