EC 300 2018 starter problem

[GASGASCWB]

Originally Posted by Skyrooster

I have suspected from day one that there's some kind of bypass circuit that allows full battery voltage while cranking and for some reason this circuit was open thus no spark while cranking. I could not find a decent wiring diagram to study so that I prove my theory. My friend just took a gamble and bought a harness as a last ditch effort to solve his problem.

The way the subframe can pull on the harness while assembling the bike could be the cause.

I can not really understand the cause!
My battery (2018 OEM) turns the estart, but not enough for the engine to turn on!
It seems to be missing a bit.
A stronger battery would solve the problem, the principle.
But will the alternator keep this battery fully charged without damage for how long?
I really do not know if it's worth spending money on batteries?
Several reports that the problem comes back in a short time.

[Skyrooster]

My friends bike started good for about 3 days and then the screw that holds the bearing on the worm gear backed out for the second time and bound up the starter. He has replaced almost every part related to the starting system and many of the parts have been replaced twice. Even with the help and discounts of his local dealer he has spent about $1,000 on starting system related parts and I can't even begin to guess how many hours. He is now looking at buying a TM or a Beta. I know another guy who's family has 3 of the same model GasGas 300 bikes and he hasn't had any trouble with the starters on any of them but he is on his 3rd complete top end on one of his bikes. I guess it's luck of the draw on these bikes whether you get a good one.

[Gasser Nate]

Originally Posted by Skyrooster

My friends bike started good for about 3 days and then the screw that holds the bearing on the worm gear backed out for the second time and bound up the starter. He has replaced almost every part related to the starting system and many of the parts have been replaced twice. Even with the help and discounts of his local dealer he has spent about $1,000 on starting system related parts and I can't even begin to guess how many hours. He is now looking at buying a TM or a Beta. I know another guy who's family has 3 of the same model GasGas 300 bikes and he hasn't had any trouble with the starters on any of them but he is on his 3rd complete top end on one of his bikes. I guess it's luck of the draw on these bikes whether you get a good one.

I really do not believe it to be a bad starter system, everything mechanical can obviously have faults and poorly designed or assembled components, but I think the issue here with a lot of people is that they are blindly throwing parts and money by the way to a problem without actually diagnosing what is wrong. I truly think that all the solutions to each and every starting issue can be found in these threads. It just takes a logical systematic approach to sort it out. Saying this there obviously is not enough competent mechanics at dealers who can help out in this regard which may be more of a failing than the starter motors. Perhaps I should do a list of the common things that go wrong and the associated fixed in a order based list so people can check them out?
Really it is not a complicated system and has been around since 2015 and I myself seeing many bikes with 2-300 hours on original components. Nocams here has a billion hours on his 2018 already...

[Skyrooster]

Originally Posted by Gasser Nate

I really do not believe it to be a bad starter system, everything mechanical can obviously have faults and poorly designed or assembled components, but I think the issue here with a lot of people is that they are blindly throwing parts and money by the way to a problem without actually diagnosing what is wrong. I truly think that all the solutions to each and every starting issue can be found in these threads. It just takes a logical systematic approach to sort it out. Saying this there obviously is not enough competent mechanics at dealers who can help out in this regard which may be more of a failing than the starter motors. Perhaps I should do a list of the common things that go wrong and the associated fixed in a order based list so people can check them out?
Really it is not a complicated system and has been around since 2015 and I myself seeing many bikes with 2-300 hours on original components. Nocams here has a billion hours on his 2018 already...

I'm sure there's some truth to the but I'll give a short history of his problems.

2nd day he owned it it wouldn't start with the E-start. Dealer sent him a re-flashed ECU and a new battery. I worked for about 3 weeks and started making horrible noises. The small cover was excessively worn oblong which ruined the flywheel ring gear, the small gear and overheated the starter. Dealer sold him a starter, a small cover, the small gear that drives the flywheel, the small bearings, and gaskets. It then cranked over fast but had no spark while cranking but would immediately start with the kick starter. Dealer sent him a 2019 ECU and he bought a new wiring harness. Bike ran terrible with the 2019 ECU but started for 2 days with the new harness and the old ECU. after 2 days the bolt backed out of the small helical gear and locked up the starter and overheated it. He tightened the bolt and replaced the stater with a new one. It started for one week and the bolt backed out again. He tightened the bolt with lock tight again and it sometimes starts. He bought the bike new at the end of October 2018 and it's started properly for a sum total of about 3 weeks.

I get that there's a lot of bikes out there with no problems but I read through the multiple posts on this thread and he has had nearly every problem that everyone else has had. It might be because when it won't start the owners cranks longer trying to get it to start or trying to diagnose the problem and that taxes all the wear items and they fail quickly. In other words if the starter started the bike you wouldn't wear out the starter once a week.

[Nocams]

Originally Posted by Gasser Nate

I really do not believe it to be a bad starter system, everything mechanical can obviously have faults and poorly designed or assembled components, but I think the issue here with a lot of people is that they are blindly throwing parts and money by the way to a problem without actually diagnosing what is wrong. I truly think that all the solutions to each and every starting issue can be found in these threads. It just takes a logical systematic approach to sort it out. Saying this there obviously is not enough competent mechanics at dealers who can help out in this regard which may be more of a failing than the starter motors. Perhaps I should do a list of the common things that go wrong and the associated fixed in a order based list so people can check them out?
Really it is not a complicated system and has been around since 2015 and I myself seeing many bikes with 2-300 hours on original components. Nocams here has a billion hours on his 2018 already...

233 hrs now Nate. Only replaced lower steering bearing,1x sidecover grommet and a worn out switch block!
Moving parts need lube!

[Skyrooster]

Originally Posted by Nocams

233 hrs now Nate. Only replaced lower steering bearing,1x sidecover grommet and a worn out switch block!
Moving parts need lube!

So if your starter has never worked for more that 3 weeks how often are you supposed to "lube" it?

Most of the time it hasn't worked it is because it had no spark while cranking. This isn't something maintenance is going to remedy... we are talking about a brand new bike that didn't start. 3 batteries, 3 ECUs, 3 starters, a wiring harness and nearly all the drive gears except the ones that were on back order and he couldn't buy. The lube is needed for the customers that get stuck with this lemon bike.

[Skyrooster]

Originally Posted by GASGASCWB

I can not really understand the cause!
My battery (2018 OEM) turns the estart, but not enough for the engine to turn on!
It seems to be missing a bit.
A stronger battery would solve the problem, the principle.
But will the alternator keep this battery fully charged without damage for how long?
I really do not know if it's worth spending money on batteries?
Several reports that the problem comes back in a short time.

If you are removing the subframe and don't take the time to carefully disconnect the ECU and it's wiring harness you will put a lot of strain on the very small wires at the ECU plug in. This might cause damage in the wires in the harness or the connector and that could cause problems.