[ramoneslobotomy]

Ref: 1979 Honda CX500C



My starter began acting up yesterday, today the bike wont start. I am getting the dreaded 'clicking' in the starter solenoid. I pulled the starter and cleaned it thoroughly. I hooked the power up to the starter and when I hit the start button, the starter would turn. Once I put the starter back inside the engine, all I get is the solenoid clicking again. I have taken the starter in and out several times, a couple times I got a 'whirl' from the starter, however, very weak and then the solenoid started clicking again. Any ideas what is going on?



Also, when I was blowing out the starter during my initial clean-out, I found the fabric washer on the floor, not exactly sure where it came from and cannot find an exploded diagram of my starter. I really appreciate anyone's suggestions.



Dan

 

[Blindstitch]

Do you have a good charge on the battery? Other then that a lot of use of the solenoid will build up carbon on the butterfly switch that lets the power flow through. Several have said they're serviceable.

 

[lucky]

Do you have a good charge on the battery? Other then that a lot of use of the solenoid will build up carbon on the butterfly switch that lets the power flow through. Several have said they're serviceable.

they are serviceable but highly not worth the damn trouble on tearing them open because you have to be very careful with the 2 little wires they like to break on you when you try to take the top off of the solenoid.......trust me i know this from experience

 

[CXPHREAK]

Nah, I serviced mine a few days ago. Took 20 minutes from go to whoa including removal and refitting.

 

[lucky]

hmmmmm then it must of just been mine that was a problem then

 

[CXPHREAK]

You need to strip back a couple inches of the black plastic outer sheathing so you have room to slide the cap up out of the way far enough to gain easy access to the internal contacts. Carefully slide the top cap up over the wires and remove the 2 nuts that are under the main terminal nuts so these 2 contacts can be removed for filing.



The moving bridge terminal must be filed in place with a small file.



A new 'O' ring under the base nuts doesn't go astray either.

 

[Shep]

They are 30 years old-ish.I'd buy a new one,



http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_tr..._nkw=cx500+solenoid&_sacat=See-All-Categories



Don't forget to get the right type for your bike/model.



HTH

 

[CXPHREAK]

Naaah.... I'm a tightwad so I'll just keep on servicing mine....

 

[Shep]

Naaah.... I'm a tightwad so I'll just keep on servicing mine....

No harm in that especially if getting parts is hard.However having had one apart the internals were so decayed it couldn't be saved

so YMMV.



You can,if you cannot get the real one,use a car starter relay re-wired

 

[CXPHREAK]

Old pommy cars are the best for that. I've been known to use Hillman hunter solenoids on bikes some years back.

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Think circuit ( circle)

Often the positive side gets checked but the grounding gets overlooked.

the starters are known to suffer from bad grounding, Check and clean or mod.

the battery to frame cable can suffer from rot and needs to have a good clean connection

In the absense of a grounding cable, the motor has to make good connection with frame.



you can bypass the solenoid with a screwdriver across the terminals

if it spins like a good un, the solenoid or its connections are suspect

the cable from solenoid to starter has been known to fray near the terminals

lose enough cores and it wont carry the current.

bad battery connections will give you 'the click' as well

testing the starter motor off the engine while a useful indicator, can be deceptive

the power needed to spin it freely is a hell of a lot less then the power needed to

crank the engine so weaknesses may not be apparent.



While anything can and will fail eventually, most of the time

its just bad connections.

Hopefully thats all your suffering from

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Old pommy car solenoids?

why not? a solenoid is just a beefed up relay and you could mod just about

any old solenoid to work on a bike as long as it was up to the job.

I recall some old ones had buttons you could press to manually

close the contacts

 

[chicagorandy]

It sure does sound like a texbook low battery issue. Starters draw a massive amount of juice when trying to get the engine spinning. That initial load requires a well charged volt holder.

 

[CXPHREAK]

Old pommy car solenoids?

why not? a solenoid is just a beefed up relay and you could mod just about

any old solenoid to work on a bike as long as it was up to the job.

I recall some old ones had buttons you could press to manually

close the contacts

The early hunters had the rubber coated start button between the terminals, a handy thing if you were working on the car on your own.

They deleted this feature in about 1970 though.



Any solenoid from a system without a pre-engaged starter will do the job though and should theoretically be up to handling more amps than a bike one.

 

[ramoneslobotomy]

Thanks for the input everyone.



I put my battery on my trickle charger all night, I then bypassed the solenoid with a screwdriver and hit the start button. The solenoid still clicks, just louder and stronger with the battery at full charge. Does this mean that the solenoid is good or bad?

 

[bandit]

Thanks for the input everyone.



I put my battery on my trickle charger all night, I then bypassed the solenoid with a screwdriver and hit the start button. The solenoid still clicks, just louder and stronger with the battery at full charge. Does this mean that the solenoid is good or bad?

just a bit more info........

you bridged the solenoid,and it sparked good...yes?

while bridging,did your engine turn over?

you are not pressing your starter button,or are you?

edit...you should not press your button,the screwdriver bridging replaces it

 

[ramoneslobotomy]

Thanks bandit,



When I bridge the gap, there is a spark, but nothing happens, no clicking or starter noise. I bridged the gap and pushed the starter, that is when the clicking from the solenoid continued.

 

[bandit]

Thanks bandit,



When I bridge the gap, there is a spark, but nothing happens, no clicking or starter noise. I bridged the gap and pushed the starter, that is when the clicking from the solenoid continued.

your playing i think.....a spark,is that one spark,and you pull away?

be a dare devil.wear gloves if you like,attach/hold that driver against those terminals hard and keep it there,2 full seconds.forget about a few sparks,hold it tight

 

[ramoneslobotomy]

I am using an insulated screwdriver and getting a good spark when I make the connection. I held the bridge for several seconds,

 

[bandit]

I am using an insulated screwdriver and getting a good spark when I make the connection. I held the bridge for several seconds,

mmm,and nothing happens.

you say you have fully cleaned the starter....and it works

there is not much left...

earth to the starter,if in doubt,wire direct back to the battery,as a temporary check.

confirm the engine turns over ok,whip the plugs out,and spin the rear wheel in 5th gear