Solenoid testing: car battery ok? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Solenoid testing: car battery ok?

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TL;DR: I want to test my starter solenoid, is a car battery OK to use or will it blow the 30A fuse?

Bike: 1984 Honda VF500F

So I jumped my bike last week and something went awry. Oil indicator light went off (no power to the bike) and that was that. I towed it home and realized later that there was a replacement fuse in my bike the whole time. D'oh! Either way, that didn't fix it. The bike would turn over, but didn't want to start. Then... nothing. I'd push the starter button and absolutely nothing would happen. In retrospect, the headlight would slightly dim, which told me *something* was happening, and it probably wasn't the starter switch. I jumped the solenoid with a screwdriver and the starter motor turns over, but the bike still doesn't want to start. I'm thinking it's flooded at this point, but I need to figure out the starting system first, ergo my post: is it OK to use a car battery to test the solenoid?

I'll probably be posting more as I desperately try to get my bike back on the road, so stay tuned!

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didn't you just check the solenoid when you jumped it ?
If it is supplying current to the starter motor when jumped, I would say it is working.
 
RonnieRev said:
didn't you just check the solenoid when you jumped it ?
If it is supplying current to the starter motor when jumped, I would say it is working.
Click to expand...

Anyone, please feel free to correct me, but I believe that jumping the solenoid effectively takes it out of the equation. Under normal operating conditions, the solenoid is effectively a powered switch. The solenoid gets power from the relay which connects the two terminals on the solenoid. This closes the circuit from the battery to the starter motor. When it's not operating properly (i.e. the switch is faulty), it won't close the circuit and therefore won't provide power to the starter motor. Jumping the solenoid skips the switch and makes it as though there's no solenoid at all.

Or at least that's what I thought.
 
If you are jumping from main post to post then yes you are by-passing the solenoid, if you are giving the primary side of the solenoid
power you will hear the poles inside the solenoid click together then you are testing the solenoid.
 
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Well, I'm going to try it out tonight. Wish me luck! Also, any good tips for wreckers in the area? I don't feel like getting new parts through Honda... they quoted me $580 for a new starter motor (!).
 
Ok, so I figured out what was wrong with my bike.

I got the multimeter out, had the seat/side panel off, and was about to take off the solenoid. I had the battery hooked up to my car just to make sure I had enough charge to get the solenoid activated. What was the problem?

Absolutely nothing. It turned over just fine.

I have never been so happy to ride a motorized vehicle.
 
so your saying your motorcycle battery was low on juice, and needed a boost?
 
Definitely not. When I thought I had the problem I had it hooked up to my car battery. Everything was working (except it wasn't starting, obviously), and then... nothing. I would press the starter button and the bike would give me the silent treatment. Guess it just needed to cool down.
 
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