Out of excuses on non-starting V11

[badmotogoozer]

Check your side stand switch too and its connectors - they have a propensity for collecting crud just because of where they are. It can also be bypassed to check.

 

Rj

[Guest Gary Cheek]

Check your side stand switch too and its connectors - they have a propensity for collecting crud just because of where they are. It can also be bypassed to check.

 

Rj

 

First place to look is the last place worked on. Still go over the connections. A bad crimp etc. can cause much mescheif. The starter solenoid should be checked for voltage at the coil terminal. If the voltage is present, try applying voltage directly to the starter solenoid coil terminal.

[Guest KeS]

Check your side stand switch too and its connectors - they have a propensity for collecting crud just because of where they are. It can also be bypassed to check.

 

Rj

 

But I thought the sidestand switch couldn't cause these symptoms - intermittent no crank with clutch in, stand up or down??

 

KeS

[badmotogoozer]

But I thought the sidestand switch couldn't cause these symptoms - intermittent no crank with clutch in, stand up or down??

 

KeS

 

You are correct - just realized this myself... sidestand switch would cause it to stall when put in gear if it failed.

 

No other ideas I'm afraid

[Guest KeS]

You are correct - just realized this myself... sidestand switch would cause it to stall when put in gear if it failed.

 

No other ideas I'm afraid

 

That's ok, I've got some things to work on now. Thanks!

 

KeS

[bento]

Heh, this happened to me a couple years ago. It's amazing where the parts of a wasp, hit at highway speeds, will wind up. Like inside the clutch switch(upon which it impacted). I keep putting duck tape over it, and my mechanic keeps taking it off.

[Guest KeS]

Ok, updated diagnostic info:

 

I took the bike out again today at lunch, to somewhere at the top of a hill (just in case!). Bike started fine on the trip there. Came out after 45 minutes or so - no start again. This time I was able to observe some things:

 

I think all my switchgear is ok. If I'm in gear with clutch in, the lights blank when I press the starter (though no click and no start). The lights out is normal for my bike, I assume it's a headlight cutout to get more juice to the starter. If I leave the clutch out, the lights don't blank, indicating to me that the clutch switch is working as designed and not allowing the start button to operate. If I'm in neutral the lights blank with the clutch in or out.

 

So this seems to tell me that the starter button, clutch switch, and neutral switch must be ok - they're doing what they're supposed to do whether the bike starts or not, right?

 

After about ten presses, including the above tests, the starter engaged, cranked strongly, and the bike fired right up again.

 

So, should I be looking at battery (still, although I've never seen a battery problem that gets *worse* after running the bike or gets better after multiple start attempts), or something with the starter itself - starter solenoid?

 

To refresh, the symptom is that the lights blank, but there's no starter "click". When it decides to start, the starter engages immediately, bike cranks strongly, and fires immediately (immediately for a Guzzi, anyway!). Once started, bike runs fine, no cutouts, dim headlight, or other obvious charging or ignition problems.

 

KeS

[Guest Gary Cheek]

Try energizing the solenoid coil directly from 12 volts when the problem occurs. You can pre-wire a jumper . You may well have a starter or solenoid issue ore a bad connection at the starter cable.

[docc]

What's your battery voltage?

 

What kind of relays do you have in place?

[Guest KeS]

What's your battery voltage?

 

What kind of relays do you have in place?

 

See thread for all details.

 

KeS

[callison]

It's beginning to sound like the starter solenoid. My Ural does the same thing, but it's an RPOC (Russian Piece Of Crap) whereas the Valeo is obviously a FPOC. Do an eBay smart search for "valeo guzzi" and you'll typically find entire starters (expensive, but a whole cheaper than dealer) and tune-up kits.

[Guest KeS]

It's beginning to sound like the starter solenoid. My Ural does the same thing, but it's an RPOC (Russian Piece Of Crap) whereas the Valeo is obviously a FPOC. Do an eBay smart search for "valeo guzzi" and you'll typically find entire starters (expensive, but a whole cheaper than dealer) and tune-up kits.

 

Roger that - off to locate starter on bike tomorrow PT (post turkey).

 

KeS

[Bruce Reader]

I had these symptoms once. Tried a lot of things including relays, fuses, starter motor. Eventually double checked the fuses- None of the fuses had blown but one of the blue 15 amp fuses was cracked (the inner metal).

 

You could 'open' the crack in the inner fuse metal by pushing/pulling the two exposed metal parts of the fuse and they would return on releasing. Most of the time the fuse was working. Sometimes it would not- replace the fuses- see if it helps.

 

ps. the fuse had not fused from current problems- it was defective

 

Regards

 

Bruce

[docc]

See thread for all details.

 

KeS

 

Sorry, I remember now . . . back in post #2 I thought your battery voltage seemed a bit low at 12.33. The ECU is pretty sensitive to voltage. Have you tried bringing the battery up to a full 12.7 and see if it will stay there?

[windchill]

Mine does it ALL the time!! If you don't hear the fuel pump "initiate" itself when you turn the ignition on, it has to be the relay.

 

I have found that this is the ONLY circumstance when the fuel pump won't "initiate" or whirr. Yes, I have also replaced perfectly good relays, but find that wiggling the one for the fuel pump (rearmost on my bike) usually gets a connection, so aim to take out the "block" they all sit in sometime and tighten the terminals. Tested off the bike, the realy is fine, in it, it is intermittent: to such an extent that I remove the seat in resadiness for wiggling almost every time i stop!