Supporting Member dazzler24 Posted February 22 Supporting Member Share Posted February 22 Thought I'd share what the inside of a burnt contact starter relay looks like. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robzilla Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Can you replace those individual burnt out contacts from a used starter relay, or does it require a whole new starter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted February 22 Supporting Member Share Posted February 22 @dazzler24 - Glad you were able to find the issue relatively quickly. 👍🏻 1 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Nice pic. don’t skimp on electrical parts. Buy OEM starter relays, the ones made overseas are junk, BTFixedT@dazzler24 . nice work -Skip 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member dazzler24 Posted February 22 Supporting Member Share Posted February 22 5 hours ago, robzilla said: Can you replace those individual burnt out contacts from a used starter relay, or does it require a whole new starter? No is the short answer. The contacts are attached to the external connections via a riveting method. I drilled them out just for an exercise really. The bottom line is that they are a sealed unit and have to be replaced complete. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member dazzler24 Posted February 22 Supporting Member Share Posted February 22 5 hours ago, betoney said: @dazzler24 - Glad you were able to find the issue relatively quickly. 👍🏻 Thanks. Not before I was convinced it was the battery and then the starter motor though. It's a good example of the need to be thorough and logical and not be drawn into a gut feeling which could have cost me a whole lot more and ultimately been a waste of time. Rely on facts only and not what it seems to be. Cheers 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member knyte Posted February 23 Supporting Member Share Posted February 23 Great troubleshooting! Sucks that it happened, but at least now you KNOW what the issue is. 2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts: Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member dazzler24 Posted February 23 Supporting Member Share Posted February 23 50 minutes ago, knyte said: Great troubleshooting! Sucks that it happened, but at least now you KNOW what the issue is. Thanks and yes, it's kind of satisfying to be 100% certain after the fog has cleared and then there's a clear path to a fix going forward. On reflection this has been on the way out for quite a while now as I've had dodgy random, but only very occasional, no response from the start switch. I should never have ignored it but at least can be thankful that it finally gave up the ghost completely while I was at home. Cheers knyte. 👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted February 23 Premium Member Share Posted February 23 I have a similar issue with my VTR. Drove me crazy! At first I thought it was a bad sidestand switch. Replaced it after testing and even jumpering around it. I then presumed it was the starter relay. The starter itself is down low in front. Poor design weather exposure wise. After 111,000+ miles I think it may be a dead spot on the armature or stator. At least it's easy to get to. Also I have NOS for all these parts including the relay and starter in my attic stock. Enough to build another bike less wheels & brakes, plus I have another fastest red 98 in the stable. Electrical gremlins are the hardest often to rectify (pun)! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member dazzler24 Posted February 24 Supporting Member Share Posted February 24 14 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said: Electrical gremlins are the hardest often to rectify (pun)! I hear you! With mechanical problems at least you can see or hear the likely offender. On that note and while I've got things under the seat pulled apart, I thought I'd check my 'add on' electrical connections that I've done over the years. Seems like I've got a leak that I wasn't aware of and would now explain why my voltage had dropped to just under 12v when this whole dance started. I normally put the bike on my smart tender soon after every ride as a matter of habit which has masked this newly discovered issue. It was only because I'd left it off for a few weeks that had me initially thinking that my battery was on the way out and subsequently looking in the wrong direction when fault finding. Which leads me to this question -Are there any switchable points (with ignition switch) under the seat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted February 24 Premium Member Share Posted February 24 Yes, tail light, front TS running light (right front side cowl), etc. As you know you Could use a relay and tap the battery for juice. I have several added circuits as well which all incorporate a relay; sometimes 2 circuits off one relay. There were so many circuits on my VTR, fed off a + & - buss bar, each with their own inline fuse and relay, it finally became so congested with spaghetti wiring, I obtained a device that incorporates I think 6 or 8 circuits with built-in fuse slots which can be selected to either be switched or battery. I can check and post whose it is, as I shopped around a fair bit before selecting the one I did. It also was the smallest, and I believe could handle up to 60 amps total. That way you need only 1 battery and ground connection and one switched input. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member dazzler24 Posted February 24 Supporting Member Share Posted February 24 Ah yes, I remember posts around those things. I'll go hunting. Thanks 2and3. It looks like my leak is my dashcam power supply. It's one that you connect directly to the battery and has an ignition sense wire (separate) that turns it on when the key is turned. I might just connect the sense and input together to a suitable source at the front. One of my AUX connectors I'm thinking. Cheers. EDIT: - Done. AUX 2 now has my Garmin GPS and my dashcam power supply (with its sense lead) connected. Current measured is around 1.5 A max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted February 24 Premium Member Share Posted February 24 The front 2 plugs I used up, 1 for my RD and the other I don't recall now. They're only 2 amps which you can push to 3 but not 5. I must have at least 10 seperate added circuits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 The Honda VFR and VTR have well documented stator/rectifier issues, and yes I hate troubleshooting electrical gremlins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted February 24 Premium Member Share Posted February 24 23 hours ago, Ride365 said: The Honda VFR and VTR have well documented stator/rectifier issues, and yes I hate troubleshooting electrical gremlins. I built my own VRR inexpensively years ago and even then I've had one go out I used a Kawasaki 600 unit my biggest problem is intermittent starting which I discussed the only other soft spot on the VTR was their cam chain tensioners which most resolved decades ago with manual cam chain tensioners The original super hawk was a 305 that's why I refer to the VTR as the vtr1f My vtrs and I have probably six extra sets of carburetors are the largest Honda put on ANYTHING WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING THE BIKE WITHOUT THE AIR BOX LID AND FILTER OUT YOU WANT TO KEEP SMALL CHILDREN AWAY BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEIR HANDS WILL GET SUCKED IN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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