| Author | Message | ||
     Jraice |
Just got home from college for the summer, had the bike juiced up on the tender the entire time and was ready to go for a nice afternoon ride, but when I hit the starter allI get is a soft click from the fuse box under the seat, and nothing more. Flipping the kill switch does trigger the fueling noise but besides the click and that, there is nothing more. Like I said, was on a battery tender the entire time. Not sure if it was worth trying but I also attempted to start it with the tender attached and still got nothing. Is the next step a traditional jump start or is the problem elsewhere? | ||
| Syonyk |
Check the battery voltage and the battery connections, as well as the connections to the starter motor. It's possible the battery is dead - they do have a finite lifespan. Is the tender plugged into the wall? Perhaps it got disconnected for a shopvac or leaf blower, and wasn't actually charging... | ||
| Jraice |
I'll check the voltage asap, the tender was never disconnected and was showing a green light the entire time. If it comes down to it, whats the best bang for the buck in replacement batteries? | ||
| Jraice |
Voltage is 12.6. All the fuses had continuity. Confirmed starter relay is clicking (no sound when removed), so somewhere between the relay and starter there is a connection problem I suppose. Bueller? | ||
| Greg_e |
Attach volt meter to battery and then turn ignition on and hit the started to see what it says, I bet you find it drops a lot lower than it should. I think the service manual says anything under 8 volts and it is dead, but it might be higher for a dead battery. I had a Deka and didn't think much of it, went to stock battery. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
AGM batteries seem to die odd sometimes. I had two crap out in a way that showed full voltage with no load but would nosedive when the key was turned. The first one was back in 2001 under my X1's warranty. The shop I was towed to tried to charge the battery but the charger just kept saying it was charged. The most recent battery I swapped out just got weaker gradually like one would expect. Suggestion: get a jump from a non-running car. | ||
| Jraice |
Used a 12V specific charger/jumper which indicated the battery had 95 percent charge with a load test and also was used to attempt to jump the bike with no success. Thinking it must be a sensor or starter connection fault, or (hopefully not) the starter itself is dead. Doubt its the neutral AND clutch switch failing (tried to start with clutch in in neutral) but it could be the tip over sensor I suppose. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Check the battery terminals. That could keep the tender from working, and the jump from working. Pull them, clean them, reseat them, and try and jump again. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Still leaning to dead battery but if you're confident of the load test, okay. One click means power is getting to the relays but not the starter solenoid. Try shuffling the relays around. That's the easiest and cheapest thing. Free to switch, less than $10 to replace. Fueling cycle suggest that all other circuits are okay. | ||
| Jraice |
So does the click mean that it can't possibly be a faulty clutch/tip-over sensor? I'll try cleaning the battery a bit but what should my next step be? | ||
| Iamarchangel |
It's the if you see hoofprints, don't look for zebras thing. Go with the obvious, straight line sequence. Fuel pump cycle through tells you that the rest of the start sequence is good. (Ruling out Bank Angle Sensor.) Relay click tells you power is getting there. Starter solenoid silence tells you power is not getting there. That there is where the problem is. Three things can be wrong: 1. Battery is too weak, if you say CCA is good then… 2. Relay is toast, or… 3. Something else, like a bad wire running from the relay box to the solenoid. | ||
| Jraice |
Update: Connected inside vertical relay to positive on battery, solenoid clicks. Get 12.0 volts from top and bottom horizontal contacts, so I know the relay is getting the signal from the starter (knew that anyways from the click). Still need to check that 12V+ is getting to the relay (R/H, outside most vertical prong) but at the moment the battery is on the charger. Was showing 12.67V off the bike and hooked it up to a MC specific AGM charger which is now all the way up to 15.2V, so the battery appears to still need some charge, or be dead. If it were just a little low would the solenoid really not even close, let alone fully start? | ||
| Jraice |
R/H connection on starter relay is not giving any voltage at all to the relay, thats my problem... Any advice on where to check for the most likely connection failure? Also, battery after charge showed over 13V and 12.7 when on the bike. | ||
| Jraice |
Seems like I'm talking to myself here but I am getting some help in the Uly section so in case someone is listening I'll post my most recent findings. It runs! Well, not exactly. I was able to "hot wire" it by connecting the 12V output of the key switch relay to the solenoid connection in the starter relay and it ran beautifully. I was this is how the connection scheme works but it doesn't seem to make sense because it would allow the bike to start with the kill switch off. I am thinking it goes from key switch-igniition (relays) and then to the starter relay. None-the-less it appears my failure is not a relay, unless I have two bad ones I'm dancing around with, but rather a connection between the female relay plugs. Hoping thats all local wire routing because that'd be a quick fix once I find the exact connection failure! | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Have you actually put a new relay in the system? They're the same, get them from any auto supply for less than $10. Just get one and switch them around. From what I read, I think you're simply bypassing the relay sequence compensating for one that's failed. Starting rules out battery, starter, and solenoid. Solenoid click on Sunday rules out relay to starter wiring. First post shows key switch relay works. If I understand the sequence properly, cycle startup shows that the ignition relay is working. You're left with the start relay as your no. 1 suspect. Remember that relay is a bunch of controlled connections. The break is probably in one of them and not outside. | ||
| Jraice |
Thats assuming only one relay has failed (I guess thats the most likely but you never know) but I could do that. I heard the AUX wasn't necessary and I did swap them around so I essentially did what you described by trying the three combos in the start/key/ignition combos. Also, I made a separate post and might've mentioned it in here but are all 4 relays identical? One of mine had a different serial code and I am worried I might've moved it into the wrong space. You said they're the same but just want to triple check that applies to all four as three had matching numbers while one was several digits off. | ||
| Jraice |
Light fuse is blown, could this cause a problem such as this? Unfortunately I don't have an extra 15 amp fuse and can't verify it at the moment. The fuse is interestingly connected directly to the starter relay (whats not working) and indirectly to the key switch relay. Think I might be onto something! Tempted to jump it to verify but would hate to blow something more than just a fuse. (Message edited by jraice on May 15, 2012) | ||
| Iamarchangel |
They're all the same on my bolt. If there's four, pretty sure one is a spare. There's a map on the cover. Did you try switching them around after you had the battery fully charged? Not sure about the fuse thing. | ||
| Jraice |
Lightning has 4. Really hoping its the fuse, I'll update after I swing by Harley to grab a replacement. EDIT: The wiring diagram confirms my thoughts, the fuse goes directly to the #30 connection of the starter relay, the one that powers the solenoid! (Message edited by jraice on May 16, 2012) | ||
| Treefrog |
Just a thought, but if it was stored for a while, you may want to check for critter damage. Motorcycles make excellent homes for furry little things that like to chew on wires and such. Of course the damage is normally where you could never possible see it by just looking. DAMHIK. Get a schematic and start doing continuity checks on the starter circuit. I hope it's something simple for you. | ||
| Jraice |
Light fuse was all it needed! Wish I had pulled it out to test its continuity last week rather than using the top test. |
