2007 Vinson 500 Electrical Gremlin

[allen5511]

I have an intermittent electrical problem with my 2007 Suzuki Vinson 500 auto that seem to have stumped everyone I’ve talked to so far so I’m taking it to you all. Problem is with the starter circuit, most times it works without issue but intermittently when I hit the starter button I get a loud “pop” then the whole system goes dead. I can pull start with no problem but if I try to use the winch it will kill the motor immediately. I have a 2006 I have been swapping parts from and nothing. The strange part is out of the blue the starter circuit just starts working and will do so for days or weeks on end then all of a sudden it will go offline again. Idea’s?

[olbooker]

Sure sounds like a bad battery connection, either at the battery or vehicle ground, etc.. Possibility of a bad battery, internally.

[Frank Angerano]

Have you checked your charging system? Sounds like you are loosing voltage someplace esp since you say when you use the winch.  My friend was experiencing the same problem and finally found out his charging coil was week and not supplying the proper voltage to support the bike, winch etc. 

[allen5511]

Thanks for the feed back, when the system goes down I have hooked up a 1000 CCA automotive battery to eliminate the battery and still no crank. When I pull start and check the charging system I get 14.6V so that seems to be working. Strangest thing is out of the clear the starting system will come back on line and work well for days or weeks. The only other thing I can think of is a bad diode, the issue with that to my knowledge once a diode has failed it does not come back on line.

 

[Frank Angerano]

Have you changed the regulator ? Also be careful putting a big battery like that. You can blow the stator coil.  I agree with @olbooker and maybe a loose or poor connection. I would start going over every connection and don’t assume just because it’s tight it’s good. Make sure that there is no corrosion inside the connection.  

[allen5511]

I have inspected each connection point along the wire harness and found no issues, from my 2006 Vinson I have swapped over starter relay, complete fuse block assembly problem did not follow to my 06 nor did the problem go away. I have not change out the regulator because all tests show it to be working fine. An additional piece of information that makes me think maybe a diode is bad is I am getting power feedback when I should not. I am going out on a limb saying maybe if the starter at times draws more amps than it should the neutral switch diode could cause the problem I'm not sure. The big thing I want to avoid is purchasing non returnable electronic parts and also don't want to go real deep into swapping parts over from my 06 since when the issue goes away the starting issue may go away for extended periods of time making it hard to determine if I found and corrected the problem or not. This is a true electrical gremlin. 

[Frank Angerano]

I keep going back to that regulator.  What type of tests did you perform if I may ask. 

[allen5511]

The only test I was able to do was voltage confirmation when the motor was running, my multi tester does not have the "diode test" ability which is why I keep asking the question about the diodes. I could simply take the regulator from my 06 and swap it over to the 07 but that may be inconclusive for some time if the gremlin goes away for a while. I am looking for a conclusive test I can do with the tools I have to locate the problem if possible.

[Frank Angerano]

I feel your pain but process of elimination is the key here. I would swap them and see what happens. Run the sh** out of it and see if it comes back.  Any chance this happens on damp or rainy days ?

[allen5511]

I do agree with you process of elimination does seem to be my best option given that I am fortunate to have a working 06 Vinson I can use as my free parts department. In answer to you weather related question, I wish there was a common denominator but no. This gremlin has shown up and gone away in all types of conditions. I load up at home in wet conditions drive out for a weekend of fun off load with no problem turn off the machine get my ridding gear on go to start it and nothin! Pull start it ride all day that way park it at night still no power then get up the next morning thinking I'll have to pull start again but no the gremlin has gone and I can load it up drive home unload and put it away wafer washing it and not a problem. Even my local dealer who has a 30 year+ guy as their service manager is stumped. 2 choices I have keep swapping parts in hopes I stumble across the problem or sell it which I really don't want to do. I'm not the type to dump my problem onto someone else. Thank you all for the input, if you have any other idea's send them my way I'll let you know if / when I find the gremlin.

[Frank Angerano]

Well who doesn’t love a good mystery? I picked up a bike a few months ago that was not running. Owner said one day it works the other day nothing.  He was frustrated and could not figure it out. The price was right and I was looking for a problem child to keep me busy. After about a week of going through the coils and electrical components of this thing which tested fine,  I eventually pulled the entire wire harness out and hung it up from the garage ceiling and went through it with a fine tooth comb. I found where the harness meets the front of the frame (the neck) where the steering is connected was a worn out spot on a wire within the harness that was rubbing against the frame for a long time. And the inner conductor of a wire was exposed and rubbing against the frame grounding the harness intermittently. I re insulated the wire and the bike has been perfect.  Just one of those weird things that the previous owner could not find and I got lucky finding it. Anyway it’s going to show it’s ugly little face in time just keep at it and keep us posted. If anything comes to mind I will let you know and I’m sure someone on the site here will give you some info that had a similar problem or point you in a good direction. Good luck.