'86 FXRS: I replaced the seals for my odometer/tachometer. When I tried starting it back up and all it was doing was cranking. I didn't know what it was, did some research and ended up replacing the solenoid. But now when I try to start it up again it just clicks once. The battery is good, i just replaced the starter relay, all my connections are good, and I don't know what it might be.

 

The first rule in troubleshooting is when you make a change (replace solenoid), if that does not solve the issue, revert the change (put old solenoid back on) before continuing onto another troubleshooting step. All you are doing is wasting time and money randomly guessing at what the issue is.

I'm not sure how replacing seals on your gauges would have any effect on your starter solenoid. It would make more sense that your gauge wire connections were compromised. Check the connectors and make sure they are seated and orientated correctly. I had this issue when I installed my tach. When I plugged the speedometer harness back into the speedo I didn't get the connector securely seated on one side resulting in the bike not starting. Once I pushed it in all the way it started.

Also, check your fuses. One may have blown, especially if you did any electrical work with the battery still connected.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks. I replaced the fuses and tried arranging the spedo harness around and I still got that click. When I got the new solenoid and it clicked, I replaced it with the old one and it did the same thing. I still have no idea what's going on, everything is correctly installed. Battery has a full charge, and when I took it in to Auto Zone they said that the battery was still good. Any other ideas?

 

What fuses were blown that you replaced?

Since you feel like everything is assembled correctly let start again with the symptom: Your starter clicks once when you try to turn over the motor.

When a starter clicks it could mean several things:

• A series of clicks could mean you have a weak battery or bad connection.
• One click could mean you have a dead battery, a bad connection, a bad solenoid or the starter brushes are grounding out.

A good sign of a dead/weak battery is if the click gets quieter each time. Since Autozone tested your battery, let's assume they did a test that accurately determined the condition of the battery and your battery is fully charged and operational.

If this is the case then the first step should be cleaning your battery terminals and cable connection ends. All metal oxidizes over time. Sometimes you can see clear signs of oxidation but other times you cannot. Oxidation on battery cables and terminals can give the same symptoms of a dead battery.

Try cleaning your battery terminals and cable ends with some sandpaper, steel wool or a Scotch-Brite scouring pad. Do this at both the battery terminals (+&-) and the starter terminal. Reassemble using dielectric grease. Dielectric grease will waterproof the connections and help prevent oxidation.

Next would be the solenoid. I would rule this out though since you get the same result with the new and old solenoid.

The last thing to try deals with the starter brushes. The brushes in the starter provide electricity to the starter as it spins. This spinning will wear out the brushes over time. This can cause the brushes to not seat correctly and ground out the connection. A good sign of brushes grounding out is when you hold the start switch down (activate the starter) and the battery cable gets hot or fuses blow. If this is the case, try the following:

While holding the start switch down (activate the starter), tap the back of the starter with a hammer. This action is to try and get the brushes to pop back into place. You will most likely need a friend to help you with this. You can also try this without holding the start switch down if the first try did not work. Just note that if this fixes your issue then this hammer trick might not work again. It also means that it is time to rebuild or replace the starter.

After all this and you still have the same issue I would try with a new battery or get a jump from another motorcycle (Do not use a car battery to jump!).

Good Luck!

 

The starter was cranking the engine, so you replaced the starter solenoid?