2003 WG Starter issue
2003 WG Starter issue
Gents, my girl failed to start on me at work today as I was prepping to head home. She fired up fine this morning and ran beautifully all the way to work. When I tried to turn her over this afternoon, I got nothing but a faint click that I could not specifically localize other than in the starter area (I will trouble shoot further to try and pin down the click).
Here are some particulars, hope you can help:
-About 10-15 minutes after start up I notice the 'Start' switch was still engaged (had installed chrome switch covers and had not noticed the switch sticking previously) so I pressed it home (off).
-Noticed a smell of electrical insulation burning, only briefly.
-Speedometer momentarily dropped from 50 to 0 then back to 50.
-All fuses are intact.
I checked the 'Start' switch and it appeared to function normally, i.e. turned on the ignition, 'Run' switch to on, pressing 'Start' resulted in the faint click mentioned previously.
I was able to push start the girl and she got me home just fine but I am left with a non-starter. I am digging into the service manual and they are recommending testing of the relay. If anyone has had experience doing so, please let me know as this will be a first for me. I am mechanically minded and am learning how to deal with electrical.
Any advice/assistance will be greatly appreciated.
v.r
rj
Here are some particulars, hope you can help:
-About 10-15 minutes after start up I notice the 'Start' switch was still engaged (had installed chrome switch covers and had not noticed the switch sticking previously) so I pressed it home (off).
-Noticed a smell of electrical insulation burning, only briefly.
-Speedometer momentarily dropped from 50 to 0 then back to 50.
-All fuses are intact.
I checked the 'Start' switch and it appeared to function normally, i.e. turned on the ignition, 'Run' switch to on, pressing 'Start' resulted in the faint click mentioned previously.
I was able to push start the girl and she got me home just fine but I am left with a non-starter. I am digging into the service manual and they are recommending testing of the relay. If anyone has had experience doing so, please let me know as this will be a first for me. I am mechanically minded and am learning how to deal with electrical.
Any advice/assistance will be greatly appreciated.
v.r
rj
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,528
Likes: 981
From: Johnson City TN
Make sure that starter switch is good. I had one short on my "99. It actually engaged the starter while I was riding. Took out the starter, pinion gear and primary tensioner.....not pretty
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,919
Likes: 23
From: Seattle, WA
The relay is in the fuse box / electrical panel and is one of the two large block-type devices on the lower forward section of the panel (I forget which is which ... one is grey and one is black) ... this is not too expensive to replace (less than $5 IIRC) ... but, I doubt that is your issue ....
The starter solenoid is the 'house-shaped' part that is situated directly forward of the starter motor and sends power to the starter and engages the starter shaft with the pinion gear ... it could be bad contacts in the starter solenoid ... a rebuild kit is just under $40 ... an equally attractive alternative (IMHO) is just to disassemble the thing and clean up the contacts with electrical contact cleaner and some emery cloth / sandpaper ....
Another avenue of investigation for you is whether your battery is still good or if it is being recharged by your charging system ... if your battery is low, there will not be enough power to turn over the starter motor and you'll get that 'click' .... If your battery has a bad cell or has reached the end of its useful life time to replace it ... if the battery is good, it could be your charging system ... stator, rotor and / or possibly voltage regulator ....
Take a look at your manual ... unfortunately, I didn't find my manual all that helpful ... I believe there is a separate electrical manual guide ... (I don't have one ... but, have heard references to it) ....
Good luck and post up the results ... or for further troubleshooting assistance ....
R/
'Chop
The starter solenoid is the 'house-shaped' part that is situated directly forward of the starter motor and sends power to the starter and engages the starter shaft with the pinion gear ... it could be bad contacts in the starter solenoid ... a rebuild kit is just under $40 ... an equally attractive alternative (IMHO) is just to disassemble the thing and clean up the contacts with electrical contact cleaner and some emery cloth / sandpaper ....
Another avenue of investigation for you is whether your battery is still good or if it is being recharged by your charging system ... if your battery is low, there will not be enough power to turn over the starter motor and you'll get that 'click' .... If your battery has a bad cell or has reached the end of its useful life time to replace it ... if the battery is good, it could be your charging system ... stator, rotor and / or possibly voltage regulator ....
Take a look at your manual ... unfortunately, I didn't find my manual all that helpful ... I believe there is a separate electrical manual guide ... (I don't have one ... but, have heard references to it) ....
Good luck and post up the results ... or for further troubleshooting assistance ....
R/
'Chop
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6,642
Likes: 48
From: Ogden, UT
RJ, if the switch was stuck in the start position for 10 minutes, you may have burned up the starter. First thing to do is check battery. Does the switch still stick? If so replace it before you do anything else so you don't kill another starter if that turns out to be the issue.
I remedied the Start switch issue and it does not stick. I am concerned that the starter is fried so I am taking it to an Indy down the road from me. Will post the findings.
Thanks all.
Thanks all.
F/U: Went to Nostalgic Cycles and spoke with Mike who confirmed that it was the starter. He suggested prior to purchasing a new starter that I check the contacts, which is what SURFOR also suggested. I will be attending to this tomorrow when I get home from work. Found several starters on eBay around the $130 range, so I will be looking into one of those.
BTW, riding home in the rain, not as much fun as you would come to imagine.
BTW, riding home in the rain, not as much fun as you would come to imagine.
Trending Topics
F/U: Popped open the solenoid cover and found some serious ugly. Cleaned the contacts and still nothing. Ran a test on the relay and it checked out 4.0, so the final conclusion is that the starter is DOA. Purchased a Denso off of eBay and should have it installed next week.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
When I swapped out the OEM switch covers for chromed aluminum, I found that it was not finished thoroughly and I had to place a small washer under the bar that holds down the starter and kill switches. Made it right as rain. A bit late for my poor starter, but works perfectly now.
We call that 'experience' right???
We call that 'experience' right???