SXR Possible battery issue?

[Jetaddict]

I am pretty sure this is my battery checking out, but let's see if I'm right before I throw down $70 on a new one...ski runs great, plugs are new. Recently, when I go to start the ski, I press the start button and hear the starter relay clicking, but no juice. After clicking it 5-10 times, the ski fires up and runs fine. If I shut it down and immediately try to fire it up again, it fires up with no clicking.
I have one of those dry cell batteries that you don't need to add water to. I placed it on the charger the other day, and it seemed to charge up okay, but it was hovering around 90% and never went above that. The charging did nothing to eliminate the relay clicking.
This battery is about 2-3 seasons old. I am betting on that being the issue...just wanted a second opinion.

 

[rollin5150]

To me it does not sound like a battery. If the battery was too weak to run the stater, it would not have turned it after the 5-10 different times trying to start. This sounds more like a intermittent connection somewhere. Especially if you tried to start it right after you charged the battery. Try bypassing the starter relay and see if the starter spins.

 

[Scorn800]

It's the battery cable connections. Remove them all and clean up with emery cloth or sand paper.

 

[1Scray]

I just had the same thing happen to me, I cleaned up all my connections to the starter, battery, ect. as well as the ones inside the e=box. I also replaced my starter solenoid, to be on the safe side. As a side note the brass contact posts on the replacement solenoid were crap any little bit of torqe on them and they snapped, I used the oem posts on the new solenoid.

 

[X2Pilot]

I agree it sounds like a bad solenoid. You can verify this next time it just clicks by jumping between the posts on the ebox with a screwdriver (make contact between the two nuts holding the cables on, and not the post itself, so you dont damage the threads) and if the starter spins with this test, replacing the solenoid is in order. Or if you are well mechanically inclined you could disassemble the solenoid and clean the contact points, then reinstall it.

 

[Jetaddict]

Thanks for the help on this one, guys. I cleaned all the battery terminals, double-checked my bilge connections (those terminals were looking crappy too), sprayed the whole thing down with silicone, and it fired right up. Been running great now for the last two outings with absolutely zero dead switch. Thanks for the help!

 

[mxwebsites]

Just dropped a new Harley-Davidson Battery in after mine took a dump, make sure you put grease or something over the connections to help prevent corrosion.