To ALL the guys on this forum who reached out their hand to help this newbie:THANK-U-ALL

I've been chasing & chasing why my '85 H-D wouldn't start. Changed the following:
1.New Coil.
2.New Spark Plugs.
3.New Spot Light Switch in instrument panel.
4.Re-built Carburator.
And still NO START~it was driving me NUTS

Taking my gas tank off & on & off & on again searching for an answer as to WHY its just won't start.

As I was fishing around in the instrument panel (what a joy that is) a million wires going in every direction. I happen to notice a funny smell and then a slight vapor of smoke.

And as all you guys know where there's smoke there's FIRE.

I traced the smoke down under my gas tank and the smell of something burnig was getting stronger.

It looked like it was coming from the new coil I just install a couple of weeks ago.
No I thought ~ the coil shorted-out; there goes more $ $ $ for Harley.

Thank GOD that wasn't it. I drained the gas again in the tank and tyed it alone side the bike. And low and behold there it was:
The idle & throttle cable was burnt. Apperently, while I was taking my gas tank off on many occassions. The gas tank was rubbing against the 26 yr.old cables and as you can see from the photos. The wide strecth of the cable is gone.

So this newbie happly went of the H-D dealership and ordered the two cables $55.00 all toll. FINALLY THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND.

Now all I need again is help putting the new idel & throttle cable back into position.

THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL YOU GUYS

 

Well I hate to **** on your parade but you haven't found the short.....neither of those cables carries current and so you need to find what has caused the burning.....new cables will only be a short fix......very short.

Either something else is overheating near the cables or the cables themselves are carrying live current, both are a bad scenario.

 

Hi Schooner, from across the pond! You're getting closer, but as Spanners points out, the challenge is to find what is shorting onto those old cables. Your new cables will be fine, but there is still a gemlin lurking in their I'm afraid. At least you know to look out for something else in that area. Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

if there aren't any bare wires near the cables........you didn't find the short. did you see smoke coming from a specific wire? follow that wire if you saw it smokin'. those cables could be worn from the normal wear they get from steering the bike.

 

More than likely something wore through the cable and charged it, it should be where it overheated. Look carefully around that area for a bare/worn wire or connecter. If you don't find it there than look the whole cable over for another spot that may be where the power is coming from. You need to go Quincy on this and do a good autopsy to find the problem. Hope this helps.

 

Hey Bagga

I'm really confused now ~ But I'm not giving up now; its only the 5th round and I going the full 15 rounds.

Now come to think of it;when I discovered the short. The idle or throttle cable don't remember exact which one it was.

The cable was laying on top of the new coil's screw termial and nut that was screwed onto the coil. My buddy and I though that the new coil I installed was SHOT.But the coil is good.

This I believe was the cause the short; that cable was laying on the coil and shorted-out.

Tell my guys what you. It was me putting the gas tank in its proper place over the frame and squeezing the idle & throttle wires together and pushing the cable onto the coil post causing the hot short.

That's the only reason I believe what happened.

THANKS GUYS
I'll let you guys know when the two cables come in from Harley sometime next week 10/24/'11

 

If that wire was laying on the coil post and the post wore through the outer of the cable then you have found the short.....your coil is sitting at the wrong angle however, it is 90 degrees out, the HT leads should come out of the coil horizontally and the post should face back and not up, fix that and the prob will be gone forever :-)

 

Hey Spanner39

I'm not sure what you mean by 90 degrees out with my coil.

But what I think you saying is (Dumbing me)
installed the coil UPSIDED DOWN

You know my good man that seems to make a lot of sense to this ol' man. If I can and the coil can be turned were the post is on the bottom then there's NO WAY THE CABLES CAN TOUCH THE POST.

O.K. I'm going to disconnect the coil and turn it around where the posts are on THE BOTTOM.

It's not being fun being OLD
It might work. I'll let you know.

THANK YOU MY MAN

 

Right, in other words the plug wires come out the front of the coil and the wire terminals face backwards towards the engine.

Donuts to dollars the "short" is nothing more than the throttle cable chaffing on a hot lead. If you had such a bad short that it was coursing through the throttle cables from another source all your circuit breakers would be tripping and nothing would work like console lights, lights, horn, etc. most likely.

 

if the throttle cable was rubbing on the coil terminal, then yes that would be a problem. i'll look to see how my cables are run tomorrow and see if i can get a pic of how they go under the tank.