Starter relay?

[MacLean]

Basically when I go to start the bike, if i push the starter - I get one single click from under the seat near the battery and it won't turn over.

If I try it a few times, it will click each time i press the starter then just magically turn over after a few goes and start perfectly.

It then seems to be fine and will be able to be turned off and started fine, but if i leave it a few hours it goes back to clicking for the first 5 - 10 attempts and then works again.

It is not btw that brrrrrrrrrr kinda click you get with a low charge battery, its just one single snappy click for each press of the starter button.

My snooping around the net suggest it may be starter relay which is apparantly a common fault on the r6, does any one here have any ideas?

[davefly76]

Certainly sounds like a relay issue. It could also be a sticky starter motor but if the relay is a common issue on that model I'd stick a new one on just for the sake of it.

[Matt Strange]

Check all your battery/starter connections and chassis ground i.e. the other end of the battery negative cable. Make sure they are as clean as you can get them & tight.

You can use a jumper wire from the battery + to the starer terminal, bypassing the relay. Or remove the relay and send 12v down the correct pin to the stater.

A quick way to bypass the chassis ground is to connect a jump lead from battery - to a ground point on the bike.

[Stu]

As above really

First thing to do is check the wiring it's free!

[acting_strange]

As above really

First thing to do is check the wiring it's free!

 

and for a semi Yorkshireman....thats really important....

[Stu]

i would be surprised if you could get a semi

[acting_strange]

i would be surprised if you could get a semi

 

Is that an agist comment?......I'll bet it is....below the belt and all that...

[Tango]

Hopefully just the relay......but could also be the starter motor.......

Check the connections on the relay itself.......I had to replace the relay on the Sprint as one of the terminals was a bit loose and it cooked the relay.....

[MacLean]

Check all your battery/starter connections and chassis ground i.e. the other end of the battery negative cable. Make sure they are as clean as you can get them & tight.

You can use a jumper wire from the battery + to the starer terminal, bypassing the relay. Or remove the relay and send 12v down the correct pin to the stater.

A quick way to bypass the chassis ground is to connect a jump lead from battery - to a ground point on the bike.

 

I'm 'realy' (will get my coat) sorry to pester - but I don't quite understand the point of the relay if bypassing it does the job? Any links to a good for dummies explanation? The ones i looked at still don't make sense to me for some reason.

Took battery off gave it a full charge and gave it all a scrub and tightened it up. First press of starter I get a click that is deffo the starter relay, second press I got turn over and bike started fine.

Dont want to jump any wires or any of that till i understand it better

[Stu]

by passing is for testing purposes to rule things out

[MacLean]

This is an image of what seems identical to my starter relay

http://www472.pair.com/exalt/09r6_(162).JPG

If I was to turn bike key to on, then take a jump lead and connect the big bolt terminals, should the starter engage and I'm then bypassing the relay?

If I get a reliable crank of the engine doing this, then I can then point finger at the relay being cause of fault?

[eastanglianbiker]

ys you can use anything to put across the 2 big terminals either a jump lead or 2 large screwdrivers,what ever you use there will be lots of sparking as you touch both sides but if the engine then spins over fine you know its the relay at fault

[Matt Strange]

The starter relay servers a couple of functions.

1. It allows the shortest possible length of wire from battery to starter, critical in ensuring maximum voltage is supplied.

2. It saves having to run a chunky great wire to the switch on the handlebars & having to use a switch beefy enough to

switch the stater on/off.

Bypassing something(and getting a successful result) is a means of confirming that whatever being bypased is faulty, as Stu has pointed out.

[MacLean]

Cheers for help guys,

I didn't realise the relay is just a switch at first. I was thinking in terms for example if you bypassed a processor in a computer - it wont work. I though that the relay done something more than just make a connection so was just a bit confused till I realised its just a switch that can by bypassed.

Matt, last question.. promise... What did you mean in your first post about bypassing chassis ground by connecting - terminal to a ground point on the bike. I don't understand that?

Everything else makes perfect sense now. Thanks for the help

Will hopefully diagnose the relay tonight.

Cheers

[Matt Strange]

It's a very fast way of making a good earth connection for the battery.

If the bike suddenly turns over properly with this in place, you have a bad battery earth & it needs cleaning - this is a very common fault that prevents stater operation.

P.S. Yes, relays are just an electronic switch - very handy for numerous reasons. I have one controlling my heated grips & 12v socket, this means I can supply both with a decent electrical supply (without tapping in to a separate circuit and possibly overloading it) and also have them denied power as soon as the ignition is switched off.

[MacLean]

It's a very fast way of making a good earth connection for the battery.

If the bike suddenly turns over properly with this in place, you have a bad battery earth & it needs cleaning - this is a very common fault that prevents stater operation.

P.S. Yes, relays are just an electronic switch - very handy for numerous reasons. I have one controlling my heated grips & 12v socket, this means I can supply both with a decent electrical supply (without tapping in to a separate circuit and possibly overloading it) and also have them denied power as soon as the ignition is switched off.

 

Cheers am with you now. Sound like you know what your doing with electrics?

I have a set of heated grips on my bike that came on it when bought - however I took off the extra terminal from the battery negative terminal to disconnect them as I had suspicions they were draining my battery and obviously don't need em in summer. I think they may be pinching voltage from another circuit or something like you say.

BTW bypassing the relay starts engine perfect every time and yes it was a bit sparky.

Ordered another relay off ebay for 15quid - hopefully problem solved!

[Matt Strange]

Cheers am with you now. Sound like you know what your doing with electrics?

 

I should hope so considering I'm a qualified M.V. technician . I much prefer electrical to mechanical stuff, for instance I absolutely hate diagnosing unwanted noises from components like suspension etc. I don't work in the motor trade F.T. now mind, I part own a small building firm.

However, a lack of experience of working on a certain model or not having the relevant documentation i.e. a workshop manual or wiring diagram can make things difficult.

Some components on a bike are common to all, but there still is the issue of different wiring colours etc that can make things tricky. Alarm/immobiliser systems spring to mind!.

Good to hear the bypass did the trick, what did the connections look like? Hopefully you haven't got a break in the wiring or a loose/dirty connector that is causing the issue rather than the switch itself?

Edited July 25, 2013 by Matt Strange

[Matt Strange]

I have a set of heated grips on my bike that came on it when bought - however I took off the extra terminal from the battery negative terminal to disconnect them as I had suspicions they were draining my battery and obviously don't need em in summer. I think they may be pinching voltage from another circuit or something like you say.

What you want to do is measure the current draw with the grips connected. what you need to do is disconnect the black battery- lead and hook up a multimeter (set to amps) between the connector on the black battery- lead and the actual battery- post - basically fit the MM inline. You should have a very low reading, even with an alarm fitted it should be less than 0.05A or 50ma. You may have to wait a minute or two to allow the bike to settle, some circuits might be 'alive' if you disturb them like an alarm system settling into standby mode which may give a high reading until settled.

O.K. it's a (very good) car video but it does still apply to bikes:

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[MacLean]

I should hope so considering I'm a qualified M.V. technician .

 

Haha yeh I thought you sounded like you've done a bit more than just the odd bit of tinkering with electrics.

I guess you like something to really sink your teeth into. I can imagine electric faults really get the cogs in your head turning.

 

Good to hear the bypass did the trick, what did the connections look like?

 

Do you mean the two chunky connection on the relay? Err looked okay to me. It all looks in reasonable nick to me. Not particularly corroded or anything.

Cheers for tips re the grips - will check that vid out tonight.

[MacLean]

Encase anyone digs this up in future with simillar symptoms - a new relay fixed the problem