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2010 Thruxton Problem

4K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  Felony 
#1 ·
So night before last I tried to take my bike for a ride after it was sitting in the garage for about 1 month or 5 weeks. Pressing the clutch and the start, all I got was a click; no cranking. I did some trouble shooting and determined the following:

1. The battery is about a year old. Check the voltage and no load voltage was around 13 volts.

2. Attached a volt meter and tried to start. As the solenoid clicked, the voltage dropped by about 1 volt.

3. Removed the solenoid and applied 12 volts to the trigger circuit. The solenoid clicked and main relay indicated closed when tested with an ohm meter. Shook and tapped the relay and it remained closed.

4. Reinstalled the relay and jumped the two main terminals and the starter cranked.

Based on the above, I concluded that the main starter solenoid was bad. However, the mechanic at my local triumph dealer indicated that this may not be the case. He indicated that starter solenoids very rarely go bad and that I needed to check out the complete starter circuit. He said the problem could be with the changeover relay. I think the starter solenoid is bad. Am I on the right path?

My bike is a 2010 Thruxton with around 9500 miles.

Mo
 
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#2 ·
Looks to me like the battery is low. Are you using a maintenance charger such as Battery Tender?
 
#3 ·
There is a rather high "low voltage threshold" in the ECU. You ought to have thrown the battery on a charger briefly and then tried again. Probably all it is, touch wood! Then if you're concerned, load test the battery and if OK, put it on a tender more often.

Probably also worth it to check your charging system output at various RPM. Did that recently for my T-100 and got a consistent 14V FWIW.
 
#5 ·
Ok. I will try that and see what happens. Do you know what the low voltage threshold happens to be? Another question; if the starter solenoid is activating (clicking) wouldn't that mean that the ECU is allowing power to the solenoid thus eliminating the "low voltage threshold" issue.

Mo
 
#6 ·
Not sure about the threshold but 12.5V+ from what I've observed.

And no, the click followed by no crank = not enough juice.

Really pity there's no headlight switch you could hit BEFORE you turn that key! :cool:
 
#7 ·
I don't think its as simple as "click followed by no crank = not enough juice". I've already verified the juice in my battery and its good.

As far as headlight switch is concerned, I believe that the starter circuit has a relay that cuts power to the headlights when the starter circuit is energized....:nerd:

I'll report further on what I find by late this evening.
 
#8 ·
Not saying you haven't got some other issue..., but I'm NOT guessing, unlike others. BTW, turning the key is just enough drain with a "low" or compromised battery to fall below the ECU threshold. Been there, got the polo shirt. :p

Follow my suggestions above before you come back for help with issues you "may" not have. Forget what your voltmeter says. As Dr. F has pointed out repeatedly, as soon as you put a load on that thing they can tank. ;)

Good Luck!
 
#12 ·
It should be higher than 13 volts under no load.
 
#13 · (Edited)
4. Reinstalled the relay and jumped the two main terminals and the starter cranked.

Based on the above, I concluded that the main starter solenoid was bad.
Mo
I think you are correct.
You checked the continuity thru the power circuit with a low current ohmeter and it was OK, but when trying to pass high current (starting) it wouldn't go. Yet the old screwdriver trick makes it start.

I suspect the contacts are burnt - can you reversibly take apart the solenoid to confirm (pictures would help). They might be cleanable but you will probably need a new solenoid.

Or it's that threshold thing mentioned in another recent thread - try starting it with the battery charger attached and running
 
#14 ·
The reason I concluded that the battery was fully charged is that I had it connected to a tender and the light on the tender turned green in about 10 mins. So I checked the no load voltage on my battery and it showed around 13.4 volts. My next step was to connect an multi meter to the battery and check to see what the voltage drop was when attempting to start. The voltage drop was only around 1 volt, telling me that although the solenoid was closing (I could hear it) power was not going to the starter leading me to believe that the solenoid was bad.

However, after receiving all of the responses from the good folks on this forum, I once again checked the voltage drop when the starter switch was pressed and noticed that the voltage dropped to below 12 volts which could be triggering the low voltage threshold cutoff. I bought a charger (Black & Decker automatic charger) and the battery is currently on it. I'll report further this evening.
 
#17 ·
Well, it's kind of like asking what oil to use! You will get all sorts of opinions/responses. It basically comes down to putting the highest quality battery in the thing that you can afford and using a maintainer to keep it up when sitting. There is constant draw on EFI bikes (ECU).

The stock battery is a 215CCA unit with a 10AH rating. While that may be "adequate" when the machine and its parts are new and under perfect battery conditions. As things age, not so much...

I am using the Shorai LFX18A1 that is 270CCA with 14AH. I have a higher displacement and CR and it still does the job reliably in all temps (that I can stand! :wink2:)... I do use a Battery Tender (confirmed to be OK by Battery Tender themselves) when the bikes are not in use... The big draw for me is the thing only weighs 2lbs!!
 
#18 ·
If you don't have a bad cell, you might be able to revive it. If not, the OEM Yuasa battery in your '10, same as my -09, has been known to last 6 - 9 years if commissioned properly and topped up regularly.

Mine is still original if a bit wobbly. Might have let it go too long at one point before I was wiser. :) My 796 uses the same battery, so when I had a major service recently, I had that battery replaced as it's buried under bodywork and a bitch to access. I kept the original for a spare should my T-100 Yuasa take a dive. I'm topping that up every two weeks. Just thinking ahead! ;)
 
#19 ·
So I got my battery tested and turns out that the battery was bad. I charged it and the bike started, but it looses the charge shortly. The battery was less than a year old and I'm thinking that it should not have gone bad so quickly. So I decided to check the charging system. The flow chart in the Triumph shop manual sates that around 2000 rpm, the voltage at the battery terminal should be 14.5, +- .5 volts. My bike reads around 13.8 volts. The trouble shooting charts stares that if its below 14 volts, to disconnect the alternator connector, start the engine and at idle, measure the voltage at the 3 output at the terminal. Each should be above 10 volts. Increase the engine speed to 4000 rpm and the voltage should exceed 30 volts at each terminal. It it is above 30 volts, the rectifier/regulator is bad. If it is below 30 volts, the alternator is bad.

I have not done the above troubleshooting except for measuring the voltage at 200 rpm at the battery terminal. I'm seeking advise if 13.8 volts indicate a bad or weak charging system.
 
#20 ·
I'm seeking advise if 13.8 volts indicate a bad or weak charging system.
13.8 volts will charge a lead-acid battery but not to its full capacity. Voltages around 13.5 volts are used on equipment such as UPS's (uninterruptible Power supply) to ensure longer battery life. It doesn't really matter as their duty is "stand-by". Vehicle batteries however are "cyclical" duty and require a deep, full charge. A voltage in the region of 14.2-14.5 ensures that.
 
#21 ·
Dr. F, mine's at ~ 14.0v right through the RPM range. Is yours still on the stock regulator/rectifier, and if so, what does yours read?

The OP's battery might have failed due to poor commissioning if it's the stock Yuasa?
 
#22 ·
Dr. F, mine's at ~ 14.0v right through the RPM range. Is yours still on the stock regulator/rectifier, and if so, what does yours read?
I have a voltmeter permanently installed and connected to the regulator output connections. It reads around 14.3 volts, but by the time the juice has made its way through the connector, the long wires, etc the battery gets 14 volts.
 
#24 ·
If your battery is less than 1 year old then it should be replaced under warrenty, all my batteries I have brought have had 1 or 2 years warrenty and if your bike is less than 1 year old your dealer should replace the battery, same thing happened to my mate he brought a used Bonny that still have 1 year left on the warrenty and the battery failed a couple days later and the dealer replaced it without any questions.

Ashley
 
#26 ·
Now that you have a new battery that was hopefully commissioned properly and fully charged before installing, you can verify the charging voltages at idle and at 4Krpm once the engine has warmed up to operating temps. One more thing about a Battery Tender charger. You can show a green lamp indicating a fully charged battery and still have a bad battery. I verified this with the manufacturer, Deltran. You also can't rely on voltage readings for R/R testing if the battery has issues. The battery must be fully charged and in proper working order. Your previous battery was not.
 
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