Another k100 starter problem

[hhshort]

85K100's are not new to me but this one is. It has an assortment of electical problems but we will start with this one. On occation it will crank a turn or two and stop like it was compression locked. ( no grinding sound) Let up on the button and try again and it will crank and start or if you hold the button down it will crank and start.
DATA. 1, New fully charged big wesco battery. all visable connections cleaned.
2, I cleaned the starter. has been cleaned before because it had a buggered up thru bolt. It wasn't very bad but seems to crank better.
3. voltage drop on the neg side is .4 to .5 volts and the voltage drop on the pos. side is .7 to .8 volts. Havn't been able to catch it misbehaving because the DVOM just goes nuts. I am going to jury rig an analog meter to my handle bars and ride it.

It would be great is some ones experience would save me some time ond frustration. Harold Short. PS is there a spellcheck in this thing?

[Motor31]

Sounds like the starter relay is bad. Do you have access to one you could swap it out and try it?

No spell check here. Try writing your post on a word processor then just cut and paste it to the bbs. It works for me.

[cjack]

Sounds like the starter relay is bad. Do you have access to one you could swap it out and try it?

No spell check here. Try writing your post on a word processor then just cut and paste it to the bbs. It works for me.

If you have a Google task bar thingy on your browser, it has a spell check. Very handy.

[hhshort]

As a matter of fact I have an other K100rt sitting in the corner. But it would be almost worth the $70 to not have to lift the tank on it. I also need to do an ice cream run to get the fuel level down to where it isn't a problem..

This isn't the usual way starter relays fail. has anyone had one fail this way? Harold Short

[Kayseventyfive]

If you have a Google task bar thingy on your browser, it has a spell check. Very handy.

If you don't want to install the Google taskbar, www.iespell.com (http://www.iespell.com) is good. You just right click after typing and it checks and offers correction suggestions.

[CustomSarge]

My "betters" have conditioned me to submission (literally).

In your case, I'll except: Check the voltage differences from battery to each starter terminal AS STARTER is ACTIVE. A static resistive of ~.4 ohms could Easily manifest as several volts lost at starter, at demand currents of 50-70 amps.

This is on each side of the starter: starter + terminal to battery / starter case to battery negative. Any significant voltage drop across the battery, at the battery, indicates weak source, any significant voltage drop on Either feed indicates wiring/contactors.

You seem to have a quality contactor in your present starter relay, therefore not the problem.

The VOM going bonkers is a clue that a connection is going "ohmic": high current causes connection resistance change.

--- an easy check...

For a bad starter :: brushes/armature. Get a car jumper cable & go directly from the battery + > starter terminal.

Do this again on the starter ground > battery - terminal.

Spin big/fast, it's wiring/contactors;
Stumble & gargle, take the starter out & go through it.

P.M. me on the considerations of alternative relay designs.
Good Hunting ... Goin'Dark<<<)))

[DBFtwofast]

My 85 K100RS has 185,689 miles on it and everytime I have had a problem with the electrical system it was always traced back to the battery. Except once when the alternator finally called it quits at 165,000. I have learned not to use aftermarket batteries I had two fail on me back to back. The electroics on the K bikes are pretty bullet proof.

[hhshort]

Review the behavior... It is intermittent. The starter will ocasionally make one or two revolutions and stall. If the starter button is not released it will resume cranking and start. The ususal reflex is to let up and push it again and it will start. Now I have a volt meter measuring battery voltage plugged into the assesory outlet and tied to the handle bars. and I am watching the Battery voltage every time I start it.

It appears that the voltage goes up when it misbehaves. That would indicate as, Sarge was saying, I have an intermittent "open " or "High resistense" component in the circuit. The Neg side has been replaced with a larger wire. My plan now is to wire the voltmeter to measure voltage drop to a segment of the starter circuit and go riding and repeat till I find the culpirt.

I'm still hoping someone else has had this happen to them. Thanks for listening. Harold Short. I have never meet an elecrtcal problem I havn't been able to solve but sometimes I had to wait for the smoke..HS

[cjack]

When you said you cleaned the starter, you cleaned the brushes and commutator? Were the brush lengths adequate?

[hhshort]

Good Question!! The Haynes specs say that they should be replaced at 1/4 inch and they were maybe 3/8 inch or 1/2 wornout. I know that my 100k mile Kbike has less brush then that and cranks very well. But if the voltage drops show me nothing then that is about the only thing that I can fix short of a different starter. thanks Harold Short