Battery and won't start

[Dhurt_1988]

Hi, I'm new here. Just got a 1992 Virago 750. Well I went to install a new battery, I connected the starter and positive to the positive terminal, ground to negative. First it tried turning over, then got hot and ground was smoking. I then checked the relay, it is good. Then I tried installing another battery, except the positive was sparking and the ground was and with key off sometimes when attaching ground it would start to turn over. There's power when key off, Sparks when attaching, drains fast too when turning over. There doesn't appear to be a short, and starter relay is good. It only happens when I attach the starter wire (big black wire from starter to batt-poss+?) My other wiring is good, lights, key on, buttons, blinkers, etc. I want to ride my baby again soon any help is appreciated. Thanks
Damien Hurt

[mark75]

Howdy.
Welcome to VTF.

perhaps a short in the starter itself?
it may take some MM/VOM detective work to find it.

electricity is mysterious mystical to me. but you've come to the right place, someone here will have a better answer for you.

[bstig60]

Starter solenoid either shorted or the starter relay is bad. Disconnect the main fuse and let us know what happens.

[Dhurt_1988]

The relay tested good. 93.8 ohms of resistance, someone rewired it. I'll disconnect the fuse later and what should I be looking for? My one suspicion is they wired it backwards. The relay new also getting proper battery terminal to connect them instead of old garage bolt. This morning it kept draining the battery and not getting enough juice to turn over.
I'm not a fan of electrical, but I'm doing what I can. Should I check the fuse at starter or go get one just in case before hand. Thank you for your help I really appreciate it

[Dhurt_1988]

Won't turn over. Removed main fuse nothing happened. And the bike will not turn over, when I push the start button the light turns off then back on and oil and fuel light come on

[mark75]

re-check the "safety" switches are working properly.
side-stand one is infamous for sticking.

have you had the battery load-tested?
auto parts stores generally will do it for free, hoping to sell you a new battery.

[bstig60]

The relay tested good. 93.8 ohms of resistance, someone rewired it. I'll disconnect the fuse later and what should I be looking for? My one suspicion is they wired it backward. The relay new also getting proper battery terminal to connect them instead of old garage bolt. This morning it kept draining the battery and not getting enough juice to turn over.
I'm not a fan of electrical, but I'm doing what I can. Should I check the fuse at the starter or go get one just in case beforehand. Thank you for your help I really appreciate it

The starter solenoid cannot be wired backward. It has ground on one terminal all the time. When the starter button is pushed, it puts out a ground which activates the start relay, which then puts +12v out to the starter solenoid. The solenoid contacts close and activate the starter. Disconnect the cable at the starter, using a couple of clip leads, connect the positive lead from your DVM to the battery cable and the negative lead to a good ground. Push the start button and check to see if you have 12 at the starter cable. The meter should be set on 20 VDC scale.

[Arjay]

I could of sworn mine was directional. Having the battery cable towards front terminal of solenoid (toward front of bike) and short lead to starter behind and it started. I had it the other way and only got a click. But I admit this makes no sense for a solenoid, being just an electromagnet plunger, making contact for the starter after engaging starter gear. Might had been shorting. At the time I had thought maybe the plunger was being pushed not pulled. I know its suppose to pull because of the arm with the star bolt. That or I was thinking the solenoid would close contacts either way but the contact arrangement reversed starter direction. I could swear I did it twice just to confirm it. Now it starts but Im tempted to switch them again, I gotta know. Brb...!

Update: Well, I was right. Swapping the two solenoid leads and it refused to start.

First I took negative off battery, swapped leads, as soon as I touched negative battery cable to post I got a spark, that was with ignition off. I made doubly/triple sure that terminals where not grounding. I even checked for the parasitic drain on each wire individually connected. The battery lead caused it, but no tiny spark when connected the other way.

I remembered I did this before and it wouldnt start then also. I checked both cables an adjusted position and still the tiny spark with ignition off.

I swapped back, battery wire to front, jumper to starter behind. No tiny parasite spark and started fine.

It might be that on some models the ground is supplied to solenoid by frame and switch wire provides power to solenoid. Maybe on some models its negative based switching as opposed to positive switching. I know this contradicts other switching Yamaha does, take horns for example I think they are negative based switching (constant power supplied to device and switch provides negative/ground to complete circuit).

Rj

[bstig60]

I could of sworn mine was directional. Having the battery cable towards front terminal of solenoid (toward front of bike) and short lead to starter behind and it started. I had it the other way and only got a click. But I admit this makes no sense for a solenoid, being just an electromagnet plunger, making contact for the starter after engaging starter gear. Might had been shorting. At the time I had thought maybe the plunger was being pushed not pulled. I know its suppose to pull because of the arm with the star bolt. That or I was thinking the solenoid would close contacts either way but the contact arrangement reversed starter direction. I could swear I did it twice just to confirm it. Now it starts but Im tempted to switch them again, I gotta know. Brb...!

Update: Well, I was right. Swapping the two solenoid leads and it refused to start.

First I took negative off battery, swapped leads, as soon as I touched negative battery cable to post I got a spark, that was with ignition off. I made doubly/triple sure that terminals where not grounding. I even checked for the parasitic drain on each wire individually connected. The battery lead caused it, but no tiny spark when connected the other way.

I remembered I did this before and it wouldnt start then also. I checked both cables an adjusted position and still the tiny spark with ignition off.

I swapped back, battery wire to front, jumper to starter behind. No tiny parasite spark and started fine.

It might be that on some models the ground is supplied to solenoid by frame and switch wire provides power to solenoid. Maybe on some models its negative based switching as opposed to positive switching. I know this contradicts other switching Yamaha does, take horns for example I think they are negative based switching (constant power supplied to device and switch provides negative/ground to complete circuit).

Rj

Makes no sense at all. The solenoid has two functions on the second Gen bikes. One is to engage the starter clutch and the other is to connect the set of contacts together to activate the starter. It shouldn't make any difference which big posts the battery cable is on as long the the short cable to the starter is on the other.
OP: no harm in checking this out. If what Aray says is the case, it would be good for others to know.

[Cusstout 1100]

I concur with what Arjay is saying, and yes, it makes no sense to me either, but that is exactly what happens on the '85 (86?) 750 I'm working on. Because it flies in the face of reason, it took me quite a while to figure it out. It has 3 wires, one heavy one from the battery, one heavy one to the starter motor, and the small blue/white (provides ground to the solenoid) from the start switch. No relay in the system, just that solenoid mounted to the frame just behind the motor. Looking at TRV's bare bones for the 750 and 1000 systems, this looks like it might be sort of a cross-over between the two???

[totallyredvirago]

in this video the very beginning you can see how the starter cables are hooked up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ing3V3Xhnyo

in this video it shows the cables better.......... dan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... SU5TbMeca4

[Flyingdog]

TRV....
Thanks for that..was the exact vid I was looking for (first one), but couldn't find it. Did come across your the postings of "all" your, various, wiring schematics, but didn't think that would help much. Not that good at bookmark'n stuff.

[Cusstout 1100]

Sorry guys, not meaning to confuse the issue by my post. I guess the 750 I'm working is older than I thought - probably a Gen 1 starter system?. (Also a Canadian bike, if that makes any difference...). The solenoid looks like a relay and is mounted to the frame just behind the motor on the right side; therefor, it has a short cable from positive of the battery and a long heavy cable up to the starter motor. Not meaning to thread-jack here, just trying to eliminate any confusion that might arise from my original response here.

[Flyingdog]

probably a Gen 1 starter system?.

Ahhh..no problem here..was kinda scratch'n me head, wondering where this whole thing was going...why I just stepped back and let others hash it out.