Help! DCT won't start

I was forced to take the car into work today!

My 2013 DCT with about 7K miles on it wouldn't start.

I've never had a problem with it not starting before, and it worked fine on Saturday.

I turn the key to the on position, and the lights come on nice and bright and the horn works.

I turn the kill switch to "Run" and I hear the quiet click and whir I usually hear.

I hit the starter button, and...nothing. No sound, nothing.

I engage the front or rear brake, hit the starter button, and hear a click & the lights blink, as if the starter is trying, but the engine isn't turning over.

I tried turning everything off and waiting a moment, doing it all with the side stand up and with it down, but nothing.

I have a SAE connecter attached directly to the battery with a cigarette-lighter USB adapter attached. It had a charging cable for my iPhone plugged in, but nothing has been charging on it while the bike wan't running.

Help!

Does the bike display being in Neutral? I'd start with the battery as my first suspect. If you're mechanically inclined there are ways to measure voltage and troubleshoot the battery. Probably simpler to buy a new battery, invest in a battery tender and see if that solves the problem.
This is what I would do and is my humble opinion.
Good luck

try this adamw:
maybe loose connection on the battery ?
or
sit on the bike and balance it, bring up the kick stand now turn on the KEY. Is the Neutral light on?

bike won't start unless Neutral is lighted.
Ken

AdamW said:

I engage the front or rear brake, hit the starter button, and hear a click & the lights blink, as if the starter is trying, but the engine isn't turning over.

I have a SAE connecter attached directly to the battery with a cigarette-lighter USB adapter attached. It had a charging cable for my iPhone plugged in, but nothing has been charging on it while the bike wan't running.

Click to expand...

Sounds like the battery to me. Take a look at your battery first. Charge it up and try it again.

Always unplug any unused devices, such as your phone charger. These devices still draw power when your phone is not connected and could drain your battery in a few short days. Also these items should also be powered when the ignition is on. Going directly to the battery will cause results like you've experienced here.

Do you stop the bike by using the kill switch? If you do, you may have left the ignition switch on inadvertently and killed the battery.

Thanks for the replies. I'm at work now, so I can't check, but the bikes a DCT and I seem to remember it being in neutral, but I can't be sure. I plan to pick up a battery tender on the way home and try some more.

Any other ideas or advice is very welcome!

Adam

dmerc said:

Do you stop the bike by using the kill switch? If you do, you may have left the ignition switch on inadvertently and killed the battery.

Click to expand...

I use the kill switch, yes. But I also have a top box, and I take the key out of the ignition to open it. Also, I park in my garage, so I'd notice if the headlight was on.

kjang said:

tbike won't start unless Neutral is lighted.

Click to expand...

This is another validate point. It's "Good Practices" to put your “DCT Bike” into Neutral before killing the engine.

If you have a "Low Battery" the system will not be able to shift the bike into neutral, thus the bike will not be able to engage the starter to start the bike.

It looks like you've a weak battery.

1. Disconnect completely the battery
2. Get a voltage measurement to know the state of charge
3. Try to charge it with a nice battery maintainer, like Optimate or CTEK.
4. Let it rest for at least 3-4 hours and take another measurement
5. Post us the numbers!

Brillot2000, is right. It's always good practice to connect any accessories using a relay and not directly to the battery. That's why I'm using the subharness for all my accessories...

i also think is the battery voltage, not enough to turn over

mreric said:

i also think is the battery voltage, not enough to turn over

Click to expand...

It's not the "Voltage" that gets the starter to start spinning. It's the "Current" (Amps) that does that.

A battery is like a pitcher of water, when it is full the water flows quicker to full a glass. If the pitcher is nearly empty, it does not flow quickly nor can it full the glass fully. The volume of the pitcher is like the capacity of the battery. A battery that's not fully charged is like the nearly empty pitcher.

These videos might help with the basic understanding of electricity.

[video=youtube;vK0uAW8usco]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK0uAW8usco[/video]

[video=youtube;gixkpsrxk4Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gixkpsrxk4Y[/video]

Others with DCT have had this problem using the kill switch to stop the engine still in gear. Later not enough battery charge to move it to neutral. Won't argue about using kill switch but IF YOU DO, FIRST PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. Usually if battery is too low to start engine you will still hear starter click.

Using an hydraulic analogy, voltage is the pressure and amperage the flow...

The power we need to start the engine is given by Voltage x Amperes. We need both of them.

How much voltage? A lot, especially in winter. Every time we start the engine we've a big voltage drop in the battery. More voltage can give you more opportunities to start the engine on a cold night...

ste7ios said:

The power we need to start the engine is given by Voltage x Amperes. We need both of them.

Every time we start the engine we've a big voltage drop in the battery. More voltage can give you more opportunities to start the engine on a cold night...

Click to expand...

The battery is a "Reservoir" that holds the "Electrons" needed for the flow. The "Voltage" is the "Force" behind the flow. It is possible to have "Force" without significant flow. Again it's the "Flow" of the electrons that gets things rolling here with a significant amount of force (Voltage) behind it.

Here's an example of what I am trying to explain here:

You have a garden holes with a very light flow of water coming out of it. Place your finger over the end and "Pressure" will start to build. Release it and there's an instantaneous release of the force that quickly fades and you're back at the initial flow you started with. That’s what a “Bad or Weak” battery is like.

On mine, Before turning off and before backing up put in neutral.
Then I use the key to turn it off. Put the kickstand down.
Then I do put the KILL switch to off.

Just no reason why I do the kill switch, but I do.
Then I lock up the bike with a disc lock.

So far so good.

Hope its just a low battery. If not, try rocking / moving the bike about a couple of feet. Then try it.

Ken

Thanks for all the replies! Fuzzy and Kjang got it the most right. After only an hour on my new charger, it shifted into neutral and started right up!

AdamW said:

Thanks for all the replies! Fuzzy and Kjang got it the most right. After only an hour on my new charger, it shifted into neutral and started right up!

Click to expand...

I hope you learned your lesson. Shift the bike into neutral before turning off the engine. This is SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for me...

AdamW; great. Good you got it started.

Enjoy your ride tomorrow. I'll be heading to half moon bay at 7:15am or so to put my boat in the water.
Maybe I'll see you on the road...

ken (red nc)

I sure did!

Brillot2000 said:

I hope you learned your lesson. Shift the bike into neutral before turning off the engine. This is SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for me...

Click to expand...

kjang said:

AdamW; great. Good you got it started.

Enjoy your ride tomorrow. I'll be heading to half moon bay at 7:15am or so to put my boat in the water.
Maybe I'll see you on the road...

ken (red nc)

Click to expand...

A boat, huh? Have fun. I usually get to school just before 7, so I'll be down there a bit before you.

Adam