My 2001 900ss ie has a starting problem. The relay pulls in every time I press the starter but it sometimes takes as many as a dozen goes before the starter motor turns over. I have checked the terminals from the solenoid to the starter motor, which were a bit cruddy at the motor end but are now fine, any ideas?

-Don't waste time to mesh with it. Just replace new one or take to rebuild.


Good luck


Mai Lor

too many possibilities. IE: fuel pump relay, ignition relay, Coils, wiring failure, bad starter, fuel pump, fuel filter. The list goes on and on. A local GM experienced mechanic can eliminate most of these within minutes with an inspection.

Not guessing as to what the problem is , testing for voltage drop problems with a volt meter . posted a video on youtube yesterday . If your still looking for guesses forget it , no one on here could say for sure without testing the circuit an hooking up a scan tool to see if PCM is energizing the relay . Do yourself a favor an take it to a qualified repair shop . Fuel Pump Electrical Circuits Description and Operation If you can't learn how to test from this guy , better take to a repair shop .

It sounds like a bad relay or solenoid on the starter. Look on the end of the starter and you'll see a single small wire plugged onto the end of the starter. Pull this wire off and connect a test light or volt meter to the wire. Turn the ignition switch on and press the button. The test light should light up or a meter should show battery voltage every time you press the button. Press the button a dozen or so times. If the light does NOT light up or no voltage, replace the relay that is clicking when you press the button. If the test light DOES light up or you do see voltage, it's the solenoid on the starter. If you don't have a test light or meter, simply replace the relay that you feel clicking and try that. I hate to tell people to "parts swap" as that's not being a mechanic but I'm pretty sure that you just want to get the bike back going as quickly as possible. It's up to you if you want to gamble and simply replace the relay.

Good Luck
Steve

The 1991 mitsubishi did not have fancy anti theft just a starter imbolizercheck the battery make sure it can crank and the light can you light turn on and does the horn work? If you want to defeat it you will need a toothpick this is only if it is the starter relay at fault take the key out of the ignition put in neutral someone in the car to step on the brake just in case you do this in gear and it runs you over. Find the starter relay it in thhe engine fuse box location take the cover off the relay and expose the switch put it back in its socket collapse the relay and it should crank the starter now if this is a stick have the helper step on the clutch it should crank, now have them put the key on collapse the starter relay key on stpe on the slutch the car should start warm it up and turn it off get that tooth pick make the relay collapse start the car

Most bikes are built with this setup....
the positive battery post has 2 cables....one goes directly to one side of the starter solenoid relay, the other goes to the main fuse for the bike. With the key on, when you press the starter button it completes the circuit for the relay coil, which closes the heavy contacts of the solenoid and puts power to the starter motor.
This design allows the starter button to be constructed with smaller wires as they only operate the coil, not carry all the heavy current to spin the starter.
It sounds like your starter solenoid contacts are stuck closed so power is getting through at all times.
Sometimes with battery unhooked you can tap the solenoid and free the contacts....and it may work, however its probably time to replace the starter solenoid relay.

You don't say what does happen when you press the start button. If it just clicks, then the starter relay/solenoid is bad or dirty. If there is no noise at all, then the starter button may not be making contact, or power is not getting to the button, check those wires. I have a Honda that sometimes get bugs behind the button and it doesn't make contact. If the engine is turning over but not starting, then you need to check for spark and gas getting to the cylinders. Take out a spark plug, or take a spare one, insert it into the spark plug wire end, and lay it against the engine block as you press the starter. If you see a spark in the base of the plug, then that is okay. You can usually smell the fuel if it is getting to the cylinder okay, because it will flood if you keep trying to start and it doesn't, check for fuel leaks in your lines, though. If no fuel is getting there, then check your filter and fuel lines for leaks. You could also have bad fuel, it gets that way over time if not used.

The wiring is simple for a starter. You have a starter solenoid on the bike and a starter relay. When you press the button to start your bike, the button has a wire that runs to the relay. This triggers the coil in the relay and pulls the contacts in. You have three wires that run to the relay for the starter. One hot wire, a trigger wire from the starter button and a wire from the relay to the solenoid. When you press the button, the relay pulls in and makes the wire going to the solenoid "Hot".

The solenoid has three wires going to it. The large battery cable goes to the "long post" of the solenoid, There's another battery cable going to the starter from the bottom of the solenoid, The wire from the starter relay goes to the small terminal of the solenoid. The small wire from the starter relay is the trigger wire for the starter solenoid. When this wire goes hot, it magnetizes the solenoid and pulls the plunger inward. The plunger bridges two large contacts in the solenoid to put high current voltage to the starter.

If you need a schematic, contact me directly at [email protected]. I cannot send a file via this medium but I can direct e-mail. Remind me of what you need when you contact me.

Good Luck
Steve

If your bike isn't doing anything, it sounds like you may have something wired up incorrectly. Didn't I send you a wiring schematic for that bike off forum?

Anyway, to start off trouble shooting the problem, take a test light and touch the small terminal on the end of the starter solenoid. When you press the start button, you should have power there. If so, you have something wrong with your starter solenoid.

If you do not have any voltage at this point, you may have a problem with the starter relay. The relay should be a round relay with three terminal connections on it as well. When you turn the switch on, the large terninal with the two red wires on it should have voltage on it. Now, there are two other wires that go on the relay and both are black. When you press the start button, one of the black wires should have voltage on it. This wire should go to the small terminal on the relay. The other black wires runs from the remaining large terminal on the starter relay to the small terminal on the starter solenoid.

When you press the start button, the black wire running to the small terminal on the starter relay goes "hot" and energizes the relay. When the relay closes, the large terminal with the black wire on it goes "hot" sending voltage to the small terminal on the starter solenoid. This energizes the solenoid and pulls in the starter motor.

On the starter solenoid, there are two large terminals. The longer terminal is where the large battery cable connects. The shorter large terminal is where the cable that runs to the starter connects.

Check all of this and let me know what you find and we'll go from there.

Steve

First, make sure that the gas mixture is correct (gas and oil mixed in the right proportion). Next, press the primer bulb 3-4 times, turn the choke lever on to Full Choke, and pull the starter cord until the engine seems like to wants to start, but dies. Next, switch the choke lever to Half Choke and start the gas trimmer, giving it gas by pulling on the trigger. Once it has warmed up fully, you may be able to reduce the Half Choke to No Choke, although my 20+ years of experience with dozens and dozens of models tells me that many trimmers run better, although smoking slightly, when you keep them at Half Choke. One last tip, when pulling the cord, try pushing the trimmer away from you with the opposite hand at the exact same time that you are pulling the starter cord--the equal and opposite push-pull technique may sound like something from karate (and it is, in a way), but it is really helpful when trying to start trimmers. Best of luck, Bill

PS: Check you owner's manual (at home or online) for the proper gas/oil mixture. Empty any old gas out and replace the spark plug, if required.