2012 Bennche Bighorn 700x starter/solenoid problems

redneckred · September 29

Got a 2012 Bennche Bighorn 700x (I believe) from a neighbor that had it sitting in his yard undisturbed for over 2 years. We pulled it across the road to my house with the transmission stuck in low. I tinkered and discovered the fan gear assembly had frozen up from not being used, specifically the part that slides/turns in the housing. After freeing that up, the transmission shifts fine. I put a fresh battery on it and discovered 12.2 volts going to the solenoid, and with the key in the on position, 12 .2 volts on the starter side of the solenoid without turning the key to the crank position. I discovered at the starter the same results of a constant 12.2 volts in the on position. Cranking, the voltage on the starter side of the solenoid and at the starter drops to 11.72v. Shouldn't there not be any voltage on the other side of the solenoid or at the starter if the key is not in the crank position? And with the constant voltage at the starter and it not turning, isn't it safe to assume the starter is frozen/burned out?

Lee T · September 30

Yes, that should be enough voltage to make it crank. To double check your starter, pull the starter and bench test it with a set of jumper cables, taking the solenoid completely out of the equation. You could do this with the starter still installed if you have access to it. If you leave it installed, be sure to connect the negative jumper cable as well, connecting it to the starter housing. The key does not need to be on to do this.