elec start

[rob0781]

on a elec start bike if i put it on the run position and hit the start button nothin,bring it by the car and hook up cables and hit start and it fires up....so my battery is toast ???or is it something else?

[rob0781]

also my light is dim till i rev it is that the works of a dead battery or have i got another issue?

[Yamahauler]

I would say you need a new battery. You can check the voltage in your battery with a multi meter.
If you want a new battery, take your old one to John Deere, they have them. Other place would probly have them too.
It's normal fopr your lights to get brighter when you rev it up, I have a new battery on my yamahauler and it still does it.

[rob0781]

ok i got a multi meter right here what numbers should be good?also what setting on dc should it be on?

[Yamahauler]

I think it should be around 12-14 Volts

You'll want to set the multimeter to 12V or something like that.
I'd imagine it should have a 12v position on there somewhere

[rob0781]

nope for dc settings theres 200m,2000k,20,200,500 so i'm assuming 20 would be proper selection..

[Yamahauler]

you'll have to ask someone else, sorry, on mine there is a seeting that says 12V. Thats what I use

[Yamahauler]

http://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/showthread.php?t=31615&highlight=multimeter+setting
this thread might help

[rob0781]

thanks for the link

[rob0781]

ok i got it all figured out,my battery read 6.5v just to be sure i tried it on my car and got 12.7,so i know it's on the right setting...


Now to try and get all my parts on my $100 budget,i need a new plug,new grips,front tire which i found a shop with used tires $20 a peice tax in hope they got my size....... and i need a pull cord and rope mine has one from a sled right now and is to big and bulky,hopefully it'll be just backup start once i buy a battery..

[rob0781]

ok now i can't get no start from the elec start just the pull cord......what could it be the starter???my friend said ground the car battery on the frame and hook the positive to the starter would that tell me if the starter works or not???

[rob0781]

Ok i think i figured it out maybe i need an answer before i trey what i think,i have a red and green light on my headlight,neither work,can i clip the wires and wire them together to get the elec start to work,or is that not my problem,if i could find my clymers i'd be set...

[kando]

You said you boosted your battery with car and 3 wheeler started. You tested battery, it read 6.5 volts. Now you say it won't start. Boost 3 wheeler again, and remove booster cables. Check charging system with meter on pos side and neg side of battery. With bike running it should read around 13.5 volts. If it does read this charging system is good and you need new battery. But #11 post says it won't start? Is that with new battery or just boosting it with car battery, or nothing at all please clarify.

[Oldshell4481]

i have the same problem, last year my elec start worked great, i think i let my battery freeze on accident which ruined mine. it will jump as you said, and it holds a charge for a day at the most when i charge it, and my fluid levels are good, so now i just have to find a new battery, that would be your best bet.

[rob0781]

You said you boosted your battery with car and 3 wheeler started. You tested battery, it read 6.5 volts. Now you say it won't start. Boost 3 wheeler again, and remove booster cables. Check charging system with meter on pos side and neg side of battery. With bike running it should read around 13.5 volts. If it does read this charging system is good and you need new battery. But #11 post says it won't start? Is that with new battery or just boosting it with car battery, or nothing at all please clarify.
it started off a boost once days ago now my solenoid don't even click...

[jeswinehart]

check the fuse. i have heard messing around with eletricals like unhooking wires and plugging the back in with the power on or trike running is VERY hard on the c.d.i. box. they are kinda exspensive so i just wanted to pass that info along .

john

[kando]

Is that by boosting it ? If not you need a battery .

[rob0781]

well it started once on a boost now it won't start on a boost ,i can't even get a click when i hit the start button it only starts on the pull..

[bigredhead]

Is you battery supposed to be 12 V ? ( labels on it ? )

I"m pretty sure all ATV's use the 12 v system.. a fully charged Lead Acid Battery should read 13.x volts.. any less than 11 v and it's considered dead so if you show 6.5 .. unless you are on a 6 v system means your batter if def shot.

Careful with the car battery.... alot of Amps in that sucker, it works, but don't push the motor too hard or for very long ( 3 second shots.. and let it cool ).

LIke said above... check the wires going from the bike to the battery.. set the meter on V DC and it should read 13 to 14 v... if it jumps alot higher when you hit the gas there might be a problem with a regulator letting too much voltage to the battery and frying it .

[faf_racing]

sounds like what i went threw changed battery solved problem, you can go too auto store and in battery section buy the acid in the bottle and pour it in if your battery if ithas the openings that would be the cheapest way too go. Also you can burn your wiring up by jumping a atv (6vlt) system with a car (12volt) !

[rob0781]

well i'm pretty sure it's a 12volt stystem,but i know the battery is dead but i don't think thats my main problem,cause it should start off of a boost,i hook the boost up and then hit the start button and it doesn't even make a click,my neighbors battery is dead and when he hits his start button it goes CLICK CLICK i don't even get that...

[ClayW]

Ok Bro. First tip I can give you is to be carefull jumping the bike with a car/car battery. I have seen and harness get smoked by doing that on a bike. Ok. So it wont click at all. Try this. Take a small wire and hook it to the positive post of what ever your going to jump it with. Turn the key on on the bike. Take that wire and touch the Yellow wire with the red strip thats on TOP of the solenoid. Its the small wire not the Big wires. I think there is a green and a yellow. Carfully touch the yellow/redstripe wire with the wire straight from your good battery. If everything is good, including the solenoid as soon as contact is made it should start turning over and start. My 87 BR has some kinda phantom starting issue every few months. I actually just leave a hot wire wired to the positive post of my battery. I have it all taped up with electrical tape. Once every blue moon I will go to crank it, and the neutral light will fade away and I might get one click. After that, Nothing. Battery is fine though. So I unwrap that wire, touch it to the yellow wire, and bam she lives. It wont do it for quite some time. I dont know what that issue is, but try that on yours. Be aware, it will turn over even with the key off when you do this. It bypasses a lot of the wireing and kill swithch etc. If that works and then it stops working again, trace your wires back to the battery. There may be a short, skinned place or corroded wire thats causing the voltage to drop from point A to point B. It could be a short. I mean you batery is dead. Hope this helps. :beer

[400ccHomemade]

This exact same thing happened to my bike. I thought it was the battery too, but it wasn't. Long story short, it was the starter switch. By switch, I don't mean the actual push button switch you push to start it. Look at you're battery. There should be a large wire that goes to a little box lookin thing, and a large wire going from the little box right to you're starter. And there should be 2 little wires going from the little box, up to the starter button that you push to start it. When mine would only start by jumping it, I tried shorting the 2 big wires together, and it fired right up. What happens is, when you push the starter button, it puts power to the starter switch, and the starter switch basically shorts the 2 big wires together, giving power to the starter. What happens is, the starter switch gets old and "tired". I looked up the new starter switch, and it was like 70 bucks. I just eliminated the stock starter button and switch, and just bought a high amperage push button switch from Radio Shack for like $2. Been working perfectly ever since. This may not be you're problem, but I think it may be, and it's easy to check.

[kando]

Check to see if you got power at starter when clicking it. If not trace it back or too starter. If you do have power, check out starter.

[ClayW]

Yeah, the wire Im talking about is just before the starter. The starter is the next thing down the line. Have you painted your motor? I have seen paint cause a bad ground to surface on the starter. I had to take mine off and rough the aluminum up where the two dog ears mount to the motor and on the starter its self.

[Oldshell4481]

probably fried your started hooking it up to a car. all that amperage running through that system is not meant to be handled by an atv. ive always jumped from another atv and had no problems. right now i just use my pull start, (im to cheap to buy a new battery). and it aint bad at all with the compression release.

[bigredhead]

Also check for FUSES.....

using the car battery would have popped the fuse before burning anything up.. as long as you have one in the circuit.

A multimeter is your best friend here !!!

I do beleive it's ok to use a car battery, but only in short bursts and wait between zaps... should only be done for troubleshooting purposes IMHO.... once you know it works.. get the right battery.

[rob0781]

yeah the car wasn't running,the problem was figured out finally....bad battery+bad solenoid=no electric start ...nothing was burnt up and the fuse is still good,i'm gonna see about finding a used solenoid,would a solenoid off a 250 bigred 0r 200 bigred work on a 225yamaha?Just wondering if i can get somethin universal i'm scared to call yamaha to hear the price..