Lost Electrical System - 99 Triumph Adventurer
- Thread starter Ithel
- Start date
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As old as this motorcycle is it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the relays are starting to go out. Could try cleaning and checking the contact at the relay. Don’t know if a poor contact would do the same as @atomsplitter noted.
Do you have to pull the clutch in to start the bike?
I guess that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. Have to borrow the inlaws car to get to work. *shame*
No, but I've tried with and without it pulled in.
OK. Your neutral light is lit? You can jumper the starter motor from the battery directly with a jumper cable. Attach the red side or black side lead to the positive terminal of your battery and the same single lead to the starter terminal, bypassing all the safety stuff in between. If the starter motor turns over and the ignition is on, the bike should start (this is not a solution, it's a field test).
Alright, I did a jumper from the battery positive terminal to the starter terminal, turned the ignition on and pressed the starter button with the same result. Nothing. No sound, no clicking. No noticeable dimming of the headlight.
Mind you, though, all I have is car jumper cables, and the one end wouldn't fit into the tight space to reach the starter terminal, so I had it clamped to a wire that I ran to that terminal. I'll ask a friend if they have a smaller jumper so I can give this a proper try.
I did notice green corrosion where the starter relay plugs in, so I'll clean that in the meantime and see what happens.
Again, thanks for the help. Electricity might as well be magic, my knowledge is so poor on it.
Mind you, though, all I have is car jumper cables, and the one end wouldn't fit into the tight space to reach the starter terminal, so I had it clamped to a wire that I ran to that terminal. I'll ask a friend if they have a smaller jumper so I can give this a proper try.
I did notice green corrosion where the starter relay plugs in, so I'll clean that in the meantime and see what happens.
Again, thanks for the help. Electricity might as well be magic, my knowledge is so poor on it.
Here's the thing. You didn't make contact between the positive terminal and the starter terminal with your jumper. If you had actually connected to the positive of the battery and then touched the opposite end to the starter terminal, ignition on or off the starter would still have spun the motor. The only reason I suggested you turn the ignition on is to see; 1) neutral light lit, and 2) if the ignition and fuel systems were working.
What I was wanting to find out was, when using a jumper the starter turned the motor over. The ignition switch can be left off and the starter will turn the motor when jumpered to the bike's battery positive terminal, it completes the circuit to ground thru the motor. Refer to the electrical drawing I provided in post #20 and you'll see the battery red wire (positive +) goes to the starter motor thru the starter relay. The way the relay works is a magnet inside it draws a bar up and connects two contacts (one battery side, one starter side) so the battery + to the starter terminal circuit is complete. The battery black wire to ground (somewhere on the frame) is how the complete circuit is made since the starter case is grounded. That triangle of lines in the drawing from the motor and the battery means "GROUND." So with jumper installed, the electron flow from the battery back to the battery goes thru the starter motor, no ignition switch needed.
View: https://youtu.be/i2tv_r7tbbc
What I was wanting to find out was, when using a jumper the starter turned the motor over. The ignition switch can be left off and the starter will turn the motor when jumpered to the bike's battery positive terminal, it completes the circuit to ground thru the motor. Refer to the electrical drawing I provided in post #20 and you'll see the battery red wire (positive +) goes to the starter motor thru the starter relay. The way the relay works is a magnet inside it draws a bar up and connects two contacts (one battery side, one starter side) so the battery + to the starter terminal circuit is complete. The battery black wire to ground (somewhere on the frame) is how the complete circuit is made since the starter case is grounded. That triangle of lines in the drawing from the motor and the battery means "GROUND." So with jumper installed, the electron flow from the battery back to the battery goes thru the starter motor, no ignition switch needed.
View: https://youtu.be/i2tv_r7tbbc
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If you make that connection and the starter doesn't spin it's one of two possibilities: either the starter is toast OR the battery's ground is insufficient. Curious what you find.
scratch that, I thought of a non braind-dead way to jump it (thin wrench in end of jumper cable, which I could poke in to the starter, and it immediately started up the engine. It's running atm
So thanks you to atomsplitter, I know it's not the starter. so what's my next step? heh
So thanks you to atomsplitter, I know it's not the starter. so what's my next step? heh
Great. Rule out the starter as the problem. So next in line is the relay. Clean the relay connection points and try a different relay. Referring to my #20 post drawing you'll see the relay has two parts. If the low voltage side doesn't work it won't energize the magnet to close the circuit to the starter,
As a precaution, you can replace all the relays.
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Well I have to thank you. It seems to have been the female side of where the solenoid plugs in....quite green. I cleaned that with contact cleaner and a frayed copper wire, let it sit while we had supper, went back out and boom, all works as it should. Really appreciate the help. Guess it's time to do another premium membership for awhile, heh.
Great!
Those corrosion connections really mess up electrical systems. I had a similar issue with the green crud on my car battery terminals. I try to check them regularly, but somehow there was more there than it could tolerate and my car wouldn’t start. Battery checked fine and nothing else out of place. I noticed a bit green around the positive terminal. I had to remove the whole connector from the cables and clean the wires themselves. Reconnected and the car started right up. There’s some electrical connection grease that I usually apply, but it had been wiped off when it had been in for AC service. I put that grease on other electrical connections as well. The critical ones at least. Helps keep the green at bay a bit. You might want to keep an eye on the relay connections a bit and perhaps use some grease or electrical connector type spray. Hopefully you got it cleaned and neutralized. Electrical issues can be a real pain and these minor ones tend to pop up in older systems.
Glad you got it sorted out and no real investment of money to fix. Since you do get the bike in the weather corrosion will be an ongoing issue, so keep contact cleaner on hand and be aggressive with your routine maintenance and it will keep you on the road for many more years.
Dielectric grease in as many connections as possible.
