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Bike Won't START, clicks won't turn over.

56K views 44 replies 15 participants last post by  jimartina 
#1 ·
Hey gang,
I have a 99 vn800 that ran great when I parked it a month ago. Went to change oil and wanted to warm the motor up and it won't start. BOTH oil and cooling warning lights. Battery seems to be charged, battery, and solenoid terminals and cables removed and cleaned. When I hit the starter switch the solenoid clicks and nothing happens. Any input is appreciated.
 
#6 ·
Battery charger said charged to 100%, i cleaned the battery the cables and the solenoid. I did NOT clean the ground to frame or the starter connection it self. I won't wack the starter, ALOT of the newer starters have a ceramic type casing and wacking it will break it and ruin the starter! thanks for the input guys i will pull the battery and take it to get tested.
 
#9 ·
bad battery

Ok so I pulled the battery and took it to auto Zone nad had it tested. They said it was bad. I am going to go work on the bike today. Anyone have any objections or thoughts about me putting the old battery in and jumping it with my truck? DON't really want to buy a battery until it gets closer to spring.
 
#12 ·
If you jump it from your truck do so without the truck running. Ugly things happen to the rectifier circuit on bikes when you use a running car/truck to jump from. With it shut off the voltage potential is at 13.8 volts and will do no harm unless you crank excessively.
When you replace the battery find a maintenance free AGM type battery, for todays batteries they are tops in motorcycling
 
#13 ·
Hi Jimartina,

Just remember, if you stall on your way to or from wherever you're going...you'll have problems. If the battery is dead, it wont turn over EVER, unless you jump it with another battery. You could pop start it, but that's a lot of weight to be pushing. I would buy a battery before attempting to ride it.

Especially if it's not turning over the engine, usually a battery charger that says charged 100% when you first connect it to the battery, the battery is probably dead. It should show gradual increase, for example, if it says 25% at first and takes a few hours to get to 100%, that's a healthy battery that just needed a charge.

Good Luck.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Help please

STILL won't start with NEW sealed battery that sat on charger all night before installation. It still just clicks. I tested the pickup coil and it tests good.... please tell me where to check next THANKS, Also i checked ALL of the fuses. all test good. used multi meter... WHAT is the starter relay supposed to test like? a new one from the stealership is $77... checked all the grounds, have 12v to the starter. checked the switches.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Do not put a regular multimeter in series with the starter. It will either blow the meter or the meter fuse...one of the two.

1. Probe yellow/red wire on starter solenoid, push start button and check for 12v. If yes, then go to step 2. If no, then go to step 3.
2. Probe starter side of heavy cables connected to solenoid. Push start button and check for 12v. If no, then solenoid is bad.
3. Go to fuse box, probe yellow/red wire. Push start button and check for 12v. If no, then
4. On fuse box, probe black/red, push start button and check for 12v. if yes, then
5. Remove positive battery cable. On fuse box, with meter set to read resistance, put red meter lead on yellow/green wire and black to ground. Note resistance reading. Now, swap red for black leads and take another reading.

Post back with your results.
 
#26 ·
Jimartina.... Listen to the poster Sfair. He can fix it, you just need to do what he says...In the order that he says. Even if you dont think it has relevance....FOLLOW his instruction...And post back with your results. He WILL point you to the problem part. Trust me on this! If ever I have a prob. Then I would only hope he would favor me with a response. He is a busy man.
 
#27 ·
Jumping is not a problem, it's when you remove the jumper source. Now your charging circuit is running all out, trying to charge the battery and keep the bike going. Long term unnecessary stress the electronics might not like. Then you are down the street a few miles, the bike stalls, now you are looking at pushing the bike home. If you can swing it, bite the bullet, buy a battery.
 
#28 ·
There are only two cases where I would boost my bike:

1. If stranded away from home with no other option.
2. To take my pregnant wife to the hospital!

Otherwise, a battery charger and the correct repair are the ticket.

Permanent magnet shunt regulated alternators run full out all of the time, anyways, so that is not an issue.
 
#29 ·
sfair, will jumping a bike damage it? Maybe because of the difference in current sinking from a higher power alternator to a lower one?
It is a good thing you caught my comment about measuring the current to the starter on the bike in an earlier post, I was trying to think of the most straight forward way to troubleshoot but didn't give a thought to how high the current was.
 
#31 ·
If done correctly, it presents no problem, but I have helped so many who have crossed the cables (and it is easy to do) with not so pretty results, that I do not recommend it.
My bike is a pleasure vehicle and if it is in a state that it needs boosting to run, then something is amiss and the problem is rectified. Excepting the above two reasons, there is really no need to do otherwise.
 
#33 ·
success

OK thanks for all the input. I got 8.2v from the yellow red wire, at the relay. I got 8.4v from the yellow red at the fuse box. I got 9.4v from the black red at the fuse box. SINCE i wasn't getting the required 12v anywhere, I jumped the relay at the bike turned over. SO I need a new relay.... thanks again GANG all the input...
 
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