R80/7 Starter Problem

fatbaldbob

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1978 R80: was running fine and started instantly on the button, now push the button and I get a click, checked battery it was a little down but should have turned it over. Tried jumping it off a starter pack, just got a click. Recharged the battery fully and tried again, this time the starter clatters but is clearly not turning the engine. Tried bump starting it just to make sure every thing is free and turning, it still would not start but the engine is free and turning. Recharged battery again and still just getting a clatter from the starter but not turning the engine.

So am i looking at a new starter here or is something potentially seized? There was no sign of failure beforehand, no noises or difficulty starting.
Starter seems ok as it turns but does not appear to engage the engine.

Any suggestions on they way ahead with this or other methods to test the starter before i resort to removing it?
 
Very old school. Give starter a clatter and see if it starts. Doesn’t explain why it wouldn’t start with a push. There is a multi plug under the tank which could be the source of your problems. Something similar happened to my r100/7 and a bypass of the plug sorted it. Check for a spark. Also check that the engine kill switch isn’t off. I forgot if that’s possible on those. JJH
 
Take the starter cover off and check the connections to the starter and the solenoid. It may repay your time to.remove it altogether to check it over and clean it up. Plenty of how to stuff on the web.
 
First click should be he relay, so kill witch and starter button are OK. T
Then as already suggested all the battery and earth connections need to be checked.
Then it is the solenoid , which you can check by running a jumper lead to the live terminal.
There is also the possibility that one of the battery leads has corroded internally, might still have continuity for a tester but just dies under load.
Rare, but it does happen.Check by bypassing with jumper leads.
I have had AGM batteries fail the same way, work perfectly one day, still have good resting volts but just die under load without warning.
Dealers can do a load test, and Ebay is awash with small, cheap devices like the Topdon Antibattery 101 which claim to do the same thing, mine seems to work OK!
 
Agree with all the above, but just a thought. Has the starter been replaced anytime in the past? With a Valeo brand unit? Quite common for certain model year productions to shed their magnets.
 
Not aware if starter has been replaced in the past as i've not had it out yet to look at what type it is. Interestingly I checked the cables today and all seems tight at the battery and earth strap to the block, battery was fully charged overnight pushed the start button and no clatter this time but a wirring sound, so i'm guess the starter is goosed, its like it spinning but not actually connected to anything. This only lasted a few seconds then it was back to a click. I'll have to pull it apart and take out for a look see and go from there.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice so far.:thumby:
 
Solenoid is most likely, but I have had a loose connection on the battery lead at the solenoid give the same symptoms, last guy on the BM forum had internally corrosion in one lead and the only way of testing a battery is with a load test of some sort - at 12.6 resting volts some batteries are scrap!
 
Sorted

So having got to the starter and checking it and all the wiring through, all was ok; so back to the battery. The battery took a full charge but failed the drop test, the minute it was placed under load it discharged, hence the clicking and whirring as insufficient power to turn the starter, yet put a volt meter on and it read 12v. So new battery purchased and installed and all is good again. I was a bit disappointed as it was a motobatt that was in it and had probably not been used for more that 2k miles or so, although it was over the course of a couple of years, guess I should leave it on a battery tender. Strange though that all is good one day and the next you get nothing with no warnings in between. Guess I should really use the bike more and that would help.
 
The AGM batteries I have had fail the same way were Oddesys, so it seems that this type of failure isn't restricted to Motobatts.
Both failed around a year old, one still under warranty and replaced no quibble , the second just over a year, so I got my two years out of them.
I read somewhere that a badly discharged AGM needs a boost of amps, 10/20 or whatever amps from a industrial grade charger, to recover it from a deep discharge, but if correct it is hard to find on their website!
 
The AGM batteries I have had fail the same way were Oddesys, so it seems that this type of failure isn't restricted to Motobatts.
Both failed around a year old, one still under warranty and replaced no quibble , the second just over a year, so I got my two years out of them.
I read somewhere that a badly discharged AGM needs a boost of amps, 10/20 or whatever amps from a industrial grade charger, to recover it from a deep discharge, but if correct it is hard to find on their website!

I have used a fair few motobatts on specials that have had the battery bought months prior to actual commissioning.
I have a big, snap on tools boost charger ,which has never failed to successfully recover and charge the battery.
On bikes that get infrequent use it would be good practice to fully charge the batt then disconnect it.
 


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