Hi Group,

My brother just bought a 2010 Electraglide with the twin cam 98 motor. Of course there are always issues with anything used but what is the most pressing is that most of the time when he starts the engine the starter sounds just fine and it cranks right up, but “I think” it’s when the engine kicks like it’s trying to start and then the starter has to continues turning till it does start up, there is a real clattering sound coming from the starter for that brief moment, I’m guessing the bendex? We stopped by a Harley shop to have them listen and of course it behaved perfectly. We are both new to Harleys but is that something that should be explored or is it a normal thing. My 17 Fat Boy sometimes makes a similar sound, just a lot less pronounced.

Thanks, Randy

 

These starters are pretty tough from the start , but there are 3 different things on the starter you could check which could be causing the issue .

First , before you do any , have the battery load tested , charge it up first , then test , most places will do it for free .
Test the bikes voltage system . these posts will guide you through the process .

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-1-a.html

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-2-a.html

Remove the single wire at the starter , use a volt meter to test voltage , ignition on , press the start button , voltage at that connector should be about 12.4v .
Doing a voltage drop test will also help determine if it's a voltage or starter issue , connect voltmeter to battery ( neg ) , ( pos ) to starter , start the bike , voltage should not drop below 10v , if it does , check battery ( load test ) or connections / relay .

Clean and tighten all your connections , check the battery cables , both ends and along the jacket , corrosion inside the jacket can also cause starting issues . Also check the connections at the starter , starter relay and fuse box . There are two connectors just under the front of the frame , regulator and crank case sensor , they usually get the worst treatment because of where they are , road debris and oil changes usually affect these connections and should be cleaned as well .

Use some electrical contact cleaner on all your connection , then apply a little dielectric grease to prevent corrosion .

Back to your starter , you can pull the solenoid and check the plunger for bad contact copper points , a weak battery can quickly ruin the surfaces , a new kit can be purchased , but if damage is minimal , you could easily sand them down with fine emery cloth . A weak battery causes the surface to arc , causing pitting , which leads to poor contact .

Check the brushes inside the motor , not knowing how many miles are on it , they may need to be replaced . Kits are also available .

After checking the voltage to the starter , if it's at 12.4+ volts when the starter button is pushed , then , I would check / replace the starter clutch .

Hope you get this figured out , good luck !

 

Man, this is great info and well written. We should be able to track it down. Thank you, Randy

 

Thank-you , and your welcome . I also should have mentioned , that there are ground posts just ahead of the battery , right under the end of tank , if you shine a light down there , through the mess of wires , you should see them , they should be cleaned as well .

I always recommend a service manual when doing your own work , nothing beats the real deal , nothing left out and very simple to follow .

Good luck , keep us posted on your progress .

 

Thanks MyFav,

Yesterday we worked on his bike. My brother had the battery checked and the date on it is 8/20 so the previous owner must have just replaced it and it tested excellent. We checked the voltage at the solenoid post and it was good. We pulled the starter and took it apart and everything inside looked perfect except for a little discoloring on the armature and I think that was caused by grease splatter from the bearing. Although it looked fine we cleaned up the contact plates in the solenoid and put everything back together. We pulled the side cover and looked things over in there. The forum posts about the compensator said that if the compensator and springs are loose from the shaft that it should be replaced, ours was very tight and nearly nearly impossible to move by hand so I think it is good. We started it with the side cover off and there was a little noise but not too bad but a lot of chain slap. I teased the chain tensioner and it took up a notch, the chain slap was much reduced and less starting noise. We watched the starter shaft and it didn't retract even when the engine kicked but pulled back in after it started just like it is supposed to. To sum it up, all looked good except the chain tension and cleaned solenoid contacts. When the weather gets better, it was 39 degrees and raining, we'll run it and see how it does when it's warm.

The starter clutch looked good and relatively bulletproof, what is it that goes bad?

Randy

 

The loose chain could have been the issue , now that you have it set , it might have cured the issue . A few test rides will tell you if the issue was fixed , if it does return , I would double check the tensioner and see if it has let loose again , might have worn teeth or broken spring , the 10's do have the upgraded tensioner with larger teeth but less of them , there are videos out there explaining that . They are easy to pull and inspect / replace , using a zip tie makes it much easier .

As far as the starter clutch , those parts just wear and cause slop , obviously broken teeth are an issue , if it was bad , you'd know it by looking at it . If the gears are dried out , you can simply clean them up and re grease the gears so they move more freely .

Hope all is good now , keep us posted ..

 

A bad starter clutch looks just like a good starter clutch...

It is not the external teeth that go bad, it is an internal failure.

Your problem sounds like a bad starter clutch.

 

We even disassembled the starter clutch and the internal splines and rifling looked good and operated smoothly. Getting that little snap ring on the end of the shaft off and then back on was the only difficult part of that. The grease inside was clean and looked good too. The only part that we could not dissemble and check was the gear with the internal ratchet that only allowed it to turn one way on the shaft but it felt good and seemed to grip the shaft well. If the noise persists after a couple of rides we'll probably replace the clutch, it's not too expensive or difficult.

Thanks, Randy