Slow cranking and ABS light blinking problem

[jconway607]

On my 96 R1100rt I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. I have charged the Odyssey battery up and it reads 13.0 volts. It's about 40 degrees out, but this happens when it's warmer also. When I first go to start it, it cranks slowly, like it's really working to turn the engine over. It will start the bike but then the ABS lights blink alternately. If I ride it for five minutes it will re-start easily and the lights are off.
I don't think it's a battery problem, not with 13 volts. So I'm wondering if the starter is the problem, that it pulls so many amps from the battery in that initial start that the ABS shows a problem. Does that sound reasonable? I'm thinking I will take the starter out and take it to a repair shop to see if they feel there is a problem, although it does run and all. Any tests that I can do to see if the starter needs work/replacement? There seemed to be some threads on cleaning, polishing the rotor, etc. Would that help the problem, or do they usually need actual replacement? Thanks.

 

[BC1100S]

Other more knowledgeable minds will chime in but I think you're on the right track thinking your starter is the issue.

 

[m_stock10506]

I replaced the starter on my 2001 R1100RT. I went for a $60 something dollar replacement and it went into the bike with no problems and has performed flawlessly. The old starter still worked but it was tired. For that kind of price you might just go ahead even if it could still easily be the battery. Initial voltage of 13 volts means nothing. You need to monitor voltage as the starter is cranking.

 

[henzilla]

Several Similar Threads at bottom of page...lot of sage advice already, but worth a read

 

[dieselyoda]

Check grounds first as in actually take them off, clean them, make sure they are tight.

Next, just because the battery has voltage, it doesn't mean it has capacity. It's pretty easy to see what kind of capacity these tiny batteries have just by watching the voltage by turning the headlight on. If you got good volts after charge, let the battery sit about an hour, check your voltage and turn on the headlight, if it drops fast, you have a bad battery.

If you are sure the battery is good, connect the positive to the negative post of the battery and the negative to your good ground and crank. If your voltage is above a 1.0 or so, you could guess the starter is an issue.

 

[pglaves]

The blinking ABS light, corrected on a restart after a few miles, is a clear signal that the voltage during cranking is low. If it drops much below 10v you get the ABS low voltage fault. That is the only ABS fault that resets itself. There are several possible causes but the two most common are a weak battery or starter drag or a loose magnet in the starter.

Charge the battery.
Wait an hour
Read voltage at battery.
Turn on key and kill switch - read voltage at battery
Press starter button - read voltage at battery while cranking

Let us know what the three readings are.

 

[gsaddict]

How old is the Odyssey PC680?

Unless the 14.7v alternator mod has been done, the battery will loose capacity over time. The 14.0v standard oilhead alternator output is insufficient to properly recharge AGM batteries over time.
That generation of bikes originally came out with flooded cell batteries which do well with the lower charging voltage.

 

[jconway607]

Charge the battery.
Wait an hour
Read voltage at battery.
Turn on key and kill switch - read voltage at battery
Press starter button - read voltage at battery while cranking

Let us know what the three readings are.

I let the bike charge overnight then checked the voltage which was at 13.5v. When I switched on the key it dropped pretty quickly to around 12.2v. It seemed to stabilize there. When I had the key and kill switch on, then hit the starter button, first it went to 10.1v then, then starting again it was down to 9.8, and finally 9.6v. (I suppose that is what is causing the ABS fault, going down to around 10 volts and lower.) So, would it be the battery loosing the charge too quickly,( battery problem) or is it a higher draw than what the starter should be doing, so a starter problem. I just checked my records and the Odyssey battery was installed in early 2016, so about three years old at this point.

Can the starters be repaired, such as polishing the armature, greased, etc? Or do they simply need replaced, as is usually the case with car starters? Although for the trouble of getting it out and back in, I guess I'd probably just replace it.
If it is the starter, where would be a good place to get a replacement? Thanks.

 

[m_stock10506]

If it is the starter, where would be a good place to get a replacement? Thanks.

I got mine here. It's been in the bike for 17 months and a little over 17k miles.

https://www.dbelectrical.com/starters/motorcycle/bmw/

 

[pglaves]

Can the starters be repaired, such as polishing the armature, greased, etc? Or do they simply need replaced, as is usually the case with car starters? Although for the trouble of getting it out and back in, I guess I'd probably just replace it.
If it is the starter, where would be a good place to get a replacement? Thanks.

My best guess is that it is a battery issue. But if it were my bike I would pull the starter and inspect it. There are a couple of known problems. The permanent magnets bonded to the case on the early starters were known to become unglued. If one comes loose it sticks to the armature and causes significant drag. On higher mileage bikes the nose bushing at the pinion end of the starter can wear, allowing the armature to be a little off center and drag.

 

[pglaves]

I got mine here. It's been in the bike for 17 months and a little over 17k miles.

https://www.dbelectrical.com/starters/motorcycle/bmw/

Euromotoelectrics also has starters.

https://www.euromotoelectrics.com/category-s/1623.htm

 

[179212]

On my 94 1100RS same problem, thought it was battery until starter completely died at a gas station about 30 miles from home, I got the starter mentioned by Mr Stock and all is well.