HBAndrew

It has been in the upper 90º here in Minnesota, to hot to work in the garage last week. jJust got back to the problem this weekend. The last test I did was to disconnect the cable from the starter and hook the positive (+) jumper to the starter and battery, and connect the negative (-) cable to the engine block. I connected the other end of the jumper to a battery and the starter attempted to turn until the engine came up to compression then it would not turn thru compression and crank the engine. I am looking for a four brush starter.

Time for a new starter! Thanks for the help with the solenoid problem.

Originally the solenoid chattered. problem solved, installed new solenoid and changed control circuit terminal end. [*]In my first post I was not clear regarding the bike cranking. It did turn over when I originally posted this but it turned over like our "hot start" situation. The bike was cold at the time. [*]Ever since I bought this bike it has always turned over very slow compared to my Kawasaki. The Venture has always appeared to "struggle" to turn thru the compression stroke. [*]New problem, after replacing the solenoid and terminal end the starter will not turn thru the compression stroke. The starter tries to turn and simply stops when the cylinder comes up on compression. starter is not turning over the engine. [*]To check the starter I connected jumper cables (+) to the starter cable on the solenoid and to the engine case (-). I then connected the cables directly to a battery. The starter still acted like the battery was dead. This electric source I used for this test was a rechargeable battery jump starter of adequate size to start a small car and it was fully charged. Gary - I followed you suggestions to a "T" I will bypass all circuitry tonight and connect a battery directly to the starter terminal (+) and to the starter housing (-). Sorry if I have confused anyone.

Using jumper cables, I connected the positive directly to the solenoid from the battery and then I connected the ground cable directly to the engine then to the battery. The starter tried to turn over but never fully cranked.

Bike is on the center stand with kickstand up and in neutral. tried to bypass everything by going directly to the cable on the solenoid and directly to ground. no joy! Looks like the starter has seen better days. At least my Kawi runs!

After removing, testing, and replacing the solenoid and replacing a couple of connectors that appeared to be corroded I got the solenoid to engage. Now it appears that I have a different and maybe related problem. The starter will not turn the engine over! It turns over just like the battery is low. I even tried a larger battery but still no crank! The ground cable going from the battery to the engine block was replaced last year so I don't think it is a bad ground. I'm thinking the starter is worn out. Are parts or a replacement starter available???

ok, I'm going to pick up an auto solenoid, jump the small terminal on the solenoid to battery negative and see if she turns over. If it still chatters I'm going to do a little MacGyver action and install the new solenoid check all wires and connections.

I never even thought of the solenoid going bad. I'll pick one up after work and give it a try. Hopefully It'll be running by tomorrow night.

I need some help! I have a 89 Royale. The starter solenoid chatters when I try to start the bike. I have replaced the battery. It is good and has good voltage (approximately 13.4 volts). I disassembled and cleaned the starter switch thinking that the contacts were dirty. That did not help. I hooked up a rechargeable battery jumper and still get a solenoid chatter. If I jump the solenoid terminals the bike cranks. What am I missing??? This has me baffled, it has to be something simple. I need some thoughts on this.