Bandit 400 will not start.

[slavia631]

Hi,

I just put the engine back in my bike temporarily, and when I went to try and start it up, I noticed that the starter seemed to be rather sluggish.  It would turn over at a slower rate than usual, almost as it would if the battery were low (even though it was fully charged).  At first I thought something might be wrong with the engine i.e. I tightened the cam chain tensioner too much or torqued the cam journal holders too tightly...  But after a few minutes of cranking it over, the starter eventually stopped working.  Now, when I press the starter button I just hear a single loud-ish click (like "TACK") from the starter relay behind the battery, and nothing else happens.  The lights and other electronics come on just fine, though the lights do dim whenever I press the starter button and cause my 'click'.

The only thing that I can think of that might have caused a problem here is that while I was re-attaching all the wires after putting the engine back in I accidentally shorted between the two bolts on top of the starter relay.  It caused a fairly big spark.  This was prior to trying to start the bike and finding out about the starting problem.  Could I have buggered my starter relay?

If not, then what might be my problem, and how should I go about fixing it?  

[pmackie]

Does the engine turn over freely by hand? I concerned about your "tight" engine description.

Next, make sure your battery is really, for sure, in good condition. Maybe get it load tested.

If this all checks out, I would look at the starter next. If your hearing a loud tack when engaging the starter, then the solenoid/relay is likely doing its job, but the starter is not turning over the engine.

[slavia631]

Thanks for the reply!  What do you mean, "by hand"?  I have not tried to bump-start it yet (it is raining today), but is this what you are referring to? 

I tightened the cam journal holders to spec, so they should be fine.  I left the cam chain tensioner at the same adjustment as it was when it came off the bike; though when I put it back on, the thing was really tight and difficult to screw on the last few bolt turns.  What can I do with the tensioner to make sure it is in correct adjustment? 

I just bought a new battery for good measure.  The one I had is the one that came with the bike, and I really have no idea what condition it is in.  I did notice that it may have been leaking a little liquid at the seam, but I'm not sure....

 

[slavia631]

Tried to jump-start from a car with cables...didn't work.

Removed the starter.  Both the starter and the flywheel looked fine, and seemed to spin freely.  There was some white creamy goo around the area where the flywheel is.

Disassembled the starter.  Sooty inside, but all contacts seemed clean enough.  Wiped them down anyway.  Reassembled and reattached...no difference. 


So...what gives?  Any ideas what all this means, and/or where to go next?  It seems like the only thing I haven't tried is a new starter relay/solenoid.  Again, could it be possible that I fried it when I accidentally created a short between the two bolts attached to it?

[pmackie]

What do you mean, "by hand"?

Remove the left engine cover and turn the engine itself with a wrench on the end of the crankshaft. It should turn pretty easily, especially if you remove the spark plugs. Make sure you can turn it 2 full turns (720 degrees) without any significant resistance.

[slavia631]

CAm chain tensioner was too tight.  I had failed to realize that it must be "sprung" as you install it.  All good now!

[Chris H]

Good to hear that its finally finished, altho you learn so much when you go the whole 9 yards. I recently rebuilt a B4 motor and after 1 week it was stuck in second gear, on removing the sump i found that the little wheel that sits in the gear star had broken and guess what, its the first thing you fit/last thing you remove from the motor and so i had to drop the motor and completely rebuild it with a new gear position arm.D'oh!