Hey guys, I know this is probably beating a dead horse.... I have a 2014 viper ltx se I rode it maybe a half a mile shut it off walked in the house back out went to start it and it only clicks at the relay. I put a new battery in same thing. voltage with new battery is around 12.5/13.0 as soon as I try to crank the sled it drops to around 9.4 volts. any help here would be great thanks!!
Crazy Canuk
Expert
Could be a bad battery even though it is new. You could have it load tested to confirm. I would also check for corrosion at the connections and make sure they are tight. Di-Electric grease if your friend there too. Depending on the temp, it could be a frozen relay as well. Just a few easy things to try.
Thanks a bunch I will try these things this evening
grizztracks
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If the relay clicks then jump across the two large terminals on the relay to see if it rolls over. If it rolls you have a bad starter relay. If it still doesn't roll then there is possibly a starter issue. Check the starter cable to make sure it didn't come loose at the starter or relay.
ksiesel
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Battery drops to 9V, so it seems either battery is bad or ALLOT of juice is going somewhere. Have you tried rolling the engine over with the clutch by hand (only in the forward direction)?
I agree. Cranking engine is a load test and this battery failed miserably.
grizztracks
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9.4 volts is acceptable for a battery load test but the starter relay alone should not put that much of a load on the battery. The new battery my not have had a full charge either. The battery should have a 24 hour trickle charge put on it before use or load testing. It's possible he has a locked up starter and that's putting the load on the battery. If the starter relay didn't disengage the starter when he took the short ride it could have dropped a magnet.
Could be battery wasnt fully charged. What was voltage of battery before cranking?
grizztracks
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He said 12.5 to 13 volts but that could be a surface charge so the voltage doesn't necessary indicate that the battery is fully charged. The only way to be sure is to trickle charge it over an extended period of time then load test it.
It was the starter... It seemed to freeze up I have had some kick back issues with it The sled has 2700 miles one the original starter
Oh Man that sucks!
Craig Heels
Newbie
Hey guys, newbie on the 4-stroke here. I'm having same issue, had battery in house on trickle charger all summer, shows full charge. Installed this morning and nothing but a clicking from part hooked to battery ( looks like a mini-distributer cap ), is that the relay? Or little plug piece beside that maybe a fuse? Its currently -22C outside, third straight day in the -20C - -30C range out there, sled has been on an open trailer in driveway since XMAS.
grizztracks
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That's the starter relay clicking. the two larger terminals on the relay, one from the battery and the other to the starter can be jumped across to test if the relay is bad. If you have a test light or meter you can also measure the voltage on the starter wire to see if it's energized after it clicks. If you jump it and it rolls the engine then the relay is bad. If it doesn't roll and there seems to be a hard draw then you have a starter issue. I carry a heavy gauge wire with me because if the start really acts up I can always jump it to get the sled started and I'm not left stranded.
Craig Heels
Newbie
So by jumping it, you mean run the wire or some other metal piece to connect the two terminals, then turn key?
Craig Heels
Newbie
If I do that, and engine turns over / starts, should I leave wire jumper on the terminals, or remove?
