Shivesy
Expert
I was stranded and holding up our group of four for 2 extra hours in Pembroke Ontario this past Sat. due to the fact that my 07 Attak would not start on a very cold -4 degree F morning.
When I turned the key over at the ignition the speedo needle would do its normal half moon rotation but nothing else would take place. I thought that maybe my battery might be dead so I quickly touched the two jumper wires together and BAM plenty of spark.
Next I pulled out my spare fuel relay and swapped it out with the one I was running in the sled. Still a no go. The reason I have a few spare fuel relays on hand is because while I was in Maine last year one of them froze up on me which left me stranded until I could figure that one out.
I've been a hardcore believer in Yamaha products for along time and have read a few posts here on this forum about members "Jumping Ship" to another brand because of all their problems. I always thought while reading the "Jumping Ship" threads that these guys just don't have enough faith in Yamaha, plus this just couldn't happen to me. Now lets get back to reality because on Sat. this was happening to me, and my faith was being tested. I was actually contemplating "jumping ship". I was cold, fingers froze, 145 miles from the truck and I was broke down in the Best Western parking lot. I had the glossy red Attak hood, right and left side panels, tool kit along with a few extra fuel relays, jumper cables, my helmet and gloves all skattered on the pavement in different areas around the sled. I was pissed off, confused and colud not think of a way to troubleshoot this situation in order to get this Attak to start. Low and behold I had one more tool at hand that I wasn't taking advantage of and that was my new (small) personal computer that fits nicely in my cargo bag next to my tow rope. I decided to just leave all my parts in place on the pavement and I grabbed my computer. I headed across the street to have some breakfast at the local truck stop. I found myself a table and powered up my computer so I could log onto this site and do a search on my "No Start" problem. What a blessing this site is because while I was scarfing down a few overeasy eggs with toast I was reading about members having their sleds not start due to the starter relay being frozen along with other problems I was already educated on. Boy I was starting to feel alot better now because I had food in my belly, my fingers were starting to thaw and with this newly gathered information at hand it gave me hope that I could fire up that broke down Attak accross the street. I gathered my thoughts for a second and gulped down the last bit of coffee in my mug as I proudly stood up and said to myself I am going to get this sled started.
I ran back across the busy highway and into the front door of the Best Western and asked the desk attendent if she would kindly let me barrow a hair dryer. She went into the back room and a minute later she returned with a hair dryer in her hand. My brother and I tied a tow strap to the front of the Attak and to the rear of his Vector and we towed the sled over to a nearby recepticle so we could plug up the hair dryer. I held the hair dryer steady for about 5 minutes as it was pointed down towards the hidden starter relay. I decided to turn the key on and the relay started to make a clicking sound which had never happened before. A few more minutes and about 18 turns with the key and the Attak fired right up. Man I was happy
I let the sled warm up a few minutes and drove her over to the small pile of parts still laying on the pavement. I assembled the parts back on the Attak, strapped on my helment, put on my gloves and our group proceeded back to the truck that was parked 145 miles away in the town of Bancroft.
Well now I'm back home and I have had some time to evaluate this Jumping Ship thought and I have decided that the only thing that I really want to jump on is my Yamaha Attak. Yes my faith has been restored and the credit goes to Ty 4 Stroke. So I'm here today wrighting a BIG "Thank You" to all you guys here at TY for the help you gave me on a COLD Saturday morning.
Happy Sledding:
Shivesy
When I turned the key over at the ignition the speedo needle would do its normal half moon rotation but nothing else would take place. I thought that maybe my battery might be dead so I quickly touched the two jumper wires together and BAM plenty of spark.
Next I pulled out my spare fuel relay and swapped it out with the one I was running in the sled. Still a no go. The reason I have a few spare fuel relays on hand is because while I was in Maine last year one of them froze up on me which left me stranded until I could figure that one out.
I've been a hardcore believer in Yamaha products for along time and have read a few posts here on this forum about members "Jumping Ship" to another brand because of all their problems. I always thought while reading the "Jumping Ship" threads that these guys just don't have enough faith in Yamaha, plus this just couldn't happen to me. Now lets get back to reality because on Sat. this was happening to me, and my faith was being tested. I was actually contemplating "jumping ship". I was cold, fingers froze, 145 miles from the truck and I was broke down in the Best Western parking lot. I had the glossy red Attak hood, right and left side panels, tool kit along with a few extra fuel relays, jumper cables, my helmet and gloves all skattered on the pavement in different areas around the sled. I was pissed off, confused and colud not think of a way to troubleshoot this situation in order to get this Attak to start. Low and behold I had one more tool at hand that I wasn't taking advantage of and that was my new (small) personal computer that fits nicely in my cargo bag next to my tow rope. I decided to just leave all my parts in place on the pavement and I grabbed my computer. I headed across the street to have some breakfast at the local truck stop. I found myself a table and powered up my computer so I could log onto this site and do a search on my "No Start" problem. What a blessing this site is because while I was scarfing down a few overeasy eggs with toast I was reading about members having their sleds not start due to the starter relay being frozen along with other problems I was already educated on. Boy I was starting to feel alot better now because I had food in my belly, my fingers were starting to thaw and with this newly gathered information at hand it gave me hope that I could fire up that broke down Attak accross the street. I gathered my thoughts for a second and gulped down the last bit of coffee in my mug as I proudly stood up and said to myself I am going to get this sled started.
I ran back across the busy highway and into the front door of the Best Western and asked the desk attendent if she would kindly let me barrow a hair dryer. She went into the back room and a minute later she returned with a hair dryer in her hand. My brother and I tied a tow strap to the front of the Attak and to the rear of his Vector and we towed the sled over to a nearby recepticle so we could plug up the hair dryer. I held the hair dryer steady for about 5 minutes as it was pointed down towards the hidden starter relay. I decided to turn the key on and the relay started to make a clicking sound which had never happened before. A few more minutes and about 18 turns with the key and the Attak fired right up. Man I was happy
I let the sled warm up a few minutes and drove her over to the small pile of parts still laying on the pavement. I assembled the parts back on the Attak, strapped on my helment, put on my gloves and our group proceeded back to the truck that was parked 145 miles away in the town of Bancroft. Well now I'm back home and I have had some time to evaluate this Jumping Ship thought and I have decided that the only thing that I really want to jump on is my Yamaha Attak. Yes my faith has been restored and the credit goes to Ty 4 Stroke. So I'm here today wrighting a BIG "Thank You" to all you guys here at TY for the help you gave me on a COLD Saturday morning.
Happy Sledding:
Shivesy
Attachments
kenbar
Extreme
Where exactly is the hidden starter relay so I will know where to point the dryer!
speedjunky
Extreme
On the right hand side under the air box. I just had to replace mine. Nice this is that if you take the hood off you can get a blow dryer right on it.
Cap'tAttack
Newbie
Had the same experience this winter. Minus 20 celcius with a wind. Went to start my Attak and heard the dreaded... click, click. Starter relay was frozen. The problem was I was parked too far away from an outlet to get the hair dryer on it. So, got a tie down strap out, wrapped it around the clutch and pulled. Sixth pull later , it fired right up. What I found out was the four cylinders like a long extended pull versus a short quick one. The only thing it doesn't look good with a strap in your hand beside a Yamaha four stroke. Your friends don't let you forget it. I don't see why when the two strokes go down, explode on a regular basis, they just take it in stride,they still think it's the best machine out there 
. But when a Yamaha has a minor glitch, they try to make it sound like they are a piece of junk.
. But when a Yamaha has a minor glitch, they try to make it sound like they are a piece of junk. 
CaptCaper
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speedjunky said:
It is mounted on the side of the battey holder isn't it? I wonder if pouring a little hot water on it while turning the key if no access to hair dryer,etc. would thaw it out or really kill it.
Blue Dave
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I certainly wouldn't pour water on it. If you can not warm it up you could jump across the terminals with a screwdriver or wrap a rope around the primary clutch like Cap't Attack did.
Shivesy
Expert
speedjunky said:
You really can't get a blow dryer right on it. The starter relay is behind a few hoses and tucked under the airbox. I just aimed the hair dryier towards the relay and got lucky that way
I don't think you can jump the relay without some disassembly. It's tucked under the airbox pretty good.
If you really wanted to get right on it or if you need to remove the relay, the headlight pod along with the airbox needs to come off. I didn't pack my long allen wrench which removes the allen head bolts that attaches the airbox to the carbs. I guess that is another tool I need to carry.
I was thinking of maybe a set of wires that are hard wired to the starter relay. Have these starter jumper wires hanging out by the battery jumper wires where they are easy to reach. The new starter jumper wire ends could have a male and female plug on the wires. Now if your starter relay freezes over we would have a temporary fix. Just plug them in. Once the sled is started unplug the harness and make sure the ends are protected and sealed.
Shivesy
Expert
If I purchase a new starter relay can I expect it to be any better than the stock one? Are these relays defective or is it just a few that go bad because my Apex and my brothers Apex were fine. Once I was able to get the Attak fired up I never had the no start problem the rest of the day. Whats the best way to fix this problem?
bashley
Expert
My '06 Attak just started doing the same thing this winter. At first I thought the battery was going bad because everytime it wouldn't start I'd put jumper cables on it and after a minute or two it would start. Then I noticed after dragging it into the garage for a couple minutes, instead of jumping it, it would start right up.
niko
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Some times those relays just need a slight tap and they will work.
breakinbarrs
Expert
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No start.
Shivesy, the reason for the problem is moisture, if the relay housing is compromised and a small bit of moisture gets in it freezes and will cause the relay to stick, hence the hair dryer remedy. Once you start it and it gets warm your fine. I have had a new fuel relay in my pocket all season since one in our group had that hicup.
Shivesy, the reason for the problem is moisture, if the relay housing is compromised and a small bit of moisture gets in it freezes and will cause the relay to stick, hence the hair dryer remedy. Once you start it and it gets warm your fine. I have had a new fuel relay in my pocket all season since one in our group had that hicup.
