Starter's trying to run away with the bike...

[StormRaven]

Got a new issue with my Venture today. Well, I guess it's been a week in the making or so. This past week just after one of the many rains when I tried to start her up first thing in the morning, the starter became intermittent. I'd hit the starter button and the headlight and dash lights would turn off as well as I'd hear the audible click of the relay every time. First thought: Did I hit a dead-spot in the starter I just installed last year (replaced a dragging 2-brush with a 4-brush that I got from Skydoc)? Then the starter woke up and did not have any of the telltale drag of a burned brush that the previous starter had. It was at that point I decided I was going to clean and re-secure contacts this weekend as a first step. It did the same one other day that week, wasting the 10 minute lead time I had that morning with trying to get the starter to catch.

 

Fast forward to today where I cleaned the contacts (found the retaining bolt on the ground screw was loose) and tightened down the bolts. Went up, turned on all the switches, had her up on the center stand, clicked the starter once, and then that thing decided that it was going to power the bike from then on. I hit the stop switch, turned off the key, pulled what I thought was the main fuse (upon closer inspection of the wiring traces... it wasn't) and nothing would stop that thing from trying to crank the engine. I seriously think it'd try to power the venture down the driveway if I let it. Well, the only way I could get the starter to die was pulling the negative lead off the battery terminal. For now, I've left it this way as what was going to be a single 5 minute job inevitably turned into another 3 hour round of hunt the gremlin; a game I have too many other projects to have time for... Before I let it get that far, I'm hoping that one of y'all would have a critical piece of insight that would save me a ton of time:

 

I'd like to know, where are the starter relay and/or solenoid mounted so I can go straight to them and verify if they are burned out or otherwise damaged. Or, there's the other possibility that I am completely barking up the wrong tree with this path of attack and the gentle guidance of my more experienced betters would be greatly appreciated before I put time into yet another project that will be a herring marked with red.

[mralex714]

Starter solenoid is mounted to the left side of the battery tray.

[Prairiehammer]

Starter "solenoid" would my first culprit.

[Marcarl]

Common issue, or maybe not so common if you haven't had the pleasure yet.

It's the starter button getting stuck!!!! Contact cleaner for a quick fix, or just take it apart, clean and lube it, and away you go. Don't use dialectic grease.

[Flyinfool]

Solenoid is not to hard to get to.

 

Find the solenoid and put a finger on it to see if you can feel it click with the start button. There is more than one relay that clicks with the start button and you could be hearing that.

 

Next time it does not want to crank, jumper the 2 big wires on the solenoid. If it does not crank it is a starter motor problem.

If it does crank then try connecting a jumper from the small wire on the solenoid to battery negative. If you can hear and feel the solenoid clicking but it does not crank, bad solenoid. If connecting that ground wire the solenoid does not click, bad solenoid.

 

It is also possible for the solenoid contacts to be burnt and operating intermittently.

 

There are more possibilities but this is the easy stuff to try first.

[Marcarl]

Solenoid is not to hard to get to.

 

Find the solenoid and put a finger on it to see if you can feel it click with the start button. There is more than one relay that clicks with the start button and you could be hearing that.

 

Next time it does not want to crank, jumper the 2 big wires on the solenoid. If it does not crank it is a starter motor problem.

If it does crank then try connecting a jumper from the small wire on the solenoid to battery negative. If you can hear and feel the solenoid clicking but it does not crank, bad solenoid. If connecting that ground wire the solenoid does not click, bad solenoid.

 

It is also possible for the solenoid contacts to be burnt and operating intermittently.

 

There are more possibilities but this is the easy stuff to try first.

Keep in mind though, that if the starter switch is stuck, the solenoid will stay in the on position and not click anyways.

[Flyinfool]

That why I said the next time it wont crank.

 

Doesn't the kill switch disable the starter circuit?? Or will the kill switch just kill the ignition but still let you crank?

[Flyinfool]

If it is still cranking all the time.

 

Disconnect the small wire from the solenoid. reconnect the neg battery cable. If it cranks, bad solenoid. If that stops it, reconnect the small wire to the solenoid, if it starts cranking again, problem somewhere in low power side of starting circuit.

[Marcarl]

Doesn't the kill switch disable the starter circuit?? Or will the kill switch just kill the ignition but still let you crank?

Kill switch is a separate circuit from the start circuit.

[MiCarl]

If it's cranking with the key off it won't be the switch. Stuck solenoid is the likely culprit.

[GAWildKat]

I need help, I went looking for a solenoid today, called the stealer and they want $83 for it after my discount. That's a bit steep for me, so went to boats.net and they can't find it by model or VIN, does anyone have a direct link to a proper replacement somewhere? Let me know please and thank you.

 

Tis Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

[Prairiehammer]

I need help, I went looking for a solenoid today, called the stealer and they want $83 for it after my discount. That's a bit steep for me, so went to boats.net and they can't find it by model or VIN, does anyone have a direct link to a proper replacement somewhere? Let me know please and thank you.

 

Tis Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

 

At boats.net the proper part number is 36Y-81940-00-00, $67.68.

Alternately, check on eBay for any 1986-1993 Venture 'starter relay'. In fact the same part is used on many other Yamaha models; FJ1100, Maxim, Virago, VMax, etc. Plug the part number into an eBay search and get 45 hits, starting at $11 for new.