Solenoid Issue?

Duggo · 07-09-2019, 08:11 PM

After sitting for a month, with the keys out, the battery was dead. Why? It should sit for months with the keys out, especially in the summer.

I may have left the headlight on and I have twin boys, things happen mysteriously at my house.

We kicked started it and it ran fine yesterday. I charged the battery.

Today, I put the 100% battery in and now the "solenoid? see pic" is clicking and the starter won't engage.

Between the government bullshit just to ride it, and the battery dying, and now the solenoid being wrong, I'm a little pissed off. I didn't try to kickstart it, but I'm sure it will run.

What am I doing wrong?

I don't see how I could have worn out the solenoid. The bike has about 30 miles on it. Maybe it got started 30 times.

**JerryHawk250** · 07-09-2019, 08:45 PM

You said fully charged but how many volts is the battery putting out? A bad or week cell can cause these same problems.

Duggo · 07-09-2019, 09:03 PM

And I'm a dumbass.

The charger was set to 6V, rather than 12V.

So, the battery isn't fully charged.

I don't know how to check how much a battery is releasing, is there a trick?

All I can do is look at the charger meter. On 6V, it says fully charged. On 12V, it is less than half.

It will probably work just fine when it's full tomorrow.

Duggo · 07-09-2019, 09:25 PM

I'm learning all the time.

A motorcycle battery isn't supposed to be charged with a car charger?

My trickle charger is 10A. I just read that moto batteries should be charged at 7.5A max.

Is that really a deal breaker? I know I charged the battery out of the box with the same 10A car charger and it didn't burn the house down.

It's out there charging and it's pretty hot. Won't burn my hand, but it's not comfortable.

Am I retarded or do most people let it slide?

Did I ruin the battery already?

Weldangrind · 07-10-2019, 10:15 AM

Once a battery dies completely, it sulfates. That means that it may take a charge and show full voltage again, but it won't have the capacity that it once did. Buy a digital multimeter for testing voltage (along with many other troubleshooting uses); they're cheap at Harbor Freight. Once you have it, we can guide you on how to use it.
Don't plan to charge a motorcycle battery at more than about 2 amps. Slow and steady is the best way. You can pick one of those up at HF as well. Don't forget to use a coupon.

Duggo · 07-10-2019, 07:39 PM

Alright, so I trickle charged it on 2A for 24 hours. The battery is just fine.

I also learned that with the key out, you can't leave the headlight on, so I have no idea why the battery died in the first place.

The solenoid clicks loudly and obviously. Like I say, it's brand new. The bike has only been started maybe 50 times if I exaggerate wildly.

But, I guess I have to buy a new one. Who carries Storm 250 solenoids? Is this part going to take a month to get here from China?

Any idea why it would go bad other than just calling it a lemon part?

Duggo · 07-10-2019, 07:44 PM

It's called a starting relay. I've been calling it a solenoid. Oops

Duggo · 07-10-2019, 10:35 PM

I ordered it. $12.00 delivered

Hopefully I just got unlucky with that part.

Red Hawk · 07-11-2019, 09:51 AM

Just my experiences here. I've burned up more solenoids from either bad low voltage (read Bad battery) or bad cables and connections. It caused the points to arc. It's a self perpetuating problem. Replacement is the only fix. It's a high draw on small, cheap contacts.

Your battery may charge bad to full or not, just replace it if it won't hold a charge. You'll see the headlight dim at idle.

Let us know how ya make out!

OneLeggedRider · 07-11-2019, 12:08 PM

Why has no one mentioned jumping the solenoid with a screwdriver across the 2 posts? That will tell you in about 2 seconds if it's your solenoid or it's just not getting enough amps.

OneLeggedRider · 07-11-2019, 12:24 PM

Also a solenoid is an electromagnet that pulls a copper disc up to the contact points. If its clicking it usually means there isn't enough current to keep the plate pulled up after disc makes contact. So if it's just the disc or the contacts being burnt you should only hear 1 click.

bloverby · 07-14-2019, 06:42 PM

Have you tried starting it with another battery, or jump setting on the charger?

Duggo · 07-15-2019, 07:09 PM

I ordered a new starter relay from CSC.

The SR came and it matches, except the wiring harness is female and the bike harness is female.

The saga continues.

Where can I buy the correct Bashan Storm starter relay?

Duggo · 07-15-2019, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bloverby

Have you tried starting it with another battery, or jump setting on the charger?

I have connected the charger clips to each post of the relay and set it on jump start. The relay still clicks.

Duggo · 07-15-2019, 07:39 PM

The TT250 relay and the Bashan Storm relay are NOT compatible.

07-09-2019, 08:45 PM	#2
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,585	You said fully charged but how many volts is the battery putting out? A bad or week cell can cause these same problems. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S (Sold) 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	1

07-10-2019, 10:15 AM	#5
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Once a battery dies completely, it sulfates. That means that it may take a charge and show full voltage again, but it won't have the capacity that it once did. Buy a digital multimeter for testing voltage (along with many other troubleshooting uses); they're cheap at Harbor Freight. Once you have it, we can guide you on how to use it. Don't plan to charge a motorcycle battery at more than about 2 amps. Slow and steady is the best way. You can pick one of those up at HF as well. Don't forget to use a coupon. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	4

07-11-2019, 09:51 AM	#9
Red Hawk Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: NEPA Posts: 273	Just my experiences here. I've burned up more solenoids from either bad low voltage (read Bad battery) or bad cables and connections. It caused the points to arc. It's a self perpetuating problem. Replacement is the only fix. It's a high draw on small, cheap contacts. Your battery may charge bad to full or not, just replace it if it won't hold a charge. You'll see the headlight dim at idle. Let us know how ya make out! __________________ 2018 Hawk P&P Decked .040 off the head. 17/43 D.I.D. 428, NGK Iridium plug, DeCat, Wrapped pipe, Custom S.S. Muffler core, Nibbi PE30 115/35, L.E.D. Lights, Digital Cluster, USB port, Cutting Bord skid plate, Oil cooler w/ custom CRF oil filter inline, 5Wt fork oil, Rear Shock, CNC Back Rack, 30mm FAT bars, Bark Busters, ProGrips, Adjustable levers, Shinko 700’s lots of Loctite!
	1

07-09-2019, 09:03 PM	#3
Duggo Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Colorado Posts: 47	And I'm a dumbass. The charger was set to 6V, rather than 12V. So, the battery isn't fully charged. I don't know how to check how much a battery is releasing, is there a trick? All I can do is look at the charger meter. On 6V, it says fully charged. On 12V, it is less than half. It will probably work just fine when it's full tomorrow.
	0

07-09-2019, 09:25 PM	#4
Duggo Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Colorado Posts: 47	I'm learning all the time. A motorcycle battery isn't supposed to be charged with a car charger? My trickle charger is 10A. I just read that moto batteries should be charged at 7.5A max. Is that really a deal breaker? I know I charged the battery out of the box with the same 10A car charger and it didn't burn the house down. It's out there charging and it's pretty hot. Won't burn my hand, but it's not comfortable. Am I retarded or do most people let it slide? Did I ruin the battery already?
	0

07-10-2019, 07:39 PM	#6
Duggo Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Colorado Posts: 47	Alright, so I trickle charged it on 2A for 24 hours. The battery is just fine. I also learned that with the key out, you can't leave the headlight on, so I have no idea why the battery died in the first place. The solenoid clicks loudly and obviously. Like I say, it's brand new. The bike has only been started maybe 50 times if I exaggerate wildly. But, I guess I have to buy a new one. Who carries Storm 250 solenoids? Is this part going to take a month to get here from China? Any idea why it would go bad other than just calling it a lemon part?
	0

07-10-2019, 07:44 PM	#7
Duggo Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Colorado Posts: 47	It's called a starting relay. I've been calling it a solenoid. Oops
	0

07-10-2019, 10:35 PM	#8
Duggo Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Colorado Posts: 47	I ordered it. $12.00 delivered Hopefully I just got unlucky with that part.
	0

07-11-2019, 12:08 PM	#10
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	Why has no one mentioned jumping the solenoid with a screwdriver across the 2 posts? That will tell you in about 2 seconds if it's your solenoid or it's just not getting enough amps.
	3

07-11-2019, 12:24 PM	#11
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	Also a solenoid is an electromagnet that pulls a copper disc up to the contact points. If its clicking it usually means there isn't enough current to keep the plate pulled up after disc makes contact. So if it's just the disc or the contacts being burnt you should only hear 1 click.
	1

07-14-2019, 06:42 PM	#12
bloverby Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 40	Have you tried starting it with another battery, or jump setting on the charger?
	0

07-15-2019, 07:09 PM	#13
Duggo Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Colorado Posts: 47	I ordered a new starter relay from CSC. The SR came and it matches, except the wiring harness is female and the bike harness is female. The saga continues. Where can I buy the correct Bashan Storm starter relay?
	0