Is this a weak starter?

[Frankencelery]

My 225DX starts every time with the recoil, but never with the electric starter. Would someone take a listen to this quick video (you don't really need to watch) and see if you think the starter cranks too slowly? I'm tempted to order a starter, but if it's cranking normally, it probably won't help. Thanks in advance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8kkYLlpC5k&feature=youtu.be

[Ghostv2]

You know I had the same problem on my other dx and so did like 5 other people since. Do a quick search and see if you can find the threads. I'm going to bed I got work in a couple hours or id be more help. I don't remember if it was a bad Solenoid or relay or just the starter needed to be taken apart and cleaned. But this seems to be a common problem with them.

[muthey]

your starter sounds about right, but check the spark when you are cranking it, mine is really weak, and I have the same problem, my ignition coil on my stator is failing, I just changed the alternator to a good one, but the coil was damaged by debris in the oil as well. p.o. had seized the oil drain bolt and never changed the oil for about 10 yrs, I have since fixed that issue but am left with the damage. also check on the starter relay as well as they can give you problems.

[Frankencelery]

Muthey, I was just reading your posts on this. I respect your opinion on the YTM225, and you may be right, but I'm trying to think how the condition of the stator would cause different behavior if pull starting or electric starting?? If the battery was needed for the machine to run, that would make sense, because maybe the starter is pulling the voltage down, but that isn't the case, is it?

I also think that I could easily bypass all that by just connecting the starter directly to the battery with a set of auto jumper cables, and bypass the ignition switch, relay, etc. I'll go do that and find out.

UPDATE: Connected the starter directly to the battery...didn't spin any faster and didn't start. Then connected to my marine battery with same results.

[Frankencelery]

Another update...I hadn't dug into it much since the other day, but now I'm not getting it started at all. You're right again, Muthey, the spark is weak. So were you saying it's likely the stator or the ignition coil?



your starter sounds about right, but check the spark when you are cranking it, mine is really weak, and I have the same problem, my ignition coil on my stator is failing, I just changed the alternator to a good one, but the coil was damaged by debris in the oil as well. p.o. had seized the oil drain bolt and never changed the oil for about 10 yrs, I have since fixed that issue but am left with the damage. also check on the starter relay as well as they can give you problems.

[muthey]

with mine it is the stator my ignition coil is fine. mine was damage from p.o. not changing the the oil for many years as he seized the drain plug into the case and all the debris got in between the stator source coil and the magneto. It only damage part of it, and I can pull start it no problem as I believe the pull start spins the magneto fast which produces a better spark. I have played around with other yammi electric starts including my spare starter and had the same results. by no means rule out your ignition coil, but I would give your stator a good looking over. Also I appreciate your faith in me, I too have tried with a car battery direct to the starter with the same end result. I will eventually figure mine out for sure and if I do before your issue is solved I will update my findings for you.

[Frankencelery]

Back in business! I was completely focused on ignition issues, because there IS a weak spark when cranking. Instead of a fat blue spark, there's a very thin one that doesn't "fill" the electrode. So that was my focus. But enough of my justification for barking up the wrong tree. I had the spark plug out and noticed that it wasn't cranking any faster with the plug removed. That made me wonder about compression. It turns out my compression tester doesn't have an adapter that size, so I couldn't do it correctly, but I did the quick and dirty holding your finger on the spark plug hole to see if it blows off (learned this from Dirtcrasher just last week when he was fighting with his no-starting machine), and it had hardly any compression at all. Took the valve covers off and checked the gap, and there was none on the intake. The intake valve was being held open, which explains no compression! Adjusted the gap to spec and not only does it start with the pull starter but it starts with the pull starter too!

Oh, and it does wheelies again! :w00t:

What I can't figure out is how that adjustment could get tighter? I can see it loosening up over time but tighter doesn't make sense. Either way, I'm thrilled to have it back in the running fleet. I've had too many trikes down in the last couple months.

[muthey]

I am going to have to check that out on mine because I also have a weak spark with electric that doesn't fill the electrode, I check the valves quite awhile ago, but not in atleast a year and a half maybe I'll get lucky and have a similar issue. Boy would I be stoked, and if I have to I will lap my valves as well. I have most of a gasket set sitting here so no worries there, only thing missing out of it is the stater cover gasket lol. Will keep you updated on my discoveries.

[muthey]

I rechecked my valves, and what do you know my exhaust valve was too tight as well so readjusted it. now my 225 sounds like a well oiled machine, but my electric start is still the stator issue, was worth a try and that might solve most of the electric start issues for most 225 owners. so I will be going into my stator in the next few weeks and soldering in a new ignition coil to see if that takes care of my problem.

[Frankencelery]

Very cool, too bad it didn't fix yours like it did mine. Keep us posted on how the new stator works when you get to it.