GSX-R Won't Start - RESOLVED! Thank you!

[kitfoxx]

Today was lovely riding weather, so I donned all my gear and went out to the garage to take the GSX-R 600 for a spin. Turn the key on and no power, nothing.

Disappointing, but that's why I have two bikes! So I took the FZ-6 instead, and put some miles on the bike and enjoyed the sunshine.

I come back, and pop the battery tender on the GSX-R. Barely half an hour later it says it's full charge. Hmmm. Okay. Take the tender off, put the key in and turn it on. Absolutely nothing.

Now, I know (besides that the tender said the battery was at full charge) that there is life to the battery, because when I first hooked up the tender, it triggered my alarm, which I have since pulled the relay (not sure if that's the right word) from so that it's not draining the battery.

I am by no means mechanically knowledgeable, but I do pride myself on being willing to at least try to do the basics. But I'm not quite sure what I should be looking for here .... Any easy things to try first?

I can't remember when I rode her last, but I'm going to guess November? She's been fully garaged her whole life, and no one has touched her since the last time she was ridden. So no opportunities for tampering or squirrels or rain or wind or anything that I can think of.

 

[Gilk51]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Check the stuff that bites us Suzuki riders:

1. kill switch
2. side stand down & bike in gear (another kill switch)
3. clutch switch (one more kill switch)

I have had the clutch switch pull loose while on a trip - dunno if it was an accident or a malicious prank. Same symptoms tho...

Good luck

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Do I actually need to be looking for the connections of these kill switches?

Because, trust me, I double checked myself that it wasn't one of those dumb things. I'm not even getting anything on my screen, no lights, no clicking, no cycling through the RPMs (whatever that is called when you first turn on the power, before you start the engine).

 

[Gilk51]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Yeah, it doesn't sound like one of the above 3. The ECU should cycle (RPM full scale and back) and light several lights and you should hear the fuel pump cycle when you turn the key on.

Sounds like a main power issue - which usually means the battery...

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

I went back out and put the tender back on. I think I'll let it sit overnight whether it thinks it needs it or not. Then, if it'll start tomorrow, I'll have to punish her with a long long ride!

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Check your starter relay fuse. The positive battery cable will come off the battery and go to a little round black relay that has a rectangular top sticking off it. You have to pop both sides of it and you will see a rectangle car style fuse in there. If you have no power to anything, then ill bet the fuse is blown. That fuse connects the positive voltage to the rest of the bike.

 

[focus frenzy]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

hmmmm battery tender triggered alarm, you removed the relay for the alarm.

what is chance alarm has a ignition kill circuit and pulling alarm relay is whats killing power to ignition??

 

[Supa Dave]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Check your starter relay fuse. The positive battery cable will come off the battery and go to a little round black relay that has a rectangular top sticking off it. You have to pop both sides of it and you will see a rectangle car style fuse in there. If you have no power to anything, then ill bet the fuse is blown. That fuse connects the positive voltage to the rest of the bike.

This would be my best guess as well. Even if the battery has any juice it would at least light up the tach and what not.

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Okay, pulling out my manuals here.

What I pulled was the fuse for the Scorpio alarm. When the alarm fuse is in and I hook up the tender, it triggers the alarm. In my past experience, a low battery on the bike will also trigger the alarm, because there isn't enough juice for the alarm to monitor everything correctly, so it just triggers. I am 100% sure that the fuse I had pulled is to the alarm.

Since the tender didn't seem to be solving the seemingly dead battery problem, I decided to start eliminating variables. I went ahead and removed the ring terminals for both the alarm and my heated grips from the battery, so they are no longer drawing juice or causing side effects like the alarm going off. For funsies, I put the fuse to the alarm back in, just to reassure everyone that that wasn't part of the problem.

Per the recommendation above, I went in search of my fuse box. Found it, and with the help of manual, even discovered that Suzuki was kind enough to provide two spare fuses. I went online and found this example of a blown fuse:

One by one I pulled out my fuses, but they all looked intact to me.

EDIT: I've also tried turning the key to "on" with the battery tender hooked up, and still get no lights, no ECU cycle, no humming, the tach doesn't twitch, nothing. Oddly, when I turn the key back to off, the needle of the tach does go redline and back, but no other lights or sounds.


What's my next best thing to look for?

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Did you check the starter relay fuse (which is seperate from the main fuse box)?

 

[dukey33]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

+1, check the starter relay fuse (aka main fuse).
Also check all battery connections are clean and tight. You could have a poor connection but when the tender is hooked up, it completes the circuit to allow low draw loads to function.
Does the alarm have starter/ignition kill circuitry?

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Did you check the starter relay fuse (which is seperate from the main fuse box)?

According to my manual, it is one of the fuses in the main fuse box

"10A IGNITION fuse protects the cooling fan relay, ignition coils, starter relay, fuel pump relay, solenoid, ECU and side stand relay"

It is labeled as the third of six.

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

According to my manual, it is one of the fuses in the main fuse box

"10A IGNITION fuse protects the cooling fan relay, ignition coils, starter relay, fuel pump relay, solenoid, ECU and side stand relay"

It is labeled as the third of six.

Thats the ignition fuse but not the same one im talking about. Follow the positive cable off the battery and it will lead to a box that it bolts to on one side, and another cables comes off the other. It will also have a couple small gauge wires connected to it. Thats your starter relay and the fuse is in there.

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Okay, I guess there is one fuse I haven't located yet. Apparently there is one more:

"30A MAIN fuse protects the turn signal lights, position lights, taillight and license light"

Which doesn't sound like the culprit, but I have not yet located and checked this fuse. The other six have been located and checked. Unfortunately, the manual's description and graphic of this fuse's location is not very enlightening for me. I'll keep looking for it though ...

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Thats the ignition fuse but not the same one im talking about. Follow the positive cable off the battery and it will lead to a box that it bolts to on one side, and another cables comes off the other. It will also have a couple small gauge wires connected to it. Thats your starter relay and the fuse is in there.

Hmm. Getting to the only thing that looks remotely like what you're describing looks like I will need to remove the rear fairing. Or kidnap a child with freakishly small hands and long fingers. I need a naked bike. :P

Let's see how this goes..... !

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Hmm. Getting to the only thing that looks remotely like what you're describing looks like I will need to remove the rear fairing. Or kidnap a child with freakishly small hands and long fingers. I need a naked bike. :P

Let's see how this goes..... !

Usually it is held in a rubber sleeve near the space between the front and passenger seat

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Usually it is held in a rubber sleeve near the space between the front and passenger seat

I'm feeling out of my league, so I took pictures.

I'm hoping the main fuse can be found in the first one, cause if it's in the second one, I don't know how I'm going to get to it!

Battery and stuff under the seat

Stuff that's tucked under fairing between the rider's seat and passengers seat. My fingers are touching the wire that leaves the battery on the positive side.

If what I need to get to is something in the second picture, could you be specific as to which part houses the fuse, and how to open it w/o breaking anything?


EDIT: Also, is FUSE 30A going to look like the other ones? Like a car fuse? I googled FUSE 30A to see what I was looking for, and there are a variety of different styles. Want to make sure I know what I'm looking for.

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

I'm feeling out of my league, so I took pictures.

I'm hoping the main fuse can be found in the first one, cause if it's in the second one, I don't know how I'm going to get to it!

Battery and stuff under the seat

Stuff that's tucked under fairing between the rider's seat and passengers seat. My fingers are touching the wire that leaves the battery on the positive side.

If what I need to get to is something in the second picture, could you be specific as to which part houses the fuse, and how to open it w/o breaking anything?


EDIT: Also, is FUSE 30A going to look like the other ones? Like a car fuse? I googled FUSE 30A to see what I was looking for, and there are a variety of different styles. Want to make sure I know what I'm looking for.

What you want to get at is in the second picture. Where the wire goes up into that box(starter relay), the clear/white plastic cover has to come off and the fuse is under there. If you look, you will see how the rubber sleeve that holds the starter relay on each side to the little plastic tabs? Gently pull up on the rubber until it pops up past the plastic tabs and you should be able to pull the starter relay back to a position to take the clear plastic cover off. The clear plastic cover should have two little tabs on each side that you push in and it will just pop right off. The fuse is like a car fuse, like you showed the pic of but bigger. You cant miss it once the cover is off.

Hope this helps.

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

What you want to get at is in the second picture. Where the wire goes up into that box(starter relay), the clear/white plastic cover has to come off and the fuse is under there. If you look, you will see how the rubber sleeve that holds the starter relay on each side to the little plastic tabs? Gently pull up on the rubber until it pops up past the plastic tabs and you should be able to pull the starter relay back to a position to take the clear plastic cover off. The clear plastic cover should have two little tabs on each side that you push in and it will just pop right off. The fuse is like a car fuse, like you showed the pic of but bigger. You cant miss it once the cover is off.

Hope this helps.

Well frick and double frick! You explained it perfectly, and after wrestling the bike and praying I wasn't breaking any wires, I got the cover off and the fuse out.

It looks whole. The little "tongs" look a little darkened, but the arch inside the green plastic is still whole. Are the darkened prongs enough for it to be worth replacing, or do I need to look elsewhere for the cause of my bike's deadness?

I'm running out of ideas!

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Well frick and double frick! You explained it perfectly, and after wrestling the bike and praying I wasn't breaking any wires, I got the cover off and the fuse out.

It looks whole. The little "tongs" look a little darkened, but the arch inside the green plastic is still whole. Are the darkened prongs enough for it to be worth replacing, or do I need to look elsewhere for the cause of my bike's deadness?

I'm running out of ideas!

I think you would see it burnt if it was bad, but if you have an extra laying around go ahead and replace it. I coulda sworn that was gonna be the problem, since the main power goes through that fuse before the rest of the bike. I would make sure the battery cables are tight on the relay before putting it back in there.

 

[ed29]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Basic check on battery voltage should be your first step. get an inexpensive digital volt meter from Radio Shack, or any electronics store. Knowing what you are starting with on the battery is a basic step. If it is dead as can be that would explain why the alarm tripped when you connected the tender. If voltage slowly dropped below what the alarm needs to have in order to function it will go into an unstable state. Once you connect power it will come back on in the alarmed state, just as it did.

I am betting it is a simple dead battery. Dead beyond what a tender can revive.

p.s.... that 'battery full' indicator is not a real indication of the battery state. It is merely indicating that the voltage during the charge attempt has climbed to a certain point. A non functioning battery might allow that without actually taking a charge.

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

I would make sure the battery cables are tight on the relay before putting it back in there.

Can you put that in colors and shapes language for me?

The only other thing I can think of is if it's my battery tender that is lying to me. Would it be safe to hook jumper cables up from a car and jump the bike like you would a dead car? Are the charges compatible, or will I fry the bike?


(By the way, thank you for all your help! You've been amazing!)

 

[kitfoxx]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

I am betting it is a simple dead battery. Dead beyond what a tender can revive.

p.s.... that 'battery full' indicator is not a real indication of the battery state. It is merely indicating that the voltage during the charge attempt has climbed to a certain point. A non functioning battery might allow that without actually taking a charge.

Yeah, I'm kinda thinking/hoping this is the case, too. Think I might just go buy a battery, bring it home, switch it out, and take them back the old one to recycle.

Probably my fault for not disconnecting the alarm before leaving it to sit. Previous to this year, I used to ride about 300 days out of every year, so I'm not accustomed to the ins and outs of bikes that sit! Time to ride more again.

 

[ed29]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Meters are cheap, without one you are just guessing. I recommend measuring the thing and knowing before plunking down the price of a battery.

 

[Monkey Wrench Cycles]

Re: GSX-R Won't Start

Can you put that in colors and shapes language for me?

The only other thing I can think of is if it's my battery tender that is lying to me. Would it be safe to hook jumper cables up from a car and jump the bike like you would a dead car? Are the charges compatible, or will I fry the bike?


(By the way, thank you for all your help! You've been amazing!)

Tighten the cables where they bolt to the relay. They will have a nut on top and dont go crazy just make sure theyre snug. And i suggest the same as stated above, get a voltmeter and check voltage, or simply take the battery out and take it to an auto parts place, ie autozone, oreillys, and they will test it for free.

There is an upside though. At least your learning those mechanical skills you didnt have before. Lol