Battery or starter solenoid?

[hypophthalmus]

My starter has sometimes sounded weird/weak, and not turning the engine on the first try. Today it mostly stopped turning the engine at all.

After charging the battery for about 5 hours, it did start the engine, but it wouldn't repeat the performance. Once it started, it did seem to be charging (13v with very light throttle).

Before charging it, the voltage read about 12.0v, 10v with the key turned to on. Now it's reading 12.3v, 10v with the key on still. I hear the click from the solenoid.

I thought for sure it was a battery problem, until I tried jumping the starter solenoid. At the moment, it's just clicking if I use the start button, but if I jump the solenoid the starter comes on strong.

Now I'm not sure what to think. I guess it could be that both are failing?

[Mr. Paul]

The battery drop-down on starting seems too much.  Its not just volts, its the amps that powers. Sounds like the battery from here.

[hypophthalmus]

Still not sure about the battery, but the solenoid is definitely bad -- it's stuck open now!

My multimeter has a battery load tester that says things are fine with the battery. I'm not sure how/if these work... should I take this as a sign that the battery is fine?

[hypophthalmus]

So I think for the moment I should assume that the battery is good, I've just been taking mostly short trips.

I've relocated the solenoid so that I can reach under with a screwdriver and jump it. And disconnected the start button, so I don't accidentally stick it open. It's crude and awkward, but it seems to work.

I'm a bit worried the connectors might fuse to the solenoid. Does anyone know what sort of connectors to get if that happens?

[MJR]

First and foremost if you do not have a good battery voltage or charging system to maintain it you could simply be wasting a bunch of time.



I often find a simple test light to be very useful in diagnosing things. https://www.harborfreight.com/circuit-tester-30779.html With a good battery and the test light you can see not only if you have power but if there is a voltage drop the test light won't shine as bright. With a good battery you could have anything from poor battery cables/connections to the solenoid and battery to a bad ground cable/connection, bad solenoid contacts, and gummed up brushes in the starter from grease in the bearings getting in there. All can be temperature affected or intermittent causing less voltage/current to turn the starter over.

[Redk]

These battery load testers work well enough, and the price is quite low.

https://www.harborfreight.com/100-amp-612v-battery-load-tester-61747.html

It is certainly Not a professional quality tool, but they serve a home mechanic well.

Batteries are among the things I won't mess with.
If one is suspect, I will replace it quickly, after checking basic connections, especially if over a couple seasons old.
redk

[hypophthalmus]

The tester I have isn't a standalone device, but a function on my multimeter (Innova 3320).

After I charged it, the voltage read 12.5, after starting it once and leaving it overnight it's reading 12.26 now. That's probably a bad sign, right?

The battery is a walmart battery, at least four years old (that's how long I've owned it). So maybe I should just replace it now anyways.

Something I appreciated about my first bike was its kickstarter.

[CROSSBOLT]

Pretty impressive DMM for 20 bucks! However, two things: first, green, red and yellow LED's are not impressive for lead acid battery state without a substantial load and second, four years is about all one can normally expect from a lead acid battery. Now, I have to qualify that battery load test feature. A dedicated battery tester puts a substantial load on a battery, about 10 amps for most brands. I suspect the Innova 3320 has something less than the "toaster wire" dummy load the dedicated testers have. Still, your morning measure of voltage is a giveaway of a shot battery.

Karl