No more E-start?

[wence]

Hi al,
Riding last weekend and the E-start started to work intermittently and then would not work at all.
Have not checked it out properly yet but played around with the junction block and fuses under the seat on the day.
This has been an ongoing problem between breaking the lugs to the block and the little spade lug terminals getting dirty and not making properly.
Will get out there this weekend and check it out but I was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem?
Cheers Mark

 

[da bears]

Yes do a search on here and you'll find lots about e-start issues. I currently have an issue with my bendix that will not grab just spins on the shaft so sourcing a new one. I have also had issues like you are experiencing. Need to keep the contacts clean and use a dielectric grease/coating on them once clean. I also put my battery on a tender when not in use to keep the battery charged. I don't find the bike will charge fully on it's own hence the tender. That way I always start with a fully charged battery. I haven't switched to the new light weigth hi power battery yet but that is also an option. Even then you may want to go the tender route between rides. I also tend to kick start the bike most of the time and save the e-start for the uneven terrain starts where kick starting is tricky.

 

[pscook]

Hi al,
Riding last weekend and the E-start started to work intermittently and then would not work at all.
Have not checked it out properly yet but played around with the junction block and fuses under the seat on the day.
This has been an ongoing problem between breaking the lugs to the block and the little spade lug terminals getting dirty and not making properly.
Will get out there this weekend and check it out but I was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem?
Cheers Mark

I had my e start quit the other day. I started the bike (from cold!), shut it down, then restarted it. I then shut it off again, went to get geared up, and when I returned nothing electrical worked. The key still shuts it off, so I'll have a peek at the fuse block to see if that caused the issue. If I find anything suspicious I'll post back up.

 

[phoenix]

My relay/solenoid went bad on the 300. The piece tested fine, but when installed on another bike it was definitely dead. They can be purchased at Amazon and places like that much cheaper than OEM. I bought a few to have some spares.

http://www.amazon.com/Starter-Solen...=1408545488&sr=1-68&keywords=starter+solenoid

Later on, the bike quit starting again (not a peep) and I tore through the wiring harness to find that a wire had broken just behind the steering stem. The wire was hard to find because it had corroded and snapped underneath the protective sheathing.

You can quickly decide if the starter itself is the problem by grounding a battery charger to the frame and then very briefly touching the hot end to the hot wire on the starter. The starter should spin a little and then you'll know the problem is elsewhere. The solenoid would be my bet just because we've had three solenoids fail on three bikes. Sometimes they're just dead and don't make a sound and sometimes they'll click but not start.

 

[iamovru]

The only thing my Estart would do is spin until I did this.

http://gasgasrider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16816

I shimmed the starter where it bolts onto the motor and I stretched out the little spring within the bendix. It works better than my friends KTM`s and Beta`s.

 

[Phaeton]

Just went thru similar issue. If turned to the left my bike would not start. Move the steering and it would. I took a pick to the spade connectors in the junction behind the headlight. Works perfect now.

 

[wence]

Thanks for the info.
I will check out the headlight spade lugs as the headlight is not on the bike at the minute.... just a mx plate.
I would like to buy the starter solenoid but $100 postage from amazon is ridiculous.
Anyone keen to buy a couple and post them to me for a small incentive?( nevermind just found them on e-bay and ordered one with $12 postage).
Cheers Mark

 

[phoenix]

I'm glad you were able to locate one. $100 is definitely too much for an experiment!

 

[da bears]

My new bendix came in yesterday. Installed it and WOW what a difference. Better now than ever. I bought my 2013 250 EC last fall (it was a couple months old). I thought the starter sucked when I forst tested the bike but it did work (engaged circa 70% of the time) plus the GG starters are a poor design (so far anyway). Now it works like I would of expected in the first place. Nothing inexpensive about the part though. Hopefully it stays working like this.

 

[pscook]

I had my e start quit the other day. I started the bike (from cold!), shut it down, then restarted it. I then shut it off again, went to get geared up, and when I returned nothing electrical worked. The key still shuts it off, so I'll have a peek at the fuse block to see if that caused the issue. If I find anything suspicious I'll post back up.

Update: 10 Amp fuse was burned out. Why? Don't know. I pulled apart the wiring behind the number plate and re-routed some of it. It might have been the loose connection inside the ignition switch, or maybe a loose hot wire banging around. Dunno for sure. But, I now have power from the ignition switch and the E Start spins. Now just to pull the spring from the bendix and sort the historical failure mode.

 

[wence]

My fuses are good and I am still waiting on the fuse block/ solenoid.
Cheers Mark

 

[Brecht803]

I have had the connection behind the headlight come apart twice from good crashes. I could start the bike with the kick starter but not the electric starter.

 

[scratch250]

I went with a scorpion battery 6 months ago, works great so far. Not sure this is the exact one. http://www.scorpionbattery.com/powersports-batteries/motorcycle/sstz7s-fp.html

 

[BeardPI]

Not long after I got my secondhand 2012 ec300 my starter did the same thing as described in wence's first post.

After months of frustration I ended up buying a new genuine GG relay locally for $100 and after 2 rides the same thing happened again, so I bought a cheap one from ebay (which turned out to be wrong anyway) then cut open the original to find out if there was anything fixable inside.

I discovered that the enameled wire from the coil had snapped off from one of the inner terminals where they are crimped over in the factory - no solder used at all. I cleaned it up best I could and soldered it back on, then dipped the whole thing in resin in the hope that it can't vibrate around and snap off again.

In my attached picture the right terminal is my "repair" and the left is how it came - the terminal is just folded over and cuts into the wire, eventually cutting through it.

So far it has been working ok most of the time, but I have had a few occasions where I get nothing when I press the button and I think the same thing has happened again.

 

[wence]

Thanks for that info.
I will check mine too.
The new one should be here next week but I will hopefully get time to check the old one out b4 that.
Cheers MArk

 

[Biff]

2012 EC300
Starter stopped working along with no power to rear
Light
Took to dealer, who traced it to broken wire in loom

 

[wence]

My relay/solenoid went bad on the 300. The piece tested fine, but when installed on another bike it was definitely dead. They can be purchased at Amazon and places like that much cheaper than OEM. I bought a few to have some spares.

http://www.amazon.com/Starter-Solen...=1408545488&sr=1-68&keywords=starter+solenoid

Later on, the bike quit starting again (not a peep) and I tore through the wiring harness to find that a wire had broken just behind the steering stem. The wire was hard to find because it had corroded and snapped underneath the protective sheathing.

You can quickly decide if the starter itself is the problem by grounding a battery charger to the frame and then very briefly touching the hot end to the hot wire on the starter. The starter should spin a little and then you'll know the problem is elsewhere. The solenoid would be my bet just because we've had three solenoids fail on three bikes. Sometimes they're just dead and don't make a sound and sometimes they'll click but not start.

Replaced solenoid....All good, starts really good now.
Cheers Mate,
Mark