300ex won't start. solenoid? starter? battery?

[SET THE STAGE]

okay, so a little before winter kicked in my 300ex decided it didn't want to start. i had this problem before but it was usually just a bad ground of poor connection somewhere. this time, no click.

it started up once months ago by crossing the solenoid with a screwdriver but won't do it anymore. i've taken apart every wire i've ever touched and made sure they're all properly connected. today i tried it all again and it clicked once or twice out of maybe 50 tries.

do you think my solenoid has just taken a crap on me finally? i really don't think it's my battery because last time i started it up and cranked over like any battery should. or could it possibly be my starter?

[honda300EXtreme]

im not 100% sure because im not good at diagnosing electrical problems without being there. but i wana say its yours starter.

if i were you id order a rebuild kit. its cheaper that a solenoid, and wouldnt hurt to do anyways

[SET THE STAGE]

truth, i'm sure it could use a rebuild. do you think i'd need a full rebuild or just the brushes, though?

have you ever heard much about the ebay solenoids? you know, those cheap 'heavy duty' ones. i'm debating on one of those or paying the little extra for a used OEM solenoid.

[honda300EXtreme]

all you really need is the brushes. the rebuild kits come with a few o-rings.

if your in no rush i would rebuild the starter and see if that works. if not then spend the money on the solenoid.

i have no experience with the ebay parts. but with this kinda stuff i like to stick to oem.

[SET THE STAGE]

i feel the same about sticking with OEM stuff when it comes to electrical components.

thanks for the input, man. i'll give it a shot.

[honda300EXtreme]

not a problem. let me know how it goes

[SET THE STAGE]

i went ahead and ordered an OEM solenoid off of ebay. feel sort of dumb, though. i was complaining to a guy months ago about one he was selling because it was like 15 for shipping but altogether was only about 26... and i just paid 40 shipped because that was the cheapest :cuss:

[honda300EXtreme]

haha thats the way it seems with ebay. some shipping prices are ridiculous but what can ya do.

i hope the solenoid works out for ya

[SET THE STAGE]

yupp, just the solenoid that was bad. kind of happy i got the more expensive one now, though. it was seriously almost brand new looking. just a little dirt inside the holder thing but whatever.

now i've got a whole new problem... she won't start haha. i'm sure it's just the spark plug and a slightly clogged carb. no biggie.