Help!!! Weird non start issue

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Nov 13, 2019 | 09:26 PM

blackxpress

Thread Starter

Road Master

Joined: Sep 2016

Posts: 1,048

Likes: 492

From: Heart of Georgia

Help!!! Weird non start issue

Lately my 2017 Heritage has been hard starting sometimes especially cold. The starter drags a little and then it cranks over. I had the battery tested at the Harley dealer and they said it’s like new. The battery is original and is two years old with 36k miles. The problem kept getting worse so I had it tested at Batteries Plus and they said the same thing. Good battery. Well tonight it stranded me. Coldest night of the year (34F) and I was leaving work and it wouldn’t start. It turns over very slowly like the starter’s dragging but here’s the weird part. After it turned over a few times it blew the dip stick out of the oil tank. After the third time it did that I gave up on it and got a ride home. The bike was running perfect when I parked it there this morning. What, besides a weak battery might cause it to drag like that and why would it blow the dip stick out? I’m stumped. BTW, the bike is stage 1. Cycle Shack slipons, SE high flow air cleaner and FP3 tune.

Nov 13, 2019 | 10:20 PM

marcodarq

Grand HDF Member

Joined: May 2014

Posts: 3,815

Likes: 1,168

From: florida

What weight engine oil are you using?
m

Nov 14, 2019 | 04:46 AM

blackxpress

Thread Starter

Road Master

Joined: Sep 2016

Posts: 1,048

Likes: 492

From: Heart of Georgia

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcodarq

What weight engine oil are you using?
m

20w50 full synthetic.

Nov 14, 2019 | 05:17 AM

gdishman

Road Captain

Joined: Mar 2012

Posts: 533

Likes: 43

From: Fresno, TX

Do a voltage test of the battery while cranking. The battery can still be bad but pass the electrical test at the dealership. The tester they use are good but sometimes they are just wrong. My bike was doing the same thing when cold. My connections were clean and tight. The cranking voltage was WAY low, but it would pass the battery test. I replaced the battery and haven't had a issue since.

Nov 14, 2019 | 07:19 AM

blackxpress

Thread Starter

Road Master

Joined: Sep 2016

Posts: 1,048

Likes: 492

From: Heart of Georgia

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdishman

I’m hoping that’s it. I just tested the voltage. It’s 12.4 at rest. I’m thinking it should be more. What occurred to me after I posted this thread is that both times I had the battery tested the weather was in the 80s and the bike had been ridden for more than 30 minutes and was fully warmed up. I’m not sure the battery would’ve passed their tests cold after sitting all night, especially with temps in the low 30s. That still doesn’t explain why it keeps blowing the dipstick out though. Is it possible it was just building up too much pressure in the oil tank from cranking over too many times without starting? It does have the SE high flow air cleaner with integral breathers. Could those integral breathers be causing it to build up too much crankcase pressure?

Nov 14, 2019 | 08:22 AM

Fat11Lo

Stellar HDF Member

Joined: Mar 2012

Posts: 2,008

Likes: 596

From: Columbus, OH

With this being a softail, is it possible your oil is draining down from your tank? a crankcase full of oil will cause more load on the starter trying to drag the flywheels through all that oil and with oil taking up the air space there is nowhere for the air being displaced by the pistons to go so it can build a lot of pressure pretty quick. next time you go to start it cold check your dipstick first, if its low do not add any, with the dipstick out crank it over a few times and see if the oil comes up. could be a faulty check valve. with the cold outside temps it can really compound the issue