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Sumonorm
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 05:58 pm | 1st Post |
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| I have a 83 GL1100i. When I tried to start it the battery terminals melted (Both + & -). I was running the starter for several seconds as the motor would not start. What would cause the terminals to melt? Bad starter? Bad ground? Bad solenoid?
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redwing52
Very Active Member
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 06:10 pm | 2nd Post |
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| OOPS.... Last edited on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 06:13 pm by redwing52
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redwing52
Very Active Member
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 06:12 pm | 3rd Post |
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| Bad starter, solenoid, but a wire (or more likely battery cable) in the starter circuit that is shorted to ground could do the same. What you describe is very unusual and requires a lot of energy. There is something radically wrong. Did you see smoke, other then from the battery? Look very close at all battery calbes to be sure they are not chaffed through. Be sure to look at the hidden areas and back of the cables. Look where the battery cable goes in to the starter. Is the grommet ok? Do the same with the large terminals on the solenoid.
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Sumonorm
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 06:20 pm | 4th Post |
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I did not see any smoke. I noticed something wrong when the starter stopped working. I got another solenoid and I'm in the process of putting it in. The other problem I have is I don't remember which post the battery connected to the solenoid (post B or M?). I disconected the battery cables and cleaned them off. I hope it's not the starter.....
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MDKramer
Moderator
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 06:23 pm | 5th Post |
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Post B goes to the Battery, post M goes to the Motorcycle.
Something else to check. The connection of the positive cable to the starter motor. Being on the bottom of the starter, and under a rubber boot makes this connection a magnet for corrosion. Corrosion=resistance, resistance=heat, heat=melted stuff.
Mike
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chris in va
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 06:59 pm | 6th Post |
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| I noticed my terminals would get quite hot when I was trying to start the bike during my 'testing' phase of the carb overhaul. I'd say about 10 seconds worth of cranking. Didn't get hot enought to melt lead though, wow.
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Sumonorm
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 07:33 pm | 7th Post |
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B stands for battery and M stands for motorcycle. Duh!....
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dan filipi
Senior Guru
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Posted: Thu Aug 28th, 2008 11:24 pm | 8th Post |
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Motorcycle starters and electrical systems are light duty in comparison to a car.
10-15 seconds max continuous cranking then let it cool down for a couple minutes.
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Rudy
Forum Ferret
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Posted: Fri Aug 29th, 2008 12:22 am | 9th Post |
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You had resistance at the terminals while you were drawing a large amount of current for a long time.
If you had cleaned the terminals and the connections up first, that would not have happened.
The resistance caused heat and enough of it to melt the lead in the terminals. Pretty simple really.
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redwing52
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Posted: Fri Aug 29th, 2008 04:20 am | 10th Post |
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| Rudy, But both of them??? What are the odds?? Actually B stands for battery, M stands for motor. Like starter motor. Pretty sure that's right. Now I have to figure out what BM stands for??
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Rudy
Forum Ferret
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Posted: Fri Aug 29th, 2008 10:48 am | 11th Post |
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redwing52 wrote: Rudy, But both of them??? What are the odds?? Actually B stands for battery, M stands for motor. Like starter motor. Pretty sure that's right. Now I have to figure out what BM stands for??
Chances are both of them were in similar straights when the event began and as one melted and changed it's contact area and conductivity, it's brother was brought into play as well.
Does seem unusual though, doesn't it. But that's how it works.
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Rumple
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Posted: Fri Aug 29th, 2008 12:37 pm | 12th Post |
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CALL YOU SPARKY OR SPARKLESS!! INSTALL A NEW BATTERY, CLEAN UP ALL YOUR CONNECTIONS AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL TIGHT. THEN SEE WHAT YOU HAVE. IT COULD BE A BAD STARTER, WITH BAD BRUSHES, LOTS OF CARBON BUILD UP OR THE INTERNALS OF THE STARTER SHORTED OUT. START SIMPLE AND GO FROM THERE. IF YOU NEED A STARTER, DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR STOCKER STARTERS. GOOD PEOPLE TO WORK WITH AND THEIR PRICES AREN'T BAD EITHER.
LATER
RUMPLE
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Nightrider1
Senior Member
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Posted: Fri Aug 29th, 2008 01:01 pm | 13th Post |
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chris in va wrote: I noticed my terminals would get quite hot when I was trying to start the bike during my 'testing' phase of the carb overhaul. I'd say about 10 seconds worth of cranking. Didn't get hot enought to melt lead though, wow.
Chris,
Poor Connections could cause this problem. You need to splice the 3 yellow wires coming out of the Alternator to the Regulator and Put some heat shrink up on each side of each cable, then solder the cables together, then pull the heat shrink down over the splice, put a hair drier to the heat shrink (Dryer on high) to shrink them, then tape over them with black electrical tape. Do NOT cut the 4 colored wires. These go to your stator. Never, Never keep your starter button pressed for more than 5 seconds at a time, then wait 15 seconds before you atempt to try it again. You can even burn up a new starter that way
Check the boot on the Starter but DO NOT attempt to twist or tighten it. (The one that comes from "M" on the soleonid.) "B" goes to battery , It is soldered inside that terminal, and it will ruin your starter for sure. If it has been melted, the starter has overheated at one or more times, and you will eventually have to repalce it even if the new soleonid works, so start saving for one. (Be Ready) You DO NOT have to pull the engine to replace a starter on a 1980-81 GL1100. all you need is an 8mm wrench (open end) I do not know about any of the others. Honda should have put a kick starter on these. That was one of 4 stupid mistakes Honda made on the 1100's. 2nd was no Oil Dipstick, 3rd was the center stand. and 4th was no heel/toe shifter.
Good Luck,
NightRider1
P.s.
If anyone has spinal problems like me, I don't even try to get the bike up on the centerstand.
Last edited on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 01:12 pm by Nightrider1
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Sumonorm
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Posted: Fri Aug 29th, 2008 02:01 pm | 14th Post |
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Lotsa great advice here. Thanks! 
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