What could be my electrical problem?

[NacsMXer]

Hi, when I hit my electric start button, nothing happens except for the solenoid making the clicking sound and my negative battery cable gets extremely hot and twitches with the current every time I push the electric start button. Also, when I had the motor rebuilt recently, I had trouble removing the starter motor cable jam nuts because they were so tightly connected at the factory so I dont know if I damaged the brushes in the starter motor so do I need a new starter or a new battery? If it helps the battery was not charged over the winter and I am currently charging it but the charger says the battery is charged. Sorry for the long post, so do I need a new battery or starter or do I have some different problem altogether? Thanks in advance.

[hosted]

I had the same problem this winter. Mine was the battery. If you have a buddy with a 400 switch batteries for a second and see if yours starts.

[KASCHAK]

is the negitive geting hot?

thats weird..

take the cables off and clean them good with contact cleaner.. no contact lens cleaner.. electicial contact cleaner. and put them back on with a wrench to ensure there really really tight.

[toby400ex]

When mine did that it was something wrong the starter, I tried replacing the brushes but ****ed up the starter, ended up getting a new starter and all was well :huh

mine used to do that when the battery was drained...try charging the battery up for about 6 hours & see if it starts then ;)

[wilkin250r]

It's a 12-volt battery, you can jump-start it with your car. If it starts right up connected to your car battery, then the problem is your battery. If it still does the same thing (provided your car battery is good) then the problem is somewhere else.

[F-16Guy]

I had the same thing happen. If your negative terminal is getting hot, it's probably loose and arcing from the cable to the battery terminal. I'm pretty sure DC current actually flows negative to positive; reverse from what you would think. I recently had to remove both of my cables from the battery and the ground from the frame, clean them with a wire brush and some cleaner, and re-attach them. I sprayed some terminal protectant over all of the connections to keep moisture, dirt, and corrosion out.

[NacsMXer]

I charged the battery, checked the cables and everything is tight. I did remove my starter motor and I can hear junk rattling around inside it when I shake it. I think the brushes are busted or something so Im going to order a new starter from service honda for 160 bucks. Like Toby400EX said, hopefully this will fix my problem. Could this busted starter be causing my negative battery cable to get hot when the electric start is pushed? When I put the new starter in ill make sure to recheck and clean my negative cable and make sure its grounded properly. Thanks everyone for the input so far...