84 goldwing interstate 1200 start issues

[Macc304]

Ok first off im new to the forum but have read many topics on here that have helped me out greatly. I bought an 84 goldwing interstate 1200 for 400 bucks the guy said it needed a starter. I replaced the starter on it and it seems like the starter is just spinning and not cranking the motor. I have put the bike on center stand and moved the rear wheel with it in 5th gear. It is hard to turn but does turn. Can also get it to roll in 5th gear. The bike sat for long time. Not sure exactly how long. But i can not get the starter to crank the motor. I have taken the spark plugs out and put little oil in them. Battery is fully charged. The solendoid is clicking. I posted a video to youtube which i will leave the link here so you can actually hear what it is doing. Im trying to not pull the motor if possible. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

https://youtu.be/j3WDkcmiG-4

[video]https://youtu.be/j3WDkcmiG-4[/video]

 

[Rednaxs60]

Listened to the YouTube video. The starter is turning.

The issue is inside the engine with the starter (sprague) clutch. If you can't get the clutch to engage so that you can start the bike, you will have to remove the engine, take off the rear cover and fix the starter clutch. The internal fix is a set of three springs, rollers, and pins. If you can get the bike to turn over and start, you can always try an oil flush of ATF, SeaFoam and such. The starter clutch unfortunately gets very little lubrication, and can get gummed up after years of operation, or not being used.

Maybe there are some other fellows who will chime in and offer a different viewpoint.

Wish I had better news for you. Good luck.

Cheers

 

[Macc304]

Ok thank you thats what inwas fearing. Im a pretty good mechanic just never worked on bikes before. How would i go about flushing it?

 

[Rednaxs60]

You can remove some of the oil and top up with the product of your choosing, then go for a good ride of say 200 miles. Drain and fill and do again. Third time drain and fill normal and see what happens.

It may work, may not. I had the same symptoms, tried a flush. It worked somewhat, but it is really addressing the symptoms and not the issue. I did redo the starter clutch because I took the engine out to replace the stator. I also did the clutch stack as well because the PO had been towing a trailer (this is hard on GW clutches). I had never taken the engine out of a large bike, but took my time and all worked out well. Mine is an '85 LTD fuel injected model.

Taking the engine out is not as onerous as you may think. You may also get away with disconnecting the engine and angling it in situ to get at the rear cover to remove it. If you do take the engine out or cant it sideways, even though you would have drained the oil there is still a lot left in the rear case.

Hope this helps. Cheers

 

[dan filipi]

I'd first pull the starter and make sure the output shaft is in fact turning when applying power to the starter. Drive gears in the reduction housing have been known to strip.
With starter out, starter chain should turn free in one direction only.

 

[slabghost]

All good advice. Are you certain the starter is fitted to the drive sprocket? Running free like that it should sound stronger. I agree pull the starter and check it over.

 

[Macc304]

I checked it before i put it in. And i turned the gear and chain by hand it was free and moved very easily. In onlybone direction

 

[slabghost]

If the starter has too slow speed it will not activate the start clutch. If the oil is wrong the start clutch will slip. Does it run if you push start it? If so I'd change oil to something motorcycle specific and run it. Is the battery fresh and fully charged?

 

[Macc304]

I have not tried to push start it. Now when it is in 5th gear i can roll it. So i dont think the engine is siezed up. The sprocket and chain that the starter fits into moves freely in one direction. Wouldnt that indicate that the rollers and all that in the starter clutch are working and free? I could be wrong but that is what it would seem to me. I just took the starter off and it moves fine. That little gear thats on the chain, can that come out and if so is it hard to put back into place? I bought the starter from ebay, its not a honda OEM replacement part. So it is alittle smaller and can only get on of the bolts to line up ive checked and it is used for my particular bike. It does go into the gear on the chain. And how would i crank the engine by hand? Is there a way to do that? If anyone has a picture or know of a video of that it would help alot.

 

[Rednaxs60]

The starter clutch rotating one way only indicates that when turned by hand it is operating correctly; however, when spun fast with the starter is another story. The 3 roller/spring/pin sets in the starter clutch are the issue. The spring is not that robust and can loose the design properties over the years. Springs are innocuous little items that are often overlooked when renewing items.

Picture of the starter clutch - yours should be similar (not mine - off internet):

I would not attempt to take the sprocket off the starter chain - don't know if there is room to get the sprocket off the chain and out through the starter hole. Here is a picture of mine - yours should be similar:

Some additional information. Cheers

 

[dan filipi]

I have had the clutch "catch" by tapping the starter only for an instant a few times. May be it causes lazy rollers to move out.

 

[brianinpa]

Welcome to Classics!

... I just took the starter off and it moves fine...

Did you turn it by hand or with battery power?

I hate to say it... if the starter clutch is going, as Ernest has described, no matter what you do, it isn't going to cure itself. The only way to fix it is to open up the back of the motor and replace the springs.

There is a thread somewhere on the web where someone drilled a hole in the engine case and cleaned the area of the starter clutch and then plugged the hole, but that isn't fixing the real problem... weak springs from years of compression.

 

[Macc304]

Im in the process of pulling the engine now

 

[brianinpa]

Here's the thread I mentioned...

https://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12909

 

[backlander]

Let's see, eBay, smaller starter, only one hole lines up to bolt on.....sounds like Chinese starter problems that have occurred before. Imo

 

[Macc304]

Dont know why these post keeps posting the same one. Sorry guys.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Here is a picture of the rear of the engine. The arrow points to a plug that you remove and then use a 17mm socket to turn engine CW ONLY.

You can now line up the pulleys, timing marks, etc.

Cheers

 

[Rednaxs60]

Do you have a manual? I have an electronic copy I can send. Use wetransfer because of the size. PM me if you want.

Cheers

 

[Macc304]

Yes i have a manuel. Thank you for offering though.

 

[slabghost]

Both should be "UP" at the same point. One cam is likely 180 degrees out if not. Do not turn the crank until timing is right.