Stranded - Wouldn't Start

[LenB]

So I'm out & about doing a few errands and lo & behold I went to go home, turned on the ignition & hit the starter button. Nada/zilch/nothing. OK, so I've had button contact concerns before so I whip off the right side cover to jump the solenoid. Will only stay running with starter engaged. As soon as I stop crossing the solenoid terminals, dies. As I am in a busy Costco parking lot, I just want to go home. So here I am in rush hour traffic, starter whirring away. Almost made it home when it puked and died, for good - think I fried the starter. Was about 4 blocks away from my brother's place so I pushed it there and parked it in his garage - he,ll be happy to see the "gift" I left him when he gets home. Walked the rest of the way home (about 12 blocks) in the 27C (80F) weather. For somebody pushing 69, that's no mean feat. So here's my question - what to look for first. If it was kill switch issues, it probably wouldn't have started at all. Is there some connection in the solenoid that keeps the bike running after it starts? Replaced the ignition switch so I'm not suspecting that. Any input/speculation/ideas appreciated. And here I was proclaiming how reliable it is after making it past the 99,000 kilometer mark - still hope to flip the odometer this year.

[Socer4m]

Hi Len, just a guess, the starter button needs a cleaning since it didnt fire over, and maybe was flooded so the starter wouldnt fire it up....pull a plug and see if its too wet,,,,lastly, maybe the kill switch was bumped to OFF so it wouldnt start or fire up with the solenoid being crossed. Hope someone else can chime in and its an easy fix, being stranded sucks, its happened to most of us old bike owners, its part of the adventure........keep us informed,,,,Mike in San Diego and PA.

[DEEBS11]

It sounds like your battery died. Start with a full battery charge. Maybe your regulator died.

[jetmechmarty]

This isn’t the first time this same issue has been posted. A quick search brings it up a few times. Currently, I expect your bike has a dead battery and possibly a burned up starter. Beyond that, you probably have corrosion issues in the wiring and maybe a faulty ignition switch. Start with a large supply of contact cleaner. My own bike burned up the connector to the stator and required some wire replacement as it was green. These old Yamahas can benefit from a relay running voltage to the coils rather than through the switch.

[bikerphil]

turned on the ignition & hit the starter button. Nada/zilch/nothing

When you turned the key on, did the usual oil warning and neutral lite come on? Have you verified that the all of the fuses are good, including the main fuse in it's separate holder?

If you ground out the blu/wht wire at the solder joint on the solenoid, does the bike crank?

[LenB]

SOLVED. bikerphil - you win the prize. ONLY after removing and tearing down the starter, solenoid and handlebar button did I bother to properly check the fuse block. Only glanced at it during my initial troubleshooting but should have looked a little closer. "Ignition" 10A fuse blown in dirty, damaged clips. So bike would start but shut off as soon as you quit jumping the solenoid contacts. Do I feel stupid? Bigtime. But my starter got a proper re-greasing of planetary gears and bearings and my solenoid, which you're probably not supposed to take apart, has properly re-soldered connections and cleaned up contacts.I'd like to think it was worth it nonetheless. I can now rely on it to flip the odometer this year, and, oh yeah, get me home. Thanks for everyone's input!

[bikerphil]

Glad it was something simple. It appears that by jumping the solenoid contacts, the ignition coils would get their voltage only thru the ballast resistor bypass circuit (dark green wire) on the lower solenoid terminal. This gives the coils full voltage only when the starter is cranking. I believe your 80 is the last year that uses the ballast resistor circuit. I'm pretty sure the later models you might not have been able to do that.

You are lucky that the starter survived and it also got some maintenance,

[cajun31]

SOLVED. bikerphil - you win the prize. ONLY after removing and tearing down the starter, solenoid and handlebar button did I bother to properly check the fuse block. Only glanced at it during my initial troubleshooting but should have looked a little closer. "Ignition" 10A fuse blown in dirty, damaged clips. So bike would start but shut off as soon as you quit jumping the solenoid contacts. Do I feel stupid? Bigtime. But my starter got a proper re-greasing of planetary gears and bearings and my solenoid, which you're probably not supposed to take apart, has properly re-soldered connections and cleaned up contacts.I'd like to think it was worth it nonetheless. I can now rely on it to flip the odometer this year, and, oh yeah, get me home. Thanks for everyone's input!

Question: Have you upgraded to blade fuses or are you still using the original set up?

[LenB]

Not yet but obviously need to. If someone can remind me what fuse block works for this application, I would appreciate it. Is there a way to incorporate the main fuse into this block, too? Might just be in (what's left of) my mind but it seems to run better with a better, temporary connection at the "Ignition" fuse. Cannibalized parts from a leftover fuse block from my brother's '75 CB400F Supersport seem to be doing the job for now.

[DiverRay]

Here is one from the UK on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/133505079165?gQT=1 Look for something like this, with each fuse separate. You may find one at your local auto parts store as well.

[jetmechmarty]

I put my main fuse into my replacement box. Easy.

[bikerphil]

6 way ATC fuse block....

https://www.delcity.net/store/Standard-Fuse-Block/p_10959.h_26383

[LenB]

This is what I can get locally...

https://www.princessauto.com/en/6-circuit-standard-blade-fuse-block/product/PA0009156407

Don't really need the fancy LED failure indicator lights - or do I? Something blows and I'm out on the road in the dark....

Now to just remember to pack some spares in the tool kit

[bikerphil]

Problem with the one in your link is it is a gang type fuse box, you would need to connect all your power side wires to that stud terminal. Not the best option, you want the separate type that isolates each circuit.

[LenB]

bikerphil - thanks for the heads up! Not an emergency so I'll order the correct type on-line if I can't find one locally.