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Electrical problem - starter running

11K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Damage 
#1 ·
Strange electrical problem with a 1984 K100. Fired it up this morning and ran down the road just fine but when I came to a stop, I had no blinkers, headlights or taillights. Then I hear some noise, which turns out to be the starter running. Shut it off and the starter kept cranking so I had to disconnect the battery. What the ... ? :(
 
#2 · (Edited)
live short

Would it be fair to say all of these are common to the right handlebar switch control? A full wiring diagram is available at: http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/bvogel/K100/download/k100 wiring diagram.jpg

... with luck it's a shorting or stuck starter button, there is a load shedding relay shown in the schematic and I believe the purpose of that relay is to momentarily kill your lights while the starter is cranking and in this case that's all the time.
 
#3 ·
The starter running with the bike turned off is a fairly common K issue. If the battery is low the starter relay contacts can weld together. Sometimes you can fix it with a good rap to knock it loose (it's under the tank, in a covered box, the relay has 2 heavy lugs going into it)
Don't know about the other problems, could be a dead battery or I think the starter has a shed circut that cuts out the headlight when the starter engages.
 
#5 ·
so......... I think you guys were correct. The starter relay got stuck, no big deal really. when the starter relay turns on the lights and other accessories turn off to give more power to the starter. That's why I lost all the lights I also need plug wires. Is there an alternative to the stock wires or can anyone tell me the best source. I usually order from Max BMW.
 
#9 ·
Wait - an 1984 K100??

Thought the first model year in the States was 1985? :dunno:

Anyhow the other guys are right on - replace the starter relay - it will do this again and again and again. I believe it's a standard Bosch relay so any auto parts store should have it.
 
#10 ·
Beemer01 said:
Thought the first model year in the States was 1985? :dunno:

Anyhow the other guys are right on - replace the starter relay - it will do this again and again and again. I believe it's a standard Bosch relay so any auto parts store should have it.
85 was the first model year in the US but a few 84s have found their way here. Like guys serving in Germany who bought them there and then brought them home and others who have moved from Europe to here and brought bikes with them..


The starter relay is not a standard Bosch relay. Horn, fuel injection and load shed are "Bosch" relays though.
 
#13 ·
84 K100?

Sorry for the late reply. I actually bought it in England from a British Naval Officer who was being posted to the Pentagon. It had sat in his "Garden" (back yard) for 4 years half covered and mostly exposed to the beautiful English climate. I shipped it back over to the states with the rest of my household goods. It turned out to be a bit of a hassle getting it registered because I didn't do my research before I left the UK. Being a European model and not one manufactured for US export, it doesn't have a VIN, only a German Frame ID, which is 13 instead of 17 digits. I would have thought the Florida DMV would have had experience with this kind of thing because of all the military in the area, but no such luck. They eventually issued me a VIN certification but then I ran into trouble with taxes. The County would not accept a sales receipt in foreign currency (British Pounds) for valuation so I had to find a dealer to appraise it. That too was a hassle. No BMW dealers in my area and the import dealers wouldn't touch it. I finally got the Harley dealer to do it.
 
#14 ·
Similar problem re starter motor but with K75s

I have a similar problem.

The bike runs OK, but the indicators and horn don't work. When I swithch it off, the starter motor keeps running (while the bike is actually running the starter motor isn't operating). I have checked the starter relay and this seems OK, and the contacts don't seem to have siezed i.e. They are open when i check the relay and the open and close manually without a problem?.
 
#15 ·
More gremlins.....! Take the starter apart and clean it. :thumb:
 
#17 ·
Fixed relay

did the old start the whole thing again routine. Eventually tracked starter problem down to a bad earth even though I had replaced the original one. It was still showing 12 to 12.5 volts and everything else but I just started replacing things again and when I put in a new earth everything worked fine. thanks for your help re this.
 
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