How do I know if my motorcycle starter solenoid is bad?
If you take a hard object like a hammer and tap the starter motor it will often times start up for you. If you hear some sort of strange clicking noise coming from your starter, is likely the starter solenoid going bad. Over time, this noise occurs as corrosion starts to appear.
What does a decompression solenoid do?
The Decompression Solenoid is used only during starting of the bike. The solenoid opens the exhaust valve so the bike can turn over easier. After you let go of the starter button the solenoid closes. This allows for a smaller starter and battery to save weight.
Can you bypass a motorcycle starter solenoid?
Place the metal blade of an insulated screwdriver across both metal contacts. This bypasses the solenoid and creates a direct connection between the starter motor and the ignition switch.
How do I know if my starter or starter solenoid is bad?
While it’s not very common to have a bad starter solenoid, there are common signs of a bad starter solenoid, including hearing a rapid clicking sound from the starter solenoid, continuous rotation of the starter without engine starting, the starter cannot rotate, and drive gear reverses.
Is it safe to bypass a starter solenoid?
Not a great idea. That starter and battery cable is a big wire pulling a lot of current through it. What makes you wish to do this? You are better off momentarily bypassing it with an insulated screwdriver as suggested if you just want to test or otherwise run the starter.
Can you fix a starter solenoid?
The starter solenoid turns an electric signal from the ignition key into a high-voltage signal that activates the starter motor. Replacing the starter solenoid with a new starter does not always have to be done. The solenoid lends itself to repair just like any other component, and savings can be realized by doing so.
What happens if starter solenoid goes bad?
As your starter solenoid goes bad, you might hear the clicking sound and the slight movement in the starter solenoid happening, but you won’t see a corresponding starter rotation, and thus, the engine won’t start. In this case, the culprit could be a broken solenoid connection due to erosion, breakage, or dirt.