I'm still a little confused about my broken starter

I can hear the starter spinning away but the engine does not crank at all.

I took the alternator cover off and checked it out. The starter correctly engaged the little gear that then engages the alternator rotor on the crankshaft. This all is tight and teeth are good, etc. I watched it engage with the cover off.

So the alternator rotor is spinning freely but it does not spin the engine. What is broken here?

I am a little intimidated with having to pull the rotor gear off. My manual says I have to use a special tool, etc.

I must be dense but by looking at the parts diagrams I don't see what else could be broken. Why doesn't the crankshaft turn when the alternator rotor is turned by the starter gear?

My bike's been out of commision for a few weeks and this sucks. I want to ride!

Side note: When I took off the alt enator cover I found lots of chunks of magnetic material. It has broken off the stator (I think it's called) the magnetic lining. I need to replace this right? I have had some problems with the battery not recharging as well as I think it should.

Thanks for your help!

Sounds like the rotor is spinning on the crank. Once you remove the bolt holding it on I don't think you are going to need any special tool to remove it, it will probably fall off.

I'd say that you are going to need a new rotor at a minimum, just hope the end of the crank is not messed up.

The rotor is probably a taper fit on the end of the crank.

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/11/19 10:27

steell wrote:

Sounds like the rotor is spinning on the crank. Once you remove the bolt holding it on I don't think you are going to need any special tool to remove it, it will probably fall off.

I'd say that you are going to need a new rotor at a minimum, just hope the end of the crank is not messed up.

The rotor is probably a taper fit on the end of the crank.<br><br>Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/11/19 10:27

That's exactly what I was thinking,Steve.(been there)
Now,does the GPZ have a woodruff key on the crank,or is it strictly taper-fit with a bolt?

Looks like a straight taper fit according to the parts diagrams at kawasaki.com




Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/11/19 18:10

Thanks all for the help!

It said I would need a special tool to pull the rotor but the rotor bolt (the 17mm bolt that screws directly into the end of the crankshaft) was very loose - almost hand tight actually. The rotor bolt came off easily and so did everything else.

It does not have a woodruff key.

I took everything apart and and it seemed to be in good condition. The magnetic lining of the stator was chipped and even gougged in quite a few places. I found lots of magnetic debris. Not just normal particles that one would expect but large chunks! I cleaned it out.

I put it back together and tightened the rotor bolt (that holds it all on there.) It felt different immediately than it did before and I think the reason is that the rotor bolt had been so loose. It was not letting the starter clutch engage and instead let it free spin on the crank.

I tried to tighten it to 95 ft lbs per the instructions but without the special tool I'm not sure how tight I got it. I know I got it tight but if it's to spec I don't know. I can't back the rotor bolt off without that special tool either so I can't put any loc-tite on it.

Put it all together and it turns the crankshaft now and sounds good.

The battery is low so I didn't start it. I've got it on the battery tender now and I'll try to start it tonight. If it starts well I'm riding it to work.

Thanks again everyone for your help. Much appreciated. Happy Holidays!

Here's 2 pics I took along the way.







Post edited by: GPZ1100, at: 2006/11/21 10:34

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/11/21 10:36

It's been my experience that once the rotor spins on the crank it will never work right again (without help).

But that was on a 750 twin that spins backwards compared to your bike, and thus has a tendency to loosen the bolt.

LocTite fixed it permanently (or at least so far anyway)

Updated #2:

The battery tender said it was fully charged so I tried to start it up.

Starter is engaging normally (no spinning rotor again yet) but the battery seems low.

I figured it would take a bit to start since it's been so cold and it hasn't been started in a few weeks.

Once it was started and running I checked the voltmeter. It read 11 volts. This is running. I revved it and the voltmeter stayed put.

I had to take it for a quick 2 minute ride and when I pulled back in I killed it and checked the voltmeter. It read 9-10 volts.

So the charging system is broken. The large chunks of magnetic peieces from the alternator are the most likely culprit I would imagine. That's probably going to be a tough part to find. Lots of places sell stators and the regulator/rectifier but no one sells the alternator that I am aware of.

I guess by the fact the rotor was loose explains the debris. Is that what I see all over everything? It looks like greasy oil or something.

Is the special tool your referring to the one that holds the rotor while tightening the the bolt? I know you have to have one to get those tapered fit rotors off but won't a strap wrench work for just holding the rotor? I've used one in the past on other engines (never touched been in a 1100 engine but can't think of how it would be different)

I'm at a loss as to what you are calling the alternator?

You have a stator system.

You probably just need to find a stator and rotor.

Post edited by: KZ_Rage, at: 2006/11/21 11:34

Permanent magnet alternator with rotating magnets (rotor) and fixed windings (stator).

Aftermarket stators are available, but as far as I know aftermarket rotors don't exist.

I think the J motor rotors are the same, you can compare the part numbers on the parts diagrams at kawasaki.com to see.

The rotor is less interchangeable per Zedder.
Only 83-85 ZX1100's used that rotor.

Still though a salvage yard might have a good one. Try "findmypart.com" if you don't have a local yard with one.

As for the stator any 1100 model, "J" models or any '82 and up 1000 police.

good luck

If the bike were mine, I would investigate the electrical issue before spending money. First thing to do is measure the AC coming off your stator. Note that there is a wiring harness and the wiring harness terminates in a big plug. I am not sure where the plug plugs in on your bike but it surely connects to the regulator/rectifier via a junction box or directly. In that connector, you may also have a couple of other wires associated with idiot lights like the neutral indicator and oil pressure lights... Just note the color of the wires coming from your stator... all three will be either yellow or they will be pink, blue and yellow. This is standard wiring color for a Kaw. Next start the bike and remove the connector from what it was connected to. Get a multimeter and put it on AC where the scale is sufficient to measure 50 VAC. There will be three pins in the connector. Measure across any two and you should have nominally 50 VAC. If you don't, then the rotor or stator are in need of replacement which may well be the case since your stator appears damaged. If you find you have 50 VAC across all three wire connections no matter which way is measured, it is likely the regulator/rectifier is the issue. You may have a good regulator/rectifier but it may have bad connections. Clean all connections with spray contact cleaner and coat with dielectic grease. Recheck battery voltage. Another thing to check is the main battery ground. Make sure it is secure... it is on the engine cases and is the termination of the negative battery cable. Last, check the cells on your battery. You may have a bad battery and this should probably be checked first actually. Get a small hydrometer from any autoparts store. They look like eye droppers and have colored balls in the body. You draw in battery fluid from each cell and if all the balls float, the cell is good. If some don't float, the cell is bad from sulfation and the battery needs to be replaced. Ensure you charge the new battery on a low voltage trickle charger and not a regular car battery charger.