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Starter clicks, lights dim, battery has 12v

25K views 169 replies 22 participants last post by  Cheshire_Cat 
#1 ·
A few weeks ago I bought an '83 Shadow VT750. The guy started the bike several times while I was there and a buddy rode it to my house. Since then I haven't been able to get it started. The previous owner said the battery was low and I would need to charge it, but even after charging it and verifying that it has 12v with a multimeter, the engine still doesn't turn over. When I push the button the starter just clicks, and the lights dim.
 
#4 ·
Well... 11.75 volts is low. A brand-spanking new lead-acid battery might show 13.2 volts when fully charged. Numbers in between are acceptable depending on internal construction and age of the battery plus the temperature when voltage is checked. Here's a not so handy table that shows what the numbers readings indicate. Note that the table is built around having the battery disconnected from the bike.

In any case, a battery that delivers only 12 volts at 80° when "fully charged" is nearing end of life. Even more reason to have it load tested.
 
#8 ·
Use a multimeter and see if you are getting enough volts to the starter in the first place.
If it's clicking, you are either not getting enough juice to the solenoid, or it is sticking.
 
#10 ·
Hmmm!

Thinking on this one...

After several attempts to crank it, check wires and connections for warm/hot spots...
This MAY reveal where the loose/dirty connection is located/it MAY not...

LLLL bring it over, I`ll help you sort it out,
Dennis
 
#12 ·
I went back and re-read your first post and see it's and older bike. If all your connections on the battery and solenoid are clean and it's still a no-go, clean and check the engine ground cable connections. They can get corroded with age and fail.
 
#14 ·
I have a far fetched question here= Could the engine be siezed up?
Can you push the bike in gear and let out the clutch like trying to push start and will the engine turn over?
I hope it not that but you never know.
Does it have enough oil in it?
 
#18 ·
Anything is possible, but it started up and ran just fine when I brought it home just a few weeks ago. It seems to have enough oil in it.

You can diagnose the starter by connecting 12VDC to it directly from the battery...
HOWEVER Make sure it is in NeUtRaL ==> And switched off ==> with the Kill Switch in OFF !!!!
I had thought of this, but the hard part is getting to the connector on the starter.

Try jumping it with a 12v car battery with the car's engine off. If the bike starts then it's time for a new battery.;)
Yeah, I tried this as well. No difference with or without the car battery (which is brand new).
 
#15 ·
You can diagnose the starter by connecting 12VDC to it directly from the battery...
HOWEVER Make sure it is in NeUtRaL ==> And switched off ==> with the Kill Switch in OFF !!!!


LLLL Bring it over, I`ll show you what I know,
Dennis
 
#19 ·
Just tried putting power directly to the starter. It makes the same click sound as when I press the starter button.
It does sound like maybe something is jamming so that the motor can't turn. The previous owner did mention that he had recently replaced the starter clutch. Could he have installed it wrong so that it's jamming now? (I'm still pretty new to how a lot of the stuff on a bike works).
 
#20 ·
Maybe he was referring to the starter solenoid or he tried rebuilding it. Since you've already confirmed that the battery is not the issue and the starter switch is working from your descriptions and cables connections are all clean and tight....I'd say the starter assy is bad. You could either have it rebuilt or go out and buy a new one. It all depends upon parts availability to have it rebuilt vs buying new.
 
#22 ·
If you know the engine can turn over try this. Connect the good battery to the starter as you did before and tap with a hammer on the starter case near the main starter cable. As the brushes wear down the carbon dust builds up so bad it can interfere with the brushes contacting the commmutator. And if any water has gotten in there is adds to the problem. The jarring may cause the brushes to contact again and spin the starter. Then you know you need to rebuild it.
 
#23 ·
Connect the good battery to the starter as you did before and tap with a hammer on the starter case near the main starter cable. As the brushes wear down the carbon dust builds up so bad it can interfere with the brushes contacting the commmutator. And if any water has gotten in there is adds to the problem. The jarring may cause the brushes to contact again and spin the starter. Then you know you need to rebuild it.
Good advice. Often the "clicking" sound is the solenoid engaging even though the starter doesn't spin. Most likely reason a starter won't spin with adequate volts & amperage is brush problems. (A shorted commutator is always possible but unlikely.) I have this issue with my lawn tractor. I use a rubber mallet instead of a hammer. It's been about 4 years now. I have new brushes already. Someday soon...
 
#24 ·
******* FIXES work!!!
I use a LARGE screwdriver handle to "tap" mine...
Might try "tapping" both solenoid and starter, they both have contacts within which needs a "Bump" to make connection...
:D
 
#26 ·
Tried tapping the starter. Still no go. I tried push starting it, but it didn't seem like the motor would turn. I might not have had enough momentum though.

I'm thinking I should pull the starter and see if I can spot something out of place. How hard is the starter to remove?
 
#27 ·
Take the plugs out and try to turn the engine in gear again. Use 4th or 5th gear, and it should move, not that hard by pushing a few feet . If it is solid there is a real problem inside and not the starter. If coolant comes out when you pull the plugs there it is !
 
#28 ·
So I tried pushing it in 4th or 5th, but I noticed something troubling. The bike seems to only go into 1st and Neutral. If I pull up from Neutral it doesn't click and the light only goes out for as long as I still have pressure underneath the lever. As soon as I remove pressure, the Neutral light goes back on. It seems like something is keeping it from going into 2nd.
 
#33 ·
Put the bike into a gear (NOT neutral) and rock it forward as far as you can. Then backwards. Then try to get it into second.

Second, btw, is the gear you should be using for a push start unless you've got a really long and steep hill. In 4th or 5th you might need to get the bike going as fast as 35 MPH before it would start.

Batteries these days give no warnings, they just go bad lol. bottom line is the load test. It can show decent voltage all day long, which only tells you all the cells are good.
That's not at all true for a lead-acid (including AGM) battery. The issue is that most folks have no idea how to read the telltale clues.

And a load test tells you a LOT more than the condition of the cells -- it tells you the condition of the entire internal structure including all the welds. Since it's a pass/fail test it doesn't tell you a lot but it does tell you everything you need to know as a user of the battery. (Only a rebuilder would need to know more.)

The battery tested good after a load test, but I tried jumping it with a good car battery anyway, and it still just clicks.
You could hook up a DC power plant and likely get the very same result. The issue is not the power source. You established that when you had the battery load tested. The issue is the power draw. You need to focus on the starter. The service manual describes a series of tests that are easy to conduct with the starter removed, beginning with measuring the length of the brushes. (Too short = throw them out.)

If the lights did not dim (indicating a high current draw) then I'd be suspecting the starter gears more than starter internals but I don't know a lot about how the '83 VT750 is configured. Starter internals have been about the same for (maybe?) 75 years.
 
#30 ·
If the starter clutch was worked on it is possible that the shift linkage is a problem now. Not sure if it could get into 2 gears at the same time but that would explain the lock up condition. I would keep trying to get it shifted in and out of all the gears and go from there. Have someone sit on the bike and rock it as you try to shift it.
You could take out the starter too to test it with a battery.
 
#34 ·
If you take two bolts and the starter cable and pry the starter over to the right it will be out of there and you can battery test it on your car battery. It should spin fast and free.
If it works fine then you have engine problems to worry about and get the starter issue out of the way.
 
#35 · (Edited)
I believe you can accomplish the same just by using an external 12 volt battery source and apply it directly to the starter posts. If the OP still hears clicking then the starter solenoid could be the problem. Just my opinion from working on cars. I don't know if you would hear a starter clicking if the engine was seized.
 
#36 ·
I think he tried to jump it already and I keep thinking the engine is seized. The starter runs on 3 gears to get the starter clutch to spin, so the play in those gears may allow a click noise if the starter is OK but the engine won't move. Just a feeling I have about this problem.
 
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