FJ600 Starter Won't Stop Cranking?

My poor old FJ sat in a cold garage for the past 5 months. I went to try and start it yesterday, so I charged the 4 year old battery (it was taken out of the bike and charged every 30 days in my warm basement). The starter cranked right up but not at the speed I remembered from last November. The carbs were dry so it took a lot of cranking, before it fired the battery was drained so I let off on the starter button but it continued to crank. So I hit the kill switch and the key and it still was cranking. The only way to stop it was to disconnect the battery.

I am thinking the starter solenoid shorted out due to the low voltage/high current going through the contacts.

Just curious if this is somewhat common and if my diagnosis is correct. I am thinking the battery was past it's useful life.
Tom

 

Yep, seen that happen, 1970's Hillman Hunter (my dads). You should have seen me standing on the battery yanking on the earth lead, with it slowly melting away the insulation. Had the marks on my hands for weeks...

 

if you hold the starter button to long you can weld the contacts in the solenoid together. or your starter button has a problem, third thing is if low on oil and you have a bad diode block starter will keep cranking also.
should set petcock to prime to fill carbs 5 to 10 seconds should do it.


take a multimeter and measure the ohms across the large nuts on solinoid (battery and starter wire connection) if you get a reading they are fused closed.
for starter button with out key on disconnect the small connector set multi meter to volts . hook 1 lead to + on battery the other to dark wire in connector and see if you have 12 volts if so bad starter button.if you do not have 12 volts then press starter button see if you have 12 volts

 

Great diagnostics
Thank you
I am going to trailer it home this week and check out the electrical
Yes I primed it like you mentioned perhaps I was too hopeful on the starter button
Thanks again

 

What ended up being the root cause? i'm having the same issue on my 82 650Maxim.

 

I am not sure of the true root cause but the solenoid was shorted out. I replaced it and it’s been fine since. I still think the low voltage high current welded the contacts of the solenoid. The starter switch was fine.
Thx
TR

 

root cause may be holding the starter button longer than you should when trying to start bike. carbon build up on contacts= resistance and over heating of the contacts

 

Replace solenoid and put a new battery in .

 

Ended up replacing the Starter solenoid. Good to go!