| Author | Message | ||
     Pso |
Folks: Stranded second time now(this tow cost me $150). Engine stopped today. First indication was a slight hesitation sensation like a carb'd bike running out of gas, then engine died. Healdight worked turn signals and horn, but nothing on insturment cluster. Wiggled wiring under seat, took off fly screen checked wireing still nothing. No fuel injector presurizeing, exhaust valve actuating or lights on dash. Before bike died was running about 14.1 Volts. also had repalced plugs for both the VR and stator over last two years. Help, where do I start. I sure am tired of wrenching on this bike and also two breakdowns that resulted in being stranded does not build confidence for my long 10 to 14 day annual MC trips with this bike. | ||
| Ronmold |
Connectors, wires to ECM, ground under seat. Was it right after a few turns or parking lot maneuvers? That wire flex point at the triple tree is poorly engineered, there are splices right where it bends. Check the grounds behind the headlights. The outside of the wire can look OK but the copper can be severed. How about the instrument cluster lights? The hesitation makes it sound like a wire was breaking and not a fuse as fuses are not intermittent. | ||
| Pso |
I was on a straight away at the time. I also was thinking about a wire breaking. I looked at all the fuses and they were good. I wiggled the wires under the fly screen to no avail. also checked the ground there and it was tight I am not sure about the 4 relays in the fuse panel under the seat. Will check the wiring at the steering head, I remember there was some electrical problem with that location.Thanks | ||
| Windrider |
Does cycling the kill switch work to get the bike to run again? Have you had the BAS recall done? | ||
| Pso |
BAS was done when first came out in 06. cycling switch does nothing. The dash lights are dead. Only power, Cigar socket at dash, headlights, tail light and brake light, turn signals and horn. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Does it crank? If it cranks with a no-start, pull your fuel pump and check wiring (do you hear the pump fire if you key-on, and *then* turn on the run switch?). | ||
| Slowride |
Right side of the bike between the pulley and the engine is the a spider web of wires. There is a big connector there that can seperate or short. You need to pull the connector and put dielectric grease in it. I had this happen to me during both of my 14 day trips to the east and west coast on my 06 uly. | ||
| Ronmold |
If you have power at the Ign. fuse (both sides, check with a test light, just looking at the fuse doesn't tell you if power is getting to it) then there is a break in the gray/orange wire that comes off that fuse. That wire runs all the engine stuff but not the accessories. If you don't have power at the ignition fuse then your KEY-SWITCH relay is bad, loose or has a broken wire going to it. Swap the AUX relay into it's place and see if it starts. We'll be waiting to help. | ||
| Pso |
Ratbuell-Nothing when I push the start button. No sound of the pump pressurizing. I also pulled the fuel pump last winter and did PM the wiring in the tunnel. Slowride-thanks will check that this morning. I had the cover off in April to fix connector that has the three black wires from stator to VR. It had melted like the #77 connector so I may have dislodged it. Ronmold- Will check it. i do not have a test light but a cheap Voltage guage, that should tell me if I have power through the line(?). Also which relay is the "Switch "relay. I have the shop manual but was not able to find an idication as to which relay is which | ||
| Ratbuell |
Fuse/relay map should be in the owners manual.... | ||
| Pso |
Latest update. Ronmold-I read the decal on the fuse box cover and found the names and locations for the relays and fuses. Do relays get bad or sensative, like will they switch off if jostled? Or are they like fuses, either working or not? If they are like fuses and either work or not, then the relays are good because I got the bike started and let it run for about ten minutes. I swapped around the relays, then I put in a new ignition fuse. When I did the ignition fuse I heard the fuel injector working. I let it idled for awhile, then went out and pushed on the four relays, bike cut out. Which again goes to the question if they start to go bad and switched off when jostled it could be a relay, if however like a fuse they are intact or broken then the relays are good, and that is the case one item excuded from problem list. Anyway when bike swiched off lost all lights on dash. Headlights, tail lights,turn signals, horn are still working nothing else. I think I am getting closer to the problem. Years ago someone reported problems with relays and I think they found one from a car manufacturer that worked. So now it may be a wire to the fuse block or a relay that is weak if they start by going bad before not working. I think I will next check power to the ignition fuse, with my voltmeter. Does the relay control power to the ignition fuse (I am illeterate at eading electical scematics)? If so again it could be a relay, if not then we are even closer to the fuse block and wireing as the culpret. Also any tips on how best to get to the grey/orange wire and also geting under the fuse box would be appreciated. I will look in my shop manual, but often they take the long way and I am hoping that our expertis will have a shorter route to those wires and junction into back of fuse box. Slowride the big connector you are talking about is that the three wire one with all black wires to it? What were your symptoms when yours went bad? If so that is the one that I hard wired together (the plug had melted like the #77 connector) because I was losing voltage to the regulator. Before bike stopped this time it was running about 14v through regulator. Follks, I appreciate all the help, ideas, suggestions, input etc, it is helping to keep my head on straight and following logic threads, without which I would probably be having having temper tantrums. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Relays are like a fence-gate. There are three contacts (usually), and a "door". The door is hinged on one of the points, and swings (depending on energized/non-energized) between the other two contacts, completing one of two circuits. They can rattle-die, absolutely - they have a moving part in 'em. Pulling the fuseblock out of the bike should be just removing a couple of clips that hold it to the undertail tray, and swinging it up so you can see the wiring. IIRC - and I'd have to look at mine to be sure - there's a couple of metal clips attached to the undertray, that snap around a pair of plastic tabs built into the fuse block. | ||
| Pso |
Thanks Ratbuell-Just came back in from garage. Next in continuing saga. finished what Slowride suggested. Got bike running again. All I needed to do as wiggle to fuse box or black bundled wireing harness coming out of fuse box. Looks more and more like a weak connection in wire or fuse box. Ratbuell I saw how the fuse box looks like it is held in place by two metal clips on the left side. You think it just pulls straight up? Seems likke every fastener on these bikes is different.Then look for the grey/orange wire Ronmold mentioned and check the connection and condition of that wire. Thanks for the help so far folks.Sure do hope to get this little rascal running for long weekend next weekend. | ||
| Two_buells |
My 1999 Thunderbolt had a mystery electrical problem. It would shut off no power to anything. While the bike was running it would only shut off for a second. Sometimes I’d turn the key on and it was like the battery was not connected. All the battery connections were tight and clean. On the S3 T-Bolt the relay box was mounted in the rear under the tail section on the right side of the frame. The bottom where all the wires went into the block were exposed to everything. The connectors in the block were turning green with corrosion. I could pull on one of the wires going into a relay and make the bike shut off. I pulled all the connectors out, cleaned them and filled the block with dielectric grease and have not had a problem in ten years. | ||
| Slowride |
PSO, Just caught up with your post and saw you hard wired the connector. Honestly, that should have taken care of anything I had experienced. My symptoms were... Riding along and then all of a sudden a miss or even a pop and then nothing. All lights worked, dash worked, etc... but it wouldn't crank, it acted like the entire ignition circuit was dead. There was one more thing that happend to me and it required the purchase of a new ECM. The Seat was rubbing on the ecm connectors and caused them them to crack away from the black box. If you were running the bike and put your hand on the ecm connectors and could push them down and see the crack the bike would die and not restart. It would do nothing infact. I had to wiggle the ecm connectors until the bike would restart. | ||
| Ratbuell |
If you saw the clips...yep, it pulls right up (at least, as "up" as the wiring will let it go LOL). | ||
| Pso |
Latest and hopefully last entry for this problem. Got the fuse block out. To ease process I removed battery. then two clips to expand on left side of block at metal brackets, lifted block straightup. Took bottom off block, four clips to depress, and bottom slips right off. Rats nest of wires in there. Wiggling block could get engine to cut off. (I used jumper cables from battery to battery hook up cables on bike)I then checked all the wires. Reseated the grey/orange wire. Restarted bike, wiggled rats nest of wires, wire loom coming out of fuse block and wiggled fuse block around, Bike kept running. Reassembled everything. Started bike it still ran, all electrical things worked. Next test, maybe Tues., go for a ride. Thanks everyone, I hope I got it. | ||
| Cycletlh |
Adding to this post for the benefit of others. Last night coming into a small town my 07 with 37,000 miles dies. Have neutral light and oil pressure light at dash but no check engine light even when key is cycled. Push to side of road, check again and check engine light comes on when key is activated and bike starts. Ride bike 10 miles and it dies again. Same symptoms. Wiggle the ignition fuse and bike will start. Wiggle ignition fuse and bike dies. Need to disassemble fuse block and find bad connection. |
