Dead Sprint

[TXRyder]

My 2003 Sprint went dead tonite, Rode it over to a friends house, no trouble in starting it when I took off or after I stopped for fuel. We installed the new front tire and I rolled it off the lift table. I turned the key and had lights for a second, I thought a heard a faint pop or snap sound, then the lights went dead and no start. Worked the switches and again turned the ignition, no joy. Checked the main fuse, it was fine, battery fuse good.

Any input? Thanks.

[Calliway]

Fuses, relays and battery. If you heard a snap it could very well by a fuse. Check them first.

[TripleTreat]

Something similar happened to me recently though I don't recall a pop. Puled up at the servo for fuel before heading off on a 525km ride. Fueled up, and the the bike simply wouldn't start. Nothing. Turned out the battery had gone 'open circuit' (dead). A new battery fixed it.

[Beach]

There is a common fault with the wiring harness coming from the left 'bar switch block.

You will need to strip away the outer sheath to find a few crimps about six to eight inches from the switch block. These corrode from the moisture that creeps in and eventually break. When this happens you loose all electrical power. It can be intermittent.

One way of checking is to turn the ignition on, and slowly move the 'bars lock to lock, left to right. If it comes alive, stop the movement, start the bike and ride home.

This happened on my 99ST. I went to trouble of soldering all the little crimps I could find on the bike.

Brett.

[pushr0d]

+1 on the battery.

It could be as simple as a loose connection, too. First thing to check is the tightness of the 10mm bolts, then check the battery with a multimeter.

If the battery shows voltage (around 12V) and the bike is still dead, check the battery again with the keyswitch at the "on" position. If it is significantly less than 12V, you've got one or more dead cells or a bad busbar in the battery.

If all the above checks OK, it's probably a fuse.

And don't forget to make sure the "kill" switch is in the 'Run' position...

Which brings up a point I haven't seen for a while.

The '99 through '04 Sprints should be turned off with the keyswitch. I was told by Dealer a good while back that the ECMs would not "shut down" properly if the killswitch was used.

Apparently the '05 and newer ECMs don't care.

[TXRyder]

Thanks for the input guys, helps in diagnosing the problem.

My friend, whose house the Sprint is at, tested the battery with a multi-meter. He got 12V with the switch off and nearly 0 with it on.

He tried starting the bike after cleaning the battery posts and retightening the leads. The dash lit up with turning the ignition switch. When he tried starting it, he said he heard a clicking sound underneath the fuse box, the bike didn't start and the lights went dead, just like before.

I'm thinking a relay has gone down. Or is the battery affected in a way that it'll bring up the lights, but (maybe due to a dead cell ) not get a strong enough current thru the relay?

Any feedback appreciated, thanks!

[TripleWithCheese]

The clicking could be the starter trying to engage and failing.
Since you started with absolutely nothing when you turned the key I'd lean toward it being a bad battery.

[Beach]

Find a donor bike with a good battery.

Swap the donor bikes battery into your bike and see if your bike starts.

Swap your suspect battery into the other bike and see if it fires up.

Have you tried charging your suspect battery overnight?

Now that you have gone down the road of diagnosing the problem, remember to do one thing at a time and make notes of where you are if you have to.

Nothing worse than thinking you have fixed a problem and not being able to pinpoint exactly what it was, especially electrical gremlins.

From what you just described it sounds like you have a suspect battery. You're a long way from a dodgy relay at this stage.

[deller4210]

Check battery connections and ensure they are tight. Then check the main system ground which is on top of the upper engine case, corrosions sets in there as well.

[pushr0d]

TX,

I'm going to stick with the deceased battery theory. Going to 0 volts when you turn the bike on is a good clue. You've probably got one or more shorted cells, or a seriously compromised bus in the battery.

Heck. Quick test. Hook up some cables to your car/truck and try to jump it. There are those that say it is bad ju-ju to do it, but if you disconnect the cables as soon as the bike starts, you'll have no problem.

If it spins with a jump, it is almost certainly a bad battery.

DO NOT replace it with a 'Neverstart' from Wally world. Get a Yuasa or Interstate.