Starter freaked out...

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KISSfanJoe
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Starter freaked out...

Post by KISSfanJoe »

This morning I went outside to start the Voyager, and it was 40 degrees outside. When I hit the starter button to see if my battery still had juice since it has been sitting for about two weeks in cold weather, the starter would not disengage. The bike kept turning over, even when I turned the key to the off position. Luckily I have pulled many voyager battery's, so I was quick at pulling the cover off and disconnecting the battery. The starter stopped when I pulled the cable off. Any ideas?
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Bill O
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Re: Starter freaked out...

Post by Bill O »

Starter relay arc-ed and stuck together, most likely. Happened to me once. Was working on the bike so had the tank cover off, already. A couple of raps on the starter relay and she stopped. Hasn't happened again.

Bill O
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cushman eagle
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Re: Starter freaked out...

Post by cushman eagle »

I have had that happen several times while I was working on farm equipment over the last 50 years.It is more likely to happen when the battery is low,and the coil to engage the relay does not have enough voltage to snap the contacts sharply.The contacts then tend to burn as they close.
'99 Voyager VXII,'58 Cushman Eagle
KISSfanJoe
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Re: Starter freaked out...

Post by KISSfanJoe »

Thanks guys, I hooked the battery back up and started the bike... It seemed to stick a little at first, but it is fine now. I tapped the relay and have not had any issues today! Thanks for the input! I now know what the problem is!
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ekap1200
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Re: Starter freaked out...

Post by ekap1200 »

KISSfanJoe wrote:Thanks guys, I hooked the battery back up and started the bike... It seemed to stick a little at first, but it is fine now. I tapped the relay and have not had any issues today! Thanks for the input! I now know what the problem is!
One suggestion is to buy a ( smart Charger ) it will have a setting for
type of battery under charge ie. ( standard ) ( AGM ) AND ( GEL ) It also has an option for viewing charging voltage and Percentage of charge. A fair price is at or about 80 US dollars. Loren is correct in the low voltage issue . A starter is seen as a dead short by the battery, until the magnetic field is established and begins to work... The plates in the relay are usually coated with a very thin coating of silver, once arced will never be at their best condition. The disk is free to rotate from the burned spot but may at some time rear its ugly head and stick again at some unexpected time. Plus the heat that the windings received during the time it took to remove the battery cable , have taken some life out of their insulation.
"Its not bad if you don't know something, but when you don't know you don't know; That's when your in trouble". Joe Place 1912-2008 (my grandfather)
Krilitolxc
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Re: Starter freaked out...

Post by Krilitolxc »

I followed you for a long time You answer the questions very label
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