Yea they should not sizzle
Turn sig module do that ____ It could happen

Kinda makes me wonder which took which out first?

WP

 

I was told long ago that electronic parts run on smoke and when you let the smoke out they don't work so well any more!!!!

 

Absolutely true. I can't remember a single time I let then smoke out of a part and didn't have to replace it.

 

I have tried them afterwards just hoping it might work___ nahh didn't work and just kept blowing the fuse.

WP

 

Reading this sounds all familiar to me. I had the EXACT same thing happen to my 98 FXDWG about 2 months ago.
Regulator failed while on a freeway and took out my battery, all of the lights on the bike (except my oil pressure indicator light), and the TSM.
Changed battery, all lights, TSM, and regulator and it was good as new again.

 

Thank you to everyone for all of the help and input. I have continued plugging away at tracking down all those dang gremlins that have reared their ugly heads since the original problem of the regulator failure.

I've gotten to the point now where I believe she'll run and boom! another dang gremlin. Go to start her up and get the awesome chatter of a solenoid laughing at me. Open up the solenoid and contacts look decent but cleaned them anyway. I happen to notice the return spring on the plunger looked a little short. Lo and behold the other third of the spring was still inside the housing. Get a new spring and the bike acts like the brand new battery doesn't have enough CCAs to turn her over.

I checked voltage on start and she drops to around 9V. Tried it with a known good battery, same result. Amperage draw off the starter seems horrendously high. I got a reading of 155A on start. That explains the cables getting nice and toasty. At least the solenoid is making good contact now. Checked all voltages, grounds, connections to ensure they were in spec, corrosion free and tight. Jumpered the solenoid actuation terminal straight to battery + terminal and the motor exhibits the same exact symptoms, acting like a bad battery or not enough CCAs.

These results lead me to believe it is definitely the starter motor causing the problem. Going to pull the starter and test as much as I can test before rebuilding it.

Dr. Hess' posts and several others on the forum have been invaluable in helping me track down all the road gremlins. Love the forum and being able to have a resource like this at my fingertips.

 

" I got a reading of 155A on start."

That's about 45 amps more than most GM starters will pull.
Spec on most are 90 -110 amps Bench test Loaded test your in the ball park at 155
Wonder what the HD spec's are

Where's that dang manual

WP

Ok 97 FLHT manual lists
Free spin test (bench) 90 amps
Loaded (on the bike) 160-180 amps not to exceed 200 amps
Hope this helps

 

I'm almost certain... Well, no, I might be wrong... Hell I don't even know anymore after all the crap this bike has put me through.

JK although it has gotten frustrating at times, I want get to back to riding and soon. I don't like withdrawals.

I'm almost certain the coils in the starter motor are not supposed to be burnt and melted. Either way, new parts on the way so hopefully be up and riding before turkey day.

 

By what I can read there isn't much left to but the starter.
I would guess it's engaging the ring properly , not binding

Dang hope ya get it.
New parts or new starter?

WP

 

Thanks WP. I hope I get 'er back up and running soon too. There was so little left of the old starter, I decided to just order a whole new one. I figured it wouldn't hurt to update the solenoid at the same time as well. Solenoid contacts looked ok when I had it apart, but it was starting to show some pitting here and there. Might as well start anew. I'll let everyone know later this week how everything turns out when I get my parts in.

Your guess is correct WP, starter was engaging correctly and the clutch looks almost new. I checked everything out while I was in the primary case since I had it open.