Starter Problem?

[burly]

I'm just getting clicks when I press the starter on my Nomad - eventually it starts, but it seems to be getting worse (i.e., more and more clicks before it kicks in). Replaced the battery, no difference.

Is this a starter motor problem, or the relay or ???

[Cajunrider]

Could be a loose connection Brent.

[damark115]

My van did that. Was loose negative to frame connection.
It would play radio but not enough contact to spin the starter.

[burly]

Thanks for the suggestions - any idea where I should check for a loose ground? I am mechanically stupid :)

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by burly

Thanks for the suggestions - any idea where I should check for a loose ground? I am mechanically stupid :)

A good place to start would be where the battery cables connect to the battery. Make sure they are tight and clean. Then follow the black ground cable to where it attaches to the frame and make sure it's clean and tight.

[Kawhead]

My '08 did that very thing and I did the very thing you did and bought a battery. It turned out to be the starter. If you smell something like hot wires and plastic while starting that's a good indication. Next thing remove the starter, loosen the radiator and it should roll out easily so you can bench test it. You do that by connecting it to a battery and hold the splines to a piece of wood and if it "bogs' the starter and you smell a strong electric smell you need another one. I ordered a rebuilt one out of California for less than half the cost of a new one. Check ebay first theres one being parted out as we speak.

[macmac]

Test the start motor directly. MAKE sure the tranny is in Neutral!!!

Tie the ft brake in with a small bungee, don't kill it just make sure the brake is on!

Gain access to the starter stud, where the main cable goes.

Using regular car jumper cables clip it on to the starter stud first.

With another set of jumper cables you can keep the burn acring marks off the bike, so try and use 2 set of jumpers.

If you don't care: Just clip the one set to the battery second and the starter will run, and crank the engine if it is good and not the problem. The key can be off, and the side stand down and the clutch lever out...

Be Damnned sure that tranny is in Neutral!

With 2 sets of cable you will have hooked up the starter and then hooked up the (+) at the battery and when you hook both jumpers the arcing burn marks will happen to the cables.

Who cares about arcing burns on the cables??

If the starter works well the problem is the relay aka solenoid, and I don't know if you can take this type apart or not.

It is located under the right side cover near the fuse box. The main battery cable goes there, and bolts to it, and the other side heads to the start motor. 2 biggest cables on the bike other than the ground cable.

'IF' the relay can be taken apart the matter with it is a big inside copper bar used as a terminal. "IF" you can get at that, file it clean of arcing burn marks, and or flip it over and use it again that way after cleaning even if you flip it over.

The book doesn't show the relay broken down, so I am not sure that it can be taken apart or not.. The book says it is behind the coolant tank too and it needs to be moved out of the way.

[burly]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Much appreciated.

The ground cable turned out to be the problem. After discovering it was stripped, I replaced the bolt with a longer one. Tightened it up, and it starts first time every time.

Now, if Pinwall Cycles will let me cancel the used starter I ordered 20 minutes before I figured this out, everything will be great.

[macmac]

Cool you found the real problem, and it was hidden.

No one can check battery calbes by eye. No one can.

I once had a Saab I rebuilt from bumper to bumper and gave to my wife as hers. One day it actted up and she told me.

I drove myself nuts testing things that were all actting flucky.

The cables appears to be just fine, all clean and seemingly tight.

Once I started at the very beggining again, the first thing I found was the (-) battery terminal was erroded away to nothing but the top of the lead clamp. Under that was gone!

[Kawhead]

Good job burly!!!!!!!!! Hope they can stop the order!

[Cajunrider]

Good work Brent.

[cactusjack]

Way to go! That's a satisfying feeling, to find a problem and fix it.

[Kawhead]

Originally Posted by macmac

Test the start motor directly. MAKE sure the tranny is in Neutral!!!

Tie the ft brake in with a small bungee, don't kill it just make sure the brake is on!

Gain access to the starter stud, where the main cable goes.

Using regular car jumper cables clip it on to the starter stud first.

With another set of jumper cables you can keep the burn acring marks off the bike, so try and use 2 set of jumpers.

If you don't care: Just clip the one set to the battery second and the starter will run, and crank the engine if it is good and not the problem. The key can be off, and the side stand down and the clutch lever out...

Be Damnned sure that tranny is in Neutral!

With 2 sets of cable you will have hooked up the starter and then hooked up the (+) at the battery and when you hook both jumpers the arcing burn marks will happen to the cables.

Who cares about arcing burns on the cables??

If the starter works well the problem is the relay aka solenoid, and I don't know if you can take this type apart or not.

It is located under the right side cover near the fuse box. The main battery cable goes there, and bolts to it, and the other side heads to the start motor. 2 biggest cables on the bike other than the ground cable.

'IF' the relay can be taken apart the matter with it is a big inside copper bar used as a terminal. "IF" you can get at that, file it clean of arcing burn marks, and or flip it over and use it again that way after cleaning even if you flip it over.

The book doesn't show the relay broken down, so I am not sure that it can be taken apart or not.. The book says it is behind the coolant tank too and it needs to be moved out of the way.

Thanks mac I need to put you in the thread "Who's got your Back". ;)

Simple mechanic logic should have let me know I was omitting the relay.

I hope the nex Rally is in or close to New Hamster where we can sit 'round the campfire like you were talking 'bout back when. I'm brangin the other Custer campin' crew wiff me. it wont be the same without 'em.

[macmac]

Well no one needs a rally near by to come here. If a solo guy and or he is solo with his SO, there is a bed in a clean small spare room.

Then there is a pretty big field with a pine shed partly open for storing a bike in over night, and if that ain't no good there is the barn.

NH in my part is very nice riding if you like mountains, rivers and lakes. The bad is there could be moose.

I went nawth one day a few years ago for kicks with my wife. We saw 16 moose, 1 bear, 1 yote, 3 red fox 1 silver, 5 racoons, 1 Buck deer with a moose no less, 1 ospray, 1 bald eagle, and i can't recall the rest.

That isn't typical, and most times you don't see a moose when time is limited.

3 years ago I started a place to just be out back. A woman came along and told me it was a lenia (sp) ??? Sounds like Len I.

What it is to me is just a place to be with dry laid stone walls set up in terraces. One wall has a fire place built in.

Looks like it will be 2 more years to get done, but most of it is other than the last big wall at the bottom, and a little bit of other walls here and there partly started. With all the recent rains I haven't been over there to get chomped by the bugs, but when things dry up some dinners will be there instead of in this box, called a house.

There is a few pics of that spot in my albums, and some shots showing small parts of the field.

Guns are welcome here too, and so if yer packin and want to shoot any one can. I just pop up a target on nasty old ply wood in the field.

The other day i was siting in a .22 with Aguilla shorts which have a monster 60 grain slug. The load isn't ewnough power to stabilize these rounds, and so the all key hole at 50 feet.

The 50 feet thing is because I need to murder a red squirrel eatting holes in the barn.

[Yellow Jacket]

Hey Mac, do you have fox squirrels in New Hampster? Dang, those are some good eating, but those sorry red squirrels are just about totally worthless. I think maybe God was having a bad day when He made them.

P.S. What the heck is a yote?