Hitchcocks Forum

when my battery is freshly charged and I try to use the electric start on my electra efi I get a loud whirring noise from somewhere under the seat (and to the right ish?).

if the battery is not fresh from the charger then I get nothing. Both instances the bike doesn't even get close to starting....

Any ideas?


Thanks

Suds

Loose connection on the battery, the earth, the starter or the solenoid. (Those are the basic checks.)

Sounds like the battery is goosed, why are you using a remote battery charger when the bike should do it? Also what`s the battery voltage reading BEFORE charging it anywhere?

If it's a kind of buzzing, or rattling, sound then it's coming from the solenoid and it means the battery is knacked. (Mind you, check the connections for tightness first.)

Just because your battery has been charged, even though it may read 12v, it doesn't mean the battery is good. If you check the voltage UNDER LOAD you will get a better idea of it's health. The voltage shouldn't drop significantly.

It is the whirring noise that puzzles me. A solenoid would not whir surely, click, rattle sound maybe but whir sounds like a motor or pump. By not starting under any circumstances do you mean it won't turn over on the starter or it turns over but doesn't fire. Big difference in determining the state of the battery. Could the whir be the starter turning but not engaging?

Frank: I agree completely and meant to mention it earlier. If the starter motor runs, but the engine doesn't turn over, then the sprag clutch has failed (a notorious weak spot). This would account for the "whirring" sound.



If it's a rattly sound (a buzz, rather than a whirr), then it's the battery that's knackered.

Suds: Please forgive me: I messed up the editing of my earlier post and accidentally deleted the paragraph about the starter sprag clutch. My thanks to Frank for picking it up!



Take a note of how we've described the sound: a harsh rattle or buzz suggests a knackered battery (or possibly a loose connection to the terminals). A smooth whirring noise, like an electric motor, suggests that the starter sprag clutch has failed. You need to be sure which it is before spending any money.

Such amazing help, thank you everyone.

I suppose it could be a buzzing noise instead of a whirring sound... Kind of, 'gneeeeerrrrrrrr' if that makes sense? Lol.

Anyway, today I got the breakdown service out and he confirmed the battery is knackered. The problem is, even after connecting his power battery up the bike still wouldn't start, even though the electric start did turn the bike over (hooray).

He then went on to find that the spark plug was not sparking but could not determine why.

I took it to the garage today as I fear I'm out of my depth with it now so it is in their hands. After a couple of hours I got a call from them asking who had been let loose on the wiring as there are wires spliced into wires with electric tape all over the place! I presume it was the alarm that was put in at the dealership they were talking about because no one else has touched it.

Anyway, by the end of the afternoon they were tracing wire after wire and had still not found the fault. Although he did tell me that the neutral switch was faulty/broken.

The trouble is, I never know if a garage is taking their time over nothing or not?

Suds

Still no luck with the bike but the mechanic has mentioned that they might turn their attention to the ecu as they think it might be that.

Obviously I'm sceptical and am close to asking them to leave it whilst I contact the dealership but I'm busy for the next couple of days so it might be difficult.

Is there a way that I can rule out the ecu?