starter turned on by itself and doesnt quit

[djfrankv]

Yesterday I took the FJ11 from Long Beach down to Laguna Beach and back...it was great! the weather was perfect! Bike ran great. When I got home I parked it in the driveway and walked away from it. After about 45 seconds the starter engine started up on its own without a key! It was very surreal because at first I thought somebody was trying to steal my bike. I ran out to the bike and the starter motor was engaged full time! By the time I took the seat off and disconnected the battery, the battery was almost dead!  Kinda of a freaky thing to happen I think....I havent had  a chance to check it out since I put it in the garage. Has this ever happened to anyone here? and if so...what is the problem? where do I start?  Any help will get me on the right track to figuring out the mystery of this. THanks Fj people!

Frank

[FJmonkey]

Frank, your bike possessed by evil demons, I will come by and pick it up for proper disposal at approved demon disposal facilities. Don't fret over the cost, I will do this free of charge. And don't be surprised if I end up with a very similar and custom 84' in my collection as I am very good at reverse engineering things like FJs....

Or you can check the starter switch. If the bike was turned off then you have a short and need to make it long again... I had a good ride as well today, Angelest Crest to Newcomb's Ranch and back, their chili is really good today...

[djfrankv]

I should have checked the bike over before I wrote the last post. I just went outside, connected the battery terminals again and the bike started up perfect. I WD-40'd my Engine start switch....just in case it was sticking. Weird thing is that button even if it was stuck..the bike shouldnt have turned over without a key! I guess my bike is possessed by Horsepower Demos! and the Kookooloo demons! I have a big smile on my face knowing tomorrow I can take her to work!  Thanks FJ Monkey! for your response! I can always count on you buddy! )

[FJmonkey]

All too often it is the simple stuff. One or welding robots at work went down a few weeks ago. This was major to our production. I spent countless hours with OEM tech support and local support. I brought in the local support. We replaced nearly every major piece of the controller cabinet. After almost two weeks the OEM tech landed from Ohio and in less than 6 hours discovered that the torch collision sensor was the problem. That is like discovering the plug was not in the wall. 

[Pat Conlon]

Something is energizing the starter solenoid...uh, starter relay, whatever we call it...sounds spooky.

[aviationfred]

All too often it is the simple stuff. One or welding robots at work went down a few weeks ago. This was major to our production. I spent countless hours with OEM tech support and local support. I brought in the local support. We replaced nearly every major piece of the controller cabinet. After almost two weeks the OEM tech landed from Ohio and in less than 6 hours discovered that the torch collision sensor was the problem. That is like discovering the plug was not in the wall. 

Mark,

This sounds like some instances where I work. Beat your head on the wall,  , give up  , Some other tech walks up, pushes a button, or touches a wire and then it works. 

Fred

[FJmonkey]

Mark,

This sounds like some instances where I work. Beat your head on the wall,  , give up  , Some other tech walks up, pushes a button, or touches a wire and then it works. 

Fred

Yep, it happens way too often, everywhere.....

[FJSpringy]

Something is energizing the starter solenoid...uh, starter relay, whatever we call it...sounds spooky.

+1, I would suspect a faulty solenoid

[Arnie]

I'll +2 on the starter solenoid.  The start switch wouldn't feed power to close the solenoid contacts with the key out.  My guess would be a broken spring in the solenoid.

Arnie

[djfrankv]

Stupid question: does the solenoid or Relay go bad then gets better? or is it one of those things...that when it goes it goes? Either way...Im ordering a new relay tomorrow from RPM. Better to be on the safe side! Thanks alot you guys! 

[movenon]

You think that after all this time no new problem could arise and here we are.  Let us know what you find out. This is a curious one indeed
George

[FeralRdr]

Before you spend any money, check your wiring harness very carefully.  The very same thing happened to me last summer.  It first manifested when I was on a ride with some friends and I pulled into a gas station.  Went to shut off the engine and the starter was cranking away.  We all gathered around the "Voodoo FJ" and marveled as it kept turning over with the key out, and kill switch in the off position.  I was in the process of pulling fuses when one of my friends grabbed a Philips-Head and disconnected the ground.  The starter motor stopped cranking, so we let it sit for a few minutes, and then touched the ground wire to the battery.  It didn't crank, so we put everything back together, and I decided to call it a day and head home.  I didn't notice anything wrong on the way home, but as I turned into my driveway, I noticed the starter motor momentarily cranked.  I consulted a mechanic friend who said that it was probably the starter relay, so I went ahead and ordered one and replaced it.  Took the bike out on a test ride and when I came home, it started doing it again (starter momentarily cranking without pushing the starter button).  By the time I stopped in the driveway, it had settled down and stopped cranking.  I shut the engine off, and sat fuming that I had just spent about $50 on a new starter relay and the problem was still there, but here is where I got lucky.  As  I got off the bike, I inadvertently nudged the handlebars, and the starter motor momentarily cranked again (key and switch off).  I then turned the handlebars and found that when ever I turned the bars to either the left or right of the steering center-line, the starter would crank.  I then looked closely at the triple tree and noticed that the main wiring harness was rubbing up against the right fork leg.  I pulled the wiring harness away from the fork and found that not only had the OEM wrap (cover/tape) been worn through, but that the insulation on two of the inner wires had also been worn away.  I took a screw driver and laid it across both bare wires and VOILA, the starter cranked.  I used electrical tape to reinsulate each individual wire and also rewrapped the wiring harness where it had rubbed through.  I then also picked up some plastic protective tubing (the flexible stuff found in the electrical section) from the local auto parts store and covered that section of the harness to further protect it.  I also rezip-tied it to the frame, to make sure it stayed out of the way.

I'm not saying that is what your problem is, only that it is a possibility that you should investigate before springing for an expensive part, you may not need.  Hope the info helps.

[movenon]

Before you spend any money, check your wiring harness very carefully.  The very same thing happened to me last summer.  It first manifested when I was on a ride with some friends and I pulled into a gas station.  Went to shut off the engine and the starter was cranking away.  We all gathered around the "Voodoo FJ" and marveled as it kept turning over with the key out, and kill switch in the off position.  I was in the process of pulling fuses when one of my friends grabbed a Philips-Head and disconnected the ground.  The starter motor stopped cranking, so we let it sit for a few minutes, and then touched the ground wire to the battery.  It didn't crank, so we put everything back together, and I decided to call it a day and head home.  I didn't notice anything wrong on the way home, but as I turned into my driveway, I noticed the starter motor momentarily cranked.  I consulted a mechanic friend who said that it was probably the starter relay, so I went ahead and ordered one and replaced it.  Took the bike out on a test ride and when I came home, it started doing it again (starter momentarily cranking without pushing the starter button).  By the time I stopped in the driveway, it had settled down and stopped cranking.  I shut the engine off, and sat fuming that I had just spent about $50 on a new starter relay and the problem was still there, but here is where I got lucky.  As  I got off the bike, I inadvertently nudged the handlebars, and the starter motor momentarily cranked again (key and switch off).  I then turned the handlebars and found that when ever I turned the bars to either the left or right of the steering center-line, the starter would crank.  I then looked closely at the triple tree and noticed that the main wiring harness was rubbing up against the right fork leg.  I pulled the wiring harness away from the fork and found that not only had the OEM wrap (cover/tape) been worn through, but that the insulation on two of the inner wires had also been worn away.  I took a screw driver and laid it across both bare wires and VOILA, the starter cranked.  I used electrical tape to reinsulate each individual wire and also rewrapped the wiring harness where it had rubbed through.  I then also picked up some plastic protective tubing (the flexible stuff found in the electrical section) from the local auto parts store and covered that section of the harness to further protect it.  I also rezip-tied it to the frame, to make sure it stayed out of the way.

I'm not saying that is what your problem is, only that it is a possibility that you should investigate before springing for an expensive part, you may not need.  Hope the info helps.

You are on to something there. I am doing some add on wiring for running lights and horns. The main wire bundle going up the right side of the bike at a point in front of where the air horn feeds into the engine, at that point the clearance it tight. The bundle had a large factory wire tie there. I wanted to reposition that bundle a little so I clipped the tie and in back where it was tied against the frame, the outside insulation was chaffed into the wires (no bare wires yet). I've had no problems but... . 20 plus years of time and vibrations.
You might pull both vents and dash panels off and do a real close inspection of all the wiring and connections in the front. It only takes a few min to pull those panels.
George

[djfrankv]

Ok....so the next day I charge up the battery on a 24 hour charge...hook it up to the bike....and NOTHING!....no lights whatsoever! So Im thinking fuse! I go thru all the fuses and the main fuse was burned out. I replace the fuse, turn the key on the on position and I get lights....everything looks good. I turn the bike on...and the the bike starts but the starter doesnt stop spinning. I turn the ignition key off....starter still keeps turning! I take the seat off...disconnect the negative terminal and it finally turns off!~. After reading the last post Im thinking I have the same problem. Maybe tomorrow if I get a chance I will check out the wiring harness under the fairing. I hope this is the culprit. Sounds cheaper than a 50 dollar relay/Solenoid. Thanks everybody for the input. I will keep everyone posted as soon as I get a chance. 

Frank

[djfrankv]

I really appreciate everyones input on this problem Im having with my FJ11....So I ended up checking the wiring harness first. Everything checked out good except for the turn signal Flasher which wasnt mounted properly...it had a dent on it. But still worked. So then I bought a new Starter Solenoid/Relay and installed it. The bike started fine....as soon as it reached operating temperature....I turned it off with the key and 5 min later the starter engine started up again! The only way I was able to get the starter motor to stop was to put the key in the ignition and have the bike start on its own since the starter motor was engaged....I could rev up the engine a bit and the starter motor would disengage. At this point Im thinking the starter motor has a problem disengaging? but why would it start without a key? 

Please help me somebody! I don't want to have to tow the bike to one of those crappy motorcycle shops in Long beach and have somebody that doesnt know jack about FJ's work on it.

Frank