'04 WR450 E-start wont work but turns over

[woods-rider]

the E-start wont work on my '04 WR450 and hasn't for a while. the battery was dead so i was fine kickstarting it for a few rides to get it charged. now that it is charged it will turn the motor over a few times but each time it gets weaker and weaker until it cant turn it over any more. just to make sure it is not the battery i tried a brand new one with the same results. I don't know that much about electrical systems on bikes and don't want to just start tearing into anything related to it. any suggestions of where to start?

[Thumper_Bloke]

Do you have a volt meter?

Check the voltage with the bike off.

Check the voltage at idle.

Check the voltage at 5000rpm.

Report back.

[woods-rider]

off - 12.9V

idle - 14.5V

5000 - 14.6V

[Thumper_Bloke]

That looks great! battery is charged with key off, and charging tot he correct voltage with engine running!

So, the only thing i've ever seen at this point is loose connections to the starter, or the internal resistance of the battery is bad.

Can you tell us what the voltage is during cranking?

[woods-rider]

it starts out around 10V at the beginning and drops steadily to 6.7V when it can no longer turn it over. this is still a brand new battery also.

[Mtn-Track]

Either the starter is pulling too many amps or the battery can't supply them. One of the two.

[drtbk4ever]

How long are you having to crank the engine over?

Maybe there is a reason the bike isn't starting quickly. Valves?

My bike is like that cold, so I just kick start it at the beginning of the day. The battery starts it every time once it's warmed up.

[woods-rider]

its starts perfectly by kicking it warm and cold. the E-start wont start it even if its warm. it can turn it over for about 3 or 4 seconds but they are pretty weak.

how would i check how many amps the starter is taking and how many should it be taking?

[Thumper_Bloke]

Amps to a starter motor is really hard to measure, because the current is very high.

Usually if you see less than 8v during cranking, then your battery isn't good. Even a new battery can have internal issues. Where did you buy it? Can you exchange it?

What about the brushes inside the starter motor? Anyone had experience with these worn out? What are the symptoms?

[woods-rider]

I ordered the battery online so exchanging would be a pain. could somewhere like les schwab be able to test the battery and tell me if it is good?

[Mtn-Track]

I ordered the battery online so exchanging would be a pain. could somewhere like les schwab be able to test the battery and tell me if it is good?

Should be able to. It's called a "load test" on the battery.

[marshaltex]

Ive had this problem before....Swapped the battery, with cheaper one and the starter still didnt work. Replaced the starter and it worked fine. Tryed the old battery again and it was still good so I sent the new battery back.

[woods-rider]

how much was the starter?

[Guirey]

I'm having the same type problem, VOM reads:

Started at idle 13.5 head light off

started with head light on 12.6

started at 3500 (approx) 13.5 head light on

battery peters out after 3 or 4 seconds.

Does it sound like the battery will not hold the charge, or is the bike not putting out enough to charge the battery?

Thanks