Stop robbing power from your starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
Stop robbing power from your starter
Turn on the ignition switch and everything on your bike lights up - literally. Many of us have added all sorts of accessories including extra lighting to our rides (we all like visibility). And every one of them stays on when we activate the starter relay causing a huge voltage drop across the starter motor. I have had starter problems from the very beginning on my FXDWG and have replaced the starter 3 times (once in the parking lot of a motel in Canada). Among the recent fixes which include compression releases milled into the heads, I also rewired the starter relay using pin 87a (unused) to feed power to the lights. When the relay is activated by the starter button, 87a opens (it is normally closed) turning off power to the lights and pin 87 is closed (it is normally open) feeding power to the starter solenoid. Huge improvement!!
One more thing – I got rid of the made in China relay that was on the bike and bought a 20 amp SPDT relay from Painless Performance. Just thought I would pass this along.
One more thing – I got rid of the made in China relay that was on the bike and bought a 20 amp SPDT relay from Painless Performance. Just thought I would pass this along.
Last edited by kbootch; Mar 25, 2012 at 02:28 PM. Reason: Cited Progressive - should be Painless Performance
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,250
Likes: 36
From: Montana
if indeed the moco did this for 2012 they should have done it years ago. Nothing more frustrating than not being able to start your bike because the battery is a little low and the lights take too much juice. Some fool thought it was a safety issue to make you leave the lights on at all times. thanks for the tip. Ill check it out.
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Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2011
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I hope this is true. We all have had too many starter issues. For all with older models, give this a try
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,863
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From: Kennewick, WA
Good grief man, your second post is not supposed to be valuable information! Read the rule book, you can't come on here being helpful until you fill your quota of rhetorical questions about pipes, oils and tuners!
All joking aside, that's a good tip and I just might make it happen on mine.
All joking aside, that's a good tip and I just might make it happen on mine.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 42
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From: Winter Park, FL
maybe model specific? not sure but it doesn't happen on my 2012 FXDWG... all the lights stay on
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Suffolk, England
I'd be really interested what the actual wiring changes were.
Looking at Figure B11 (or B10) in the Service Manual...
Did you disconnect the R/BK from the Lights fuse ("O" on 64B) that goes to the common R/BK on the ignition switch (and seal off this wire) and instead run a jumper from that fuse to "T" on the connector to the start relay (62B) and so 87a?
I suppose the only slight downside to this would be that if you stalled the bike at night then the lights would go out when you pressed the starter.
Looking at Figure B11 (or B10) in the Service Manual...
Did you disconnect the R/BK from the Lights fuse ("O" on 64B) that goes to the common R/BK on the ignition switch (and seal off this wire) and instead run a jumper from that fuse to "T" on the connector to the start relay (62B) and so 87a?
I suppose the only slight downside to this would be that if you stalled the bike at night then the lights would go out when you pressed the starter.
Last edited by Foxster; Mar 24, 2012 at 06:06 AM.