Have I discovered a starter gremlin?

[Lucky]

Thinking about my long winded battery post today got me thinking about statrers and battery's and stuff. sometimes a wandering mind can be a good thing...

It go me wondering, where exactly is the starter grounded?  a poor ground at the starter would make it harder to start the bike.

to answer my own guestion, the starter is grounded thru the case, or more specificly thru the mounting bolts, as the nose itself has a rubber o-ring on it and any point of the starter touching the case there would be incidental.  obviously, if the starter has been painted (on the ends) this would even further nullify that.

next spot would be where the starter gears contact inside the case.  QUESTION: (not rehtorical) is this a good path to ground? bathed in oil and all?

so really we are talking about 2 bolts at the tail of the starter (made of aluminum, not the best conductor...) that had better be tight and clean or there are going to be problems.  I do remember cleaning corrosion from those threads before...

what do you think? am I being an alarmist? should we all go out right now and check those mounting  bolts? would the addition of a ground strap or at least star washers be a good idea?
--Lucky

[mac_p300]

If you look at any starter motor on any engine it's grounded through its mounting bolts. Good point about making sure there's a good metal to metal contact though. Also, how is the engine grounded to the frame? Most car engines have a copper braided earth strap from the -ve side of the battery or the chassis to a bolt on the engine. Mind you most car engines are rubber mounted!
One way of testing for a bad earth would be to connect a digital voltmeter between the -ve terminal of the battery and the casing of the starter. If there was a voltage shown on the meter when the starter was cranked then that would be equivalent to the voltage drop due to a bad ground.
Oh by the way, Aluminium is an excellent electrical conductor. Better that iron/steel and almost as good as copper.

Malcolm

[Rick_Laffer]

I reckon that you're making good sense, Lucky

[jasonm.]

Malcolm is correct. Also those bolts are steel. And tightening them usually cuts through the factory paint. I sanded the paint off to be sure on mine. Also the main ground lead from your Vision battery goes to the engine on the left side. About 4" above the shifter...I think.