96 GSX Turns Over as Soon as Battery is Connected

[cam2rich]

Tried to test out my GSX last weekend and things weren't going to hot. Ski wasn't running well so I kept having to restart it and lay on the starter. After a while of starting, running, waiting, etc. it did something strange. I hit the start button and let off and I could here just an electric motor going. I'm guessing it was the starter motor spinning but not firing/engaging. It kept going after tapping the start stop a few times and removing the key, so I had to disconnect the battery after probably 2 minutes. When I reconnected the battery, the start button did nothing but I did get my 2 chirps with the key. Here I am a few days later, I charged the battery and went to hook it back up and the starter immediately turns over the engine. I tested the start button and the ohms on the rd/yl wire at the aftermarket mpem, and both were good. If I disconnect the plug on the solenoid, the starter doesn't kicked on. Metered the plug and it's getting 12v. Disconnected hot from the starter and connected the battery and you can here the relay in the solenoid fire. I'm at a loss. Both the mpem and solenoid are new. Assuming the plug at the solenoid should have power as soon as the battery is connected. Any tips?

 

[Ckrawiec]

If you connect the battery to the ski and the starter immediately kicks in...your starter solenoid is stuck closed. The solenoid is the "break" link between the battery and the starter.....hitting the S/S button (assuming your DESS system detects the right key and the MPEM is OK) should send a signal to the starter solenoid to engage and allow full battery power to flow to the starter motor. The solenoid is simply an electric coil that once it gets energized it pushes a copper bar up to make contact between the 2 posts on top. IF the engine starts and you let go of the S/S button, the copper bar drops out (the solenoid coil is de-energized).

A new solenoid is USED the first time it is energized....sometimes the copper bar inside the solenoid may fuse with the posts (high energy arc weld)...there is a saying -> "stuff happens"!.

 

[cam2rich]

I was thinking that too as I'm quite familiar with contactors and have them weld shut regularly but in my experience, they have always been normally open until energized. Since this one does not try to start until the coil plug, which is getting power, is plugged in, I figured it was the fact that the coil is seeing 12v that is the issue. Can anyone confirm if the solenoid is normally open or normally closed?

 

[mikidymac]

Solenoid is N/O otherwise the engine would crank all the time. The actuator plug should not be getting power all the time.

 

[cam2rich]

Solenoid is N/O otherwise the engine would crank all the time. The actuator plug should not be getting power all the time.

Figured. I tested ohms on the yellow/red wire on both male and female ends and they tested okay per the recommended <50k and <10k respectively. Male to gnd went from 28k down to 16k and held, female was 6.66k (so it's cursed). So is there a way to "reset" an mpem outside of disconnecting the battery or should I assume it fried itself under nearly normal circumstances? (Having to start it a bunch)

 

[cam2rich]

Figured. I tested ohms on the yellow/red wire on both male and female ends and they tested okay per the recommended <50k and <10k respectively. Male to gnd went from 28k down to 16k and held, female was 6.66k (so it's cursed). So is there a way to "reset" an mpem outside of disconnecting the battery or should I assume it fried itself under nearly normal circumstances? (Having to start it a bunch)

 

[mikidymac]

No way to reset them. Typically they blow the fuse when they are connected.