| Author | Message | ||
     Hogs |
Hey Guys, Something new,In the past month or so, My bike 2004 xb12r has blown 3 or 4 starter relays, the last one tonight, Maybe one ever 2 weeks or so.... Any ideal what might be causing this, all ideals would be Greatly Appreciated..Thanks | ||
| Hogs |
Anyone??? | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I suppose no one wants to make a fool of themselves by guessing on an electrical issue on a bike they have never seen, because electrical issues are so darned elusive. As I am pretty used to making a fool out of myself already, I will take a stab at it. Perhaps once I get in the water, more knowledgeable brothers will jump in.  When a relay blows, it is not unusual to just have a bad relay. Take the one you have to any auto parts store, they are a common unit. After 3 or 4 relays, you know that already:-). But more often, there is a short circuit or other problem in the wiring, and this can be a bitch to find. One short coming of our beloved Buells is a not particularly well protected wiring loom. First thing to do is to get a shop manual, look at the wiring diagram and try to see what wires are on the starter circuit , and follow them, trying to find a short, chafed wires or blow a relay. Think back: are you doing something particular when the relay blows? If I recall correctly, my starter relay failed when I began to have charging problems which were traced to a faulty connector #77, the one from the voltage regulator to the battery that is located under the front pulley guard. Anyone else? | ||
| Hogs |
Thanks Pal, Yes, I have all Manuals,Nothing special when they blow, Just riding as always.... Get back on her sometimes and for no reason its Toast...And yes have taken the #77 apart as well as the other Reg. conecter, and took the Starter switch apart etc. there just to make sure all was right with them a week or more ago,All seemed fine there... Thanks for the input..Yeah I have heard here over the years about them blowing etc.. Someone may have found the cause Sometimes these bikes have the same faults as ya know, makes it easy to ask here and get to the route of the Problem instead of tearing/jugging at wires and pulling ones hair out Plus Being an OLD fella I don`t have much left to pull out :-).. So IF anyone else can save Me HAIR Thanks :-) | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
SAVE THE HAIR!! Everyone who has had this problem, please chime in. Or, let Chris know if you have been able to find something useful in the Knowledge Vault. OK? | ||
| Hogs |
LoL Thanks Jonathan | ||
| Hogs |
Well Not much hair left.. hope the evening crew will have some answers.. Thanks Guys...!  | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Last year I had reason to check my wiring. Under the relays there's sort of a snake pit of wires. I noticed the green wire was worn a bit so I put some electrical tape around it to keep the insulation. The green wire is the one that runs to the starter/solenoid. I've never had the fuses blow before or after. It was just something I noted as a potential problem so I'm passing it on. | ||
| Sparky |
It seems odd that the Start Relay would be blowing and not the 15A Ignition Fuse as the Fuse is in series with the Start Relay switchable contact #30. The fuse should blow to protect the relay, not the other way around. When you say the Start Relay is toast does that mean that the internal contacts burn out? And if so, then, when you press the start button again to attempt to start the engine, do you hear a click from the Start Relay? I'm wondering what would happen if you were to switch around a blown Start Relay with the good Key Switch Relay and attempt to start the engine. Would you still get the fuel pump priming noise with the Key ON and Engine Run/Stop Switch to RUN? | ||
| Jomartijr |
By blowing relays do you mean burning the contacts? If so- Shared wisdom over at apriliaforum.com is that low battery voltage results in an amp increase which burns relay contacts. There have been a lot of Aprilia Futura oem starter relays replaced which have been traced to marginal battery charge/available voltage. Just a guess and a suggestion... | ||
| Hogs |
Iamarchangel Good point thats worth checking out... Sparky...Yeah never blew a fuse , must be something going on here? When the relay packs it in, theres Nothing no Click, No fuel Pump start up either...I just install a spare as I always carry them , put it in and the way I go, maybe for a weeks driving more or less, then it fails again.... Not sure what ya mean by below...I just change out with a Good relay and I go... I'm wondering what would happen if you were to switch around a blown Start Relay with the good Key Switch Relay and attempt to start the engine. Would you still get the fuel pump priming noise with the Key ON and Engine Run/Stop Switch to RUN? Thanks for that Input appreciate all of it... Jomartijr I have checked the voltage and all is good there... Well got a few hairs left... Keep the thoughts coming in Guys..and THANKS...! | ||
| Ronmold |
On the collection of fried relays you have is there continuity on the coil terminals or is the coil open and are the contacts burned? You mentioned "no click" when they're bad. Jomarti, if Ohm's law is still valid a drop in voltage will result in less current not more current, BUT low voltage could result in a less than robust pull-in of the relay contacts causing possible resistance in the contact area which will result in heat, excessive arcing and premature failure. The fact that the starter relay engages the high-current solenoid/starter motor the voltage drops even more which can exacerbate the problem. Let me know the condition of the old relays. (Message edited by ronmold on August 30, 2009) | ||
| Sparky |
Hogs, What I meant by
is to remove the "blown" Start Relay and remove the Key Switch Relay and swap their positions. In other words, put the "blown" Start Relay in the Key Switch spot and the Key Switch Relay in the Start spot. Then try to start it, noting any differences as compared to before you removed the relays. | ||
| Ochoa0042 |
im putting my bike together right now and had the whole bike shut down when i hit the starter. i lowered the engine, saw nothing, and put it back up, and it didnt happen anymore. my guess was that there was some metal touching before causing a ground that wasnt supposed to be in the circuit, leading to shut down. maybe you have some thing similar.... (Message edited by ochoa0042 on August 31, 2009) | ||
| Jomartijr |
Ronmold, Quite right about the amps vs volts thing and I'm in error. Plus a very good point about the arcing that can occur with low voltage resulting in burned contacts. I withdraw my previous incorrect statement about voltage/amps and am not about to argue with an electrician about Ohm's Law.. |
