1150GS won't start

[Lee Frost]

My 2000 Reg 1150GS recently had a new wiring harness fitted after a short in the fusebox caused some serious damage to the old harness. The bike ran perfectly when I rode it home after the rewire. A couple of days later I cleaned the engine with some alloy wheel cleaner (okay, possibly not a good idea but it can't be any worse than engine degreaser) and after that the bike refused to start. If I hold the ignition button down it will run but as soon as I take my finger off the button it dies, or idles or a few seconds then dies.

I thought I'd flooded the engine, but it seems not
I was told the cleaner may have damaged the alternator but another one was fitted and the same problem exists.
The plugs have been checked and are sparking fine

The mechanic trying to sort this problem is at a loss and he's an ex-BMW bike mechanic.

Any of you chaps have any ideas?

 

[NeilDD]

The ignition kill and starter activation switches are in one and the same location on the RH switchgear.
I suspect the rubber boot had failed on the switches inside, and your alloy wheel cleaner (a caustic solution) has probably knacked the ignition kill part.

Neil

 

[Lee Frost]

Thanks Neil.

I didn't get the alloy cleaner near the switchgear, only on the engine casing, but could it have caused damage to something on the engine that relates to the ignition? I'm in Iceland at the moment (it's pissing down) and my bike's with the mechanic back home so I can't check anything and I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this!

The switchgear on the RH side was replaced during the rewire as the original was damaged, though having just read about cutting the cable ties on the ignition switch loom to prevent wires snapping, I'm wonderng if a loose or broken wire in the ignition loom could be the problem, even though it's a new loom.

 

[andybharris]

?

find another mechanic ;-) , if the guy is an ex bmw bike tech it shouldn't be too hard for him to find out the problem through the process of illimination.

did you pressure wash the bike when cleaning, did you blast the front cover?? perhaps you have got the caustic wheel cleaner on the hall effect sensor??
or something daft like the starter switch has become faulty,, maybe worth stripping the switch to investigate..

if as you say it idles a few seconds the dies may well be the hall sensor

 

[Lee Frost]

Thanks Andy,

You're spot on - Hall Sensor knackered, which was probably my fault for using fekkin wheel cleaner on the engine, which found its way into the sensor . First and last time I'll be doing that, but at least the problem has been diagnosed and can now be sorted.