No Starter Action

[retcol]

Howdy from south Texas, 86 and clear here today. I'm a new member and just bought a 1993 FJ1200 with 15K miles and had been sitting up for 6 years, with no gas in it fortunately. Of course, the battery was toast so I couldn't try out any of the electricals when I bought it. I put a new, fully charged battery in her today to see if all the electricals  worked. All the lights works great, headlight, tail light, stop light, signal lights, instrument panel lights, etc., but here is my problem. In neutral and on the side stand, when I hit the starter button, nothing happens. I checked the run/kill switch and it is in the run position. I checked the all the fuses and they are all good. I just don't know much about this bike, so what am I missing? Any suggestions on what to check next? Could there be grounding wires someplace that are corroded or another fuse someplace I don't know about? I don't have a service manual, but I certainly plan on getting one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Harry (retcol) from Boerne, Texas

[FJmonkey]

Does anything happen when you press to start? Headlamp go out, dash lights change, fuel pump ticking when you turn the key to power up?

[ZOA NOM]

Push start? If that works, you've eliminated all but the starter circuit.

[balky1]

Under the seat you have a starter solenoid and a fuse near it in a small box (if it is same like on my 1985). I had a wire broken at the solenoid and the same problem like you. That fuse is also worth checking. After you try to push start it maybe....

[Pat Conlon]

Good call Balky....starter solenoid issue  .... My bet is a bad ground connection on the engine case.

[ZOA NOM]

I'm going with starter button corrosion.

[red]

my problem. In neutral and on the side stand, when I hit the starter button, nothing happens.
Harry (retcol) from Boerne, Texas

Harry,

Besides the Kill switch, there are two more switches that can prevent or allow a start-up.  One is the clutch switch, which lets you start (or re-start) in gear when you pull the clutch lever in.  The other item is the kickstand switch, which prevents starting in gear when the kickstand is down.  Unplug and test each switch, and make sure they are switching Off and On electrically.  You should hear them click when they are operated, but use a meter, too.  A beeping multimeter is good for these checks at the plugs.  For the kickstand switch, make sure that the wires are not being pinched by any of the metal parts nearby.  Keep us posted. 

[retcol]

Thanks to everyone for their help. I'm going to check it all out as you all have suggested. When I turn the key on, the lights come on, but I don't hear the fuel pump, should I at this point? When I hit the starter button, nothing changes, no lights flashing or dimming or going out, no fuel pump noise, nothing. The lights all stay on brightly, so I suspect its in the starter system somewhere. I'll start with the connections and grounds, then the starter and kill switches, then the clutch and side stand switches. I sure hope I find its just one of those and not a bad starter motor. That happened to me on a previous bike. Everything was going great and one day I went to start it and nothing happened, just like this one is doing. It turned out that the starter motor died. Rare, but it did.. I hope mine is OK. I'll let you all know what comes of this situation. Thanks again for the help.

[Firehawk068]

What you are describing, sounds like the "Kill Switch" could be dirty or not getting a connection. (this is assuming you've checked all the fuses. The fuel pump circuit runs off the "Signal" fuse I believe)
You are most likely going to have to disassemble it and clean/restore the contacts.

[FJmonkey]

If the carbs were empty and you turn the switch on, you should hear about 5 seconds of the fuel pump clicking/ticking. Last week my '89 did this when I was starting it. I did not attempt to start it as the lack of fuel pump noise caught my attention. After a few attempts I decided to put the charger on and get a few other things done. After some charge the pump fired and the bike fired up as expected. It fire up yesterday as well. Not sure how low the battery was but all is good now.

[aj52]

What you are describing, sounds like the "Kill Switch" could be dirty or not getting a connection. (this is assuming you've checked all the fuses. The fuel pump circuit runs off the "Signal" fuse I believe)
You are most likely going to have to disassemble it and clean/restore the contacts.

I agree with you,sounds like kill switch.
Fuel pump only activates if kill switch is in on position.
Loosen the starter wire at the starter selonoid,run a jumper cable from your vehicle to that wire and see if starter is turning,that way you will know if starter is still functional

[retcol]

Thanks again, I'll try all the new suggesations. I appreciatew the help. This is a great site for FJ owners. Thanks again all. 

[retcol]

Many thanks to everyone that contributed suggestions and comments on my problem. I started with the starter switch, which was dirty and corroded. After I cleaned it up and reinstalled it, I hit the starter button and she turned over strong like a new bike. Lucky me the first switch I cleaned up was the problem, but I think over time I will check them all to prevent getting stranded someplace. Thanks again to all of you for your help.

[FJmonkey]

Awesome! Thanks for letting us know. Rick was the first to pin point the starter button, somebody get that man a donut, or a beer or something.  

[ZOA NOM]

I'm going with starter button corrosion.

Bingo!  Super glad it was a relatively easy fix. Now RIDE!