GS500e 97 will not start = (

[Iron-Man]

Hey guys,

I haven't posted on here for a good while but I remember how helpful everyone was.

I'm have a problem with my GS500e. It will not start simply.

at first I thought it was the starter relay solenoid as this was not even making the click sound but I managed to get a new one and the same thing is happening except I now do hear a click when I put the key in and turn it.

I tested the kill switch and starter switch with a continuity tester and they test Ok.

I just can't figure it out and have looked all over the forum but can't work it out.

Can anyone please help?

KC

[conoral11]

When was the last time you had her running?

Have you checked the battery, have you checked the lights, horn, brake lights work?

Conoral11

[Iron-Man]

I did mean to put that I had checked the battery, lights, indicators and horn.
All work fine.
No dimming.

Oh an she was running last very early Feb.

KC

[DoD#i]

Strip the rear plastics off so you have access to the start relay. Get the bike ready to start (neutral, choke, key on, etc.)

Short the relay terminals with a wrench or screwdriver (this is not something you want to do on a car. On a bike, you won't weld the wrench in place - on a car, you might.)

If it still does not start or at least turn over, you have things to check. Unclean connections in the path both to (+12) and from (ground) the starter is the most likely if the battery really is good. A battery you only think is good is another common one. If it does start or at least turn over, you have other things to check, the first of which is the clutch switch.

[bill14224]

Strip the rear plastics off so you have access to the start relay. Get the bike ready to start (neutral, choke, key on, etc.)

Short the relay terminals with a wrench or screwdriver (this is not something you want to do on a car. On a bike, you won't weld the wrench in place - on a car, you might.)

If it still does not start or at least turn over, you have things to check. Unclean connections in the path both to (+12) and from (ground) the starter is the most likely if the battery really is good. A battery you only think is good is another common one. If it does start or at least turn over, you have other things to check, the first of which is the clutch switch.

Good advice here.  It's hard to help people who give descriptions of their problems that lack clarity.  I'm surmising his bike won't crank over.  I'm betting on an old battery that holds voltage but can't deliver significant current anymore because its internal resistance has risen to the point where needed current to the starter is choked-off.

[Iron-Man]

DoD#i, I did actually try a screw driver across the two terminals on starter relay but was very worried I might weld it to the relay so only let it turn for maybe 5seconds.
I suppose the main point there is that it does actually turn.

I did have a look at the clutch switch though when I got the bike I had never noticed a connection to that switch so the previous owner/s must have disabled this. I've never had to hold in the clutch to start the bike unless I knew it was in gear.

I'm going to go give the screw driver starter relay 'trick' a try and see if I can get it ticking over. I'll let you know what happens.

Would also like to say thanks for the help and views so far, I apologise for the lack of clarity as well. Had a lot on at the moment with a close family member passing so i'm trying to get the bike sorted to try and take my mind off things. Again, thanks. = )

KC

[Iron-Man]

Ok, so I managed to get the bike to start after putting a screwdriver across the two terminals on the starter relay. I did notice though after eventually taking the choke completely off it starter to slowly died. I kept it running for between 5 and 10mins and then turned it off and tried on the starter switch again but no luck at all.

Anymore help on this would be very very appreciated.

KC

[DoD#i]

Sounds like you might have multiple things going on - start issues are just start issues - when I had clutch switch troubles I started and rode the bike by shorting the relay to start it, so anything to do with "slowly dying" after it starts is a different issue. If the bike runs, there is power to at least the junction where the kill switch and starter switch connect (orange/white). That leaves very few parts in the starting path, all connected with yellow-green wire.

Starter is a fairly simple system to troubleshoot - tedious, but not difficult.

Pop the headlight open. Find the yellow-green wires that have single-wire barrel connectors. Two go or went to the clutch switch. Two others are from the starter switch and to the start relay - if I interpret the diagram correctly, the male connector is the one going to the relay (the pair going to/from the clutch switch should be obvious - it's two yellow-green wires in a single jacket, while the other two are from the rest of the wiring harness.)

If you apply power (+12V) to the yellow-green wire that leads to the start relay (bike in neutral and on centerstand, please) the starter spins if the start relay is good. If it does not, either the relay is bad or the wire is bad (or we return to bad battery, but probably not in your case.)

If you get +12V (when the key is on and you push the start button) from the other yellow green wire in the harness, the starter switch works. If you suspect side-stand issues, put the bike on the center stand and raise the sidestand - a good idea in any case - but it won't run with side-stand issues, generally, since that interrupts power to the kill switch. While you really should get at least a cheap multimeter, you can check for 12V by unplugging the black wire to one of the front turn signals, plugging it into the starter switch wire, and seeing if it lights up when you push the start button.

If you plug the two yellow-greens in the harness together (leaving clutch switch out of system) the engine should crank when the start button is pushed if the tests above worked.

My clutch switch was dysfunctional, but connected into the system, and I was able to start the bike for several months - then it failed to start one day. Turned out the wires to the clutch switch had been crushed by the steering stop and were usually (but not always) shorted together. You simply have to check stuff and make no assumptions about what you haven't verified personally. I'm making some assumptions myself, such as the wiring not being wildly different (I seem to recall you get a few things we don't, such as a high-beam flash switch, and you actually have a "sidelight" connected to the brown wire, but I'm guessing you don't get positive ground (earth) systems...?

Lack of clarity not so bad, really, in the spectrum of what we see. It's just that when trying to sort this stuff via a message board, it's not as easy to check all the stuff we'd check in person, and it is, for instance, common to see a long confusing exchange where the owner in trouble swears the battery is good 6 times and then replaces it to find all problems solved - but that would not seem likely in your case, since the screwdriver got it to crank over - though you do need to stay on top of charging it when you're between debugging sessions, as idling does not really charge the battery on these bikes.

[Iron-Man]

Thank you very much for the extensive post.

Me and my father just went over the wiring on the bike to check the resistance in just about every wire on the bike. We have been unable to find a break down anywhere but it still won't start on the switch.

I'm just as confused as before. Any other ideas possibly?

[DoD#i]

Please actually run the tests I mentioned, looking at voltage in specific places, and applying voltage to specific places. Report results. Simply checking wire resistances tells you a lot less about what the system is doing (and takes longer...)