Battery? Starter Brushes err solenoid?

[Stava]

Well it looks like my first gremlin has shown up, the starter motor is just able to turn the motor over let alone start it.
Yet battery volts, amps and specific gravity are with allowables.
Tried a jump start off another fully charged battery to no avail. (Bugger) So I wonder if the solenoid, Brushes or starter motor would be the Only other causes???

Any and All assistance would be gratefully received

Stava

[uk1.1s]

Those Gremlins

Having a few teething troubles getting mine started too at the moment after rebuilding the carbs with new float valves. My experience may help.

This is what I found yesterday....

Trouble turning the engine over.... like a dead battery. Looked at the battery and sure enough charge wasn't great - so I jumped it off the huge battery on the Guzzi... still not happy

Took the plugs out and tried without ...... not only did the engine turn over freely, but a load of fuel squirted out of pot number 2! This means that the engine has hydrauliced by fuel trickling into the cylinder either over the weeks since I last looked at the bike (and a dodgy float valve) - or by a stuck float after I completed the job.

Either way the motor (at least one cylinder) was full of liquid which, as we know, doesn't really compress like gas (petrol). I did this with water on an old '70's Triumph car I had about 10 years ago, by driving through a flood.

Bad side is that the pressure of the engine trying to turn over against a liquid is known to blow cylinder head gaskets / bend valves and other nasties. After I got the fuel out the engine did run briefly - but not enough to see if any damage had been done. Think I will definitely do a compression test before I do much else.


As for your symptoms, it won't be the solenoid if the starter motor is actually making some attempt to turn the engine over. Look at the solenoid as a sort of second switch for the starter motor - so if all is dead.... then it's a possibity. Sometimes if the battery is really low then you may hear clicking and not much else... that's the solenoid switching the starter on but the power being too low to turn the motor against compression.

Quick test.

Take out all the plugs and turn the engine over on the button (briefly - as the starter doesn't like to run much without load).

1. If the motor turns over at all the solenoid should be OK

2. If the motor turns over very quickly without the plugs in then the brushes / coils are probably OK.

3. If fuel comes squirting out one (or more) of the plug holes then you've had a similar 'hydraulicing' problem to me

4. If no fuel squirts out I'd say your battery was the most suspect ... maybe jumping just wasn't enough. I usually try jumping from a car / bike that is running as a fast idle so you are using the power (amps) coming from the charging system rather than just that stored in the cells.

Hope the ramble above helps

[sixtysix]

Have you checked this tip?

Troubleshooting a bike that won't crank

[Stava]

Battery,brushes..err Solenoid?

Thanks Graham and Gary, have taken all on board I will post an
update a.s.a.p!

Many thanks for the info.


Stava.

To grow old is mandatory, to grow up is optional!

[Stava]

Battery, starter brushes....err solenoid?

With just a little red face, I report that the problem with my bike was actually the battery.
The test I did on the original battery was incorrect, it had actually lost a cell or something.
The bike fires up like she used to now that the new battery is fully charged.
However I did follow the advise given and found a few little potential gremlins that are now stopped in their tracks.

Again , thanks for your assistance

Stava

Ride Safe, ride Free!