|
SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Hey, something new happened to me /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1127418695 Message started by mornhm on 09/22/05 at 12:51:35 |
|
Title: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mornhm on 09/22/05 at 12:51:35 Bike was fine yesterday. This morning when I went to start up my Savage, I had to press the starter button a couple of times before the solenoid picked up. At lunch, the solenoid wouldn't click even when I pushed the button a couple of times. While I was contemplating what I might be doing wrong with my thumb on the button, the solenoid kicked in, the motor turned over (seemed a little slow) and started. Once it started, I had no more trouble over lunch when I ran a couple of errands starting and stopping the bike each time. The horn sounded fine when I tried it without the engine running. Seems like I could have a low battery (because the motor seemed slow but that might have been my imagination), or possibly resistive contacts on the thumb switch (or somewhere else along the path to the solenoid). The battery and switch are fairly new since the bike isn't that old (2004). About the only thing different yesterday was that I rode the bike quite a ways last night with the high beam on. I think I've ridden longer before at night, but usually with oncoming traffic I didn't have the high beam on. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I don't remember reading about much trouble with the thumb switch. Hopefully it's going to start when I go home, and I'll put it on a battery tender tonight. I haven't used the tender all summer since I've been riding daily. Thanks for your help. Kevin |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by sluggo on 09/22/05 at 13:00:00 does sound like a battery problem, check connections to see if tight. mine were loose, along with many other connections on my 04. remember this, it was assembled at the dealership by a mininum wage stoner dude, that is in most cases. :( |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by Savage_Rob on 09/22/05 at 14:00:52 I'm with Sluggo on this one... connections or battery are most likely. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mpescatori on 09/22/05 at 15:40:54 A trouble point with more or less any and all vehicles I've owned/driven is the poor connection at the negative (-) post. I don't know why, but the positive post (+) is generally very tight, but the negative is generally looser. :o Get a small chipboard screw, the kind you'd need to hang a picture to the wall. Loosen the negative (-) post a little, screw in the screw so that the threads bite into the lead/alloy post, then retighten the clamp. ::) The threads of the screw biting into the lead alloy will now ensure efficient contact no matter what. Learned this trick some 30 years ago, kept me rolling ever since. ;D Really works. Maurizio |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mornhm on 09/22/05 at 17:59:14 Thanks for all the replies. Still starting OK this evening, put it on the tender tonight and it's showing as "storage" which is supposed to mean the battery is fully charged. I have to change the oil and do maintenance this weekend anyway so I'll check the connections then. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by XxQualitySealxX on 09/23/05 at 01:44:00 Funny I had a very similar problem. I could push the start button 4-5 times and nothing... and then other times it would go on the first push. After a few days of this it really made me mad and my father showed me a trick. He said, "hold the button down BEFORE you push in the clutch, then grab the clutch with the button depressed." Works like a charm EVERY time. I thought it was strange till he told me that on certain bikes the relays are just funny like that. Hmmmph.. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by WD on 09/23/05 at 07:44:13 Yep, hit the button, then pull the lever. That's how my Savage was. My current ride, turn on the key, hit the button. No interlock on the clutch. Well, it's there, but it's bypassed. Pretty sure the sidestand switch is bypassed as well, since the bike is 6 years old and starts without any problems. Haven't been ambitious enough to check. Savage start switch tends to need cleaning. A pencil eraser does an excellent job shining up the contacts. -WD |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by slavy on 09/23/05 at 08:01:01 In my expirience with this kind of problems, the first thing to go bad on any Suzuki is the clutch switch. Now the first thing I do is to bypass it, even if it works good. The lazy way to do it is to disconnect the plug from the clutch lever and to jump it with a paper clip or just jump it from the back side of the plug while on the lever. |
|
Title: New info Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mornhm on 09/27/05 at 11:49:52 It seems that my starter thumbswitch is going bad ("is bad"). It worked ok for a couple of days, but now the intermittent problem is back. Seems as though if I rap on the switch body with my knuckles and then press the switch voila it starts. Otherwise nothing happens. (How's that for troubleshooting ;D ) Putting up the kickstand, other combinations with the clutch lever don't seem to make any difference. Anyway, I did a search, and only found one post about taking this switch apart. Who's done it? Is it worth doing, or should I just order a new switch? Is this common? This bike has been garaged every night since I got it. I ride pretty much every day. I do ride in bad weather and the bike sits outside during the day. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by Ed_L. on 09/27/05 at 15:13:01 The starter switch is not that hard to take apart, I had the one on my '02 apart when I first got it and found a spider web in it. ??? Just be carefull and don't open it up over a grass lawn, there are small springs and connectors in it that are easy to loose. Clean the contacts with 600 grit wet/dry paper or a pencil eraser. Don't know how handy you are but I remember that a third hand would of been nice when putting it back together. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mpescatori on 09/27/05 at 15:49:36 I have a half feeling that was NOT a spiderweb, that was a cocoon and the bug had already got out and flown away... ;D Anyway, the parts stores are crawling with replacement starter uttons of all shapes&sizes. My advice would be to get an enduro switch as it is assumed these are waterproof and a tougher build. Of course, it is only assumed. Maurizio |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mornhm on 09/28/05 at 05:47:34 Well there's good news and bad news. The good news is that I took the switch apart last night, and the contacts were badly pitted. I dressed them up; they're now nice and shiny and smooth and all seems fine. The bad news is that based on what I see (size - I'm guessing less than 2 sq mm of contact and construction - no wipe on the contacts) this is going to be an ongoing problem/maintenance item. I'm surprised everyone with a few hundred starts on their bike haven't had the opportunity to either dress the contacts on this switch or replace it. Dressing the contacts is not too hard to do. (However a brief search of the internet indicates that most manufacturers would recommend replacing pitted contacts rather than dressing them) This is for a 2004. Tools - phillips head screw driver, I used a #1 - something to dress the contacts with, I used a jewelers file and emery boads Parts - A small wire tie to replace the one holding the wires in place, I just reused the original, but it would have been easier to reassemble if I had cut the original off and put a new one back on after the switch was tightened into place. Two phillips head screws in the housing. Make note of the housing position if you want your throttle to be in the same position when you get done, because it does not positively position on the handle bars. Two phillips head screws holding the switch in the housing. One of these is attached to a bracket that holds the wire harness in place. Don't drop these they're hard to find. There is a spring between the contacts that is loose at this point also. The switch is soldered into place so the maintenance will have to be done on the bike unless you want to add a lot of work to the job. (If I was going to unsolder the switch, I'd just replace the switch.) The movable contact of the switch comes out of the button and is really small. (Don't drop it, it will go under the bike requiring you to get on your hands and knees and use your trouble light to find it.) Dress the contacts. (I'm not going to go into how to do this here, I'm guessing an internet search will reveal the proper technique.) Or just replace the switch if the part is available from ??? Replace the switch. Here is where things get really fiddly. There is a spring in between the contacts, the screws are really small and they fit down into the housing if you miss the hole. A magnetic screwdriver would have helped here, but I was too lazy to get off of the bike seat to go get one at this point. Put the housing back in the same location as before. I didn't mark mine, so I had to guess. This I believe could affect the throttle slightly, so I tried to put it right back where it was. 1/2 hour start to finish including the time necessary to look for my jewelers files and emery boards which my son had moved. ("Oh Dad did you check on your bench, that's the last place I used them.") A trouble light to hang on the brake lever is nice, especially when you are on your hands and knees looking for parts. No pictures sorry. I'm going to try to locate a replacement switch since this one was so badly pitted in under 6,000 miles. I'll probably replace it next time. Of course I don't know how many starts the previous owner put on the bike even though he didn't ride it, he could have been starting it. One last comment - I've always pulled the clutch lever in before pushing the button. I think that doing this in the reverse order as suggested by QualitySeal, and WD would just move the wear and tear from the thumbswitch to the clutch switch. I don't know how easy the clutch switch is to work on, but it's hard to believe it would be easier than this switch. Changing the order of closing switches would help pick up the solenoid if one of the switches is resistive, so is probably a good emergency procedure, but I'm guessing if you need to do this, the thumbswitch probably needs maintenance already, and I'm guessing the clutch switch is not any larger than the thumb switch and so will also wear out. My .02 |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by Savage_Rob on 09/28/05 at 06:27:16 I don't know if it's an option for you but I've been able to build up corroded contacts with solder and then file/sand them to the size and shape I needed. At first I considered it to be a temp fix until I found that solder sometimes resists corrosion/pitting better than the base metal used for the contacts in the first place. Just a thought. I haven't had a problem with mine yet but I may open it up soon just for a cleaning and inspection. Oh, and I think your .02 on reversing the contact seizure order is probably right on the money. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mornhm on 09/28/05 at 07:46:39 Savage_Rob Yeah, that's a thought. I'm going to find out what the cost and availability of the switch is and then what I might do is buy a replacement and then build up the contact surface on the old switch. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by mornhm on 09/28/05 at 10:25:46 Update, I can't order just the switch. The housing and all things therein contained is $113 per last years catalog. Looks like solder will be the way I go next time. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by XxQualitySealxX on 09/29/05 at 11:00:20 Just to let you know.... if you go to BikeBandit.com the prices are quite a bit less than that. About a year ago I got my switches for about $79 from them |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by Savage_Rob on 09/29/05 at 11:57:32 XxQualitySealxX wrote:
And if that's the case, RonAyers.com is usually a hair cheaper. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by SavageDude on 09/29/05 at 20:32:43 Savage_Rob wrote:
And if you live CA, don't order through BikeBandit. You have to pay tax on top of the price. Same go for anyone that live in NC, don't order through RonAyer ;) |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by Savage_Rob on 09/30/05 at 06:07:05 It's worth noting that BikeBandit.com now offers a slight discount (something between 5% and 8%, I think) to AMA members. If everything else comes out equal, that could mean some savings. |
|
Title: Re: Hey, something new happened to me Post by Digger on 11/23/05 at 21:20:13 I'd think twice about replacing the clutch switch. See: http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1123906273;start=0#0 |
|
SuzukiSavage.com » Powered by YaBB 2.2! YaBB © 2000-2007. All Rights Reserved. |