I posted this in the tech section, but I received no answers.
Maybe you guys can help.

The battery will hold a charge. If I let it sit for a week, it will start.


I am having problems starting my 95 FLHT.
When it's cold the starter always works.
Even when it's cold, there is a funny sound like the gear is disengaging and then reengaging.

I'll push the starter button and the engine will turn over, but about every revolution the gear will release and then immediately reengage.
After a couple of revolutions the bike will start. The starter motor never quits turning while I am holding the starter button.

When the bike is hot, it's a crapshoot as to whether it will turn over or not.

I took the primary cover off to inspect the condition of the flywheel gear and and the starter gear.
They were both in good condition.
I removed the starter. I checked the solenoid and cleaned up the contacts.
I took the starter to NAPA and had it tested. They said it was fine, so I reinstalled it.
I cleaned all of the cables and placed a star washer on the battery to starter ground point.
With the primary cover off I pressed the starter button and watched the starter gear extend and engage the gear on the clutch.
It turned about a revolution and the starter gear retracted and immediately extended again. This happens about every revolution of the engine and the starter motor is turning the entire time.
I ran a jumper wire from the battery to starter and engaged it that way. The results were the same.
I installed a new soleniod cover with a starter button on it. The results were the same.
I put the primary cover back on an filled it with oil and went for a ride to get it hot.
After about 30 miles I was headed down a long hill, I pulled over to the shoulder and slowed down. I hit the kill switch and coasted, I turned the switch back on and hit the starter button, it started.
I did this a few times and it started each time.
When I got home I pulled into the garage and shut it down.
I turned the switch back on and hit the starter button. Nothing, not even a click.
I pressed the button on the solenoid cover and it started. It is still disengaging and reengaging the starter gear, but it starts.

Does anyone have any idea of what is going on?

 

Possibly the starter relay Also what about the starter clutch gear When the pinion gear engages the ring gear do you sometimes hear a whinning noise The clutch in the starter is acting up and spinning even if it is engaging the ring gear(Bad clutch gear ) ??

 

I have a friend with a 93 FX and it does the same thing. Sometimes everything is great and sometimes nothing. He has the switch on the solenoid too and about 1/2 the time he has to use it. He has replaced all kinds of stuff - switches, solenoid, etc. I'll catch up with him and see what he knows.

 

galtjunk,
I am unfamiliar with the starters on the Evo of your vintage. My experience is with older stuff but starters operate basically the same so I'm going to try to help you. Do those solenoids with the push button on them mechanically move the linkage to engage the starter or do they just complete the circuit for the solenoid to energize and electrically pull the linkage into engagement? I get the impression from your description that local local pushbutton does the latter, just complete the solenoid circuit.
If that is so, and you are damn-sure-positive that your positive cables are good and have good connections, your ground cables are good and making good connections (Question: I want to make sure I understand what I read in your description. You say there is a ground cable directly from the starter housing to the battery?).
If the above is correct, then your problem must be internal to the starter/solenoid assembly.
If I misunderstood about the ground being a cable directly from the starter housing to the neg. battery terminal, then the problem could be a bad ground. Is your engine/tranny combination one of the rubber mounted types? If so, and you do not have a ground cable directly from the starter housing to the battery neg. terminal, then it could be you have a bad ground from the engine/tranny to the frame. The rubber mount engines had some sort of ground cable (maybe two of 'em) to ensure a good ground connection.
Sorry about being so long-winded with this. I'm trying to familiarize myself with your setup.

 

there are two windings in the starter solenoid
the pull in
and the hold in
sounds like the hold in windings might be burnt out
this might not show up in a freeload test
you may need a need starter, or rewind, or solenoid from another starter if you can find one
but it is a little hard to say without seeing it, as it could be something simpler

 

sounds like maybe a starter solenoid(i see you put the manual push button but didnt notice that you either cleaned the solenoid up or replaced it). I would take it apart and see if it has burnt spots on the solenoid.

I have seen where the older bikes have a problem with the wiring going from the battery to the switch and the circuit breaker. You need to start with a continuity test on the wiring.

 

09dynaman hit it on the head get a new soloniod, or have someone look at old one,

 

The starter engages the drive gear into the ring gear and turns the motor over. When the drive gear disengages for just a split second and then reengages the starter motor is still turning. It continues to turn the motor over until it starts. When the handlebar button works, the gears engage every time and it turns over. The gears disengage momentarily and reengage about every revolution, but the starter motor is still turning. It only disengages for an instant before reengaging..

The starter relay has been replaced by a fancy one from Digital Guard Dawg that also acts as a key fob receiver. I doesn't allow the the relay to engage unless the transmitter is within a given distance of the relay. It has been working flawlessly for over a year now. The key fob has a motion sensor in it and it will go to sleep if it hasn't moved for a little while. I have had it go to sleep on me when I've been sitting on the bike talking with some one. I push the starter button an nothing happens, I give the key ring a shake and all is well.


When I use the solenoid button, it overrides the DGD system.

 

No. When the gears engage, the motor is being turned over.

 

The button on the solenoid cover mechanically moves to engage the solenoid. I took the solenoid apart and wire brushed the contacts.
There is a ground cable that goes from the battery to one of the starter mounting bolts. Another cable goes from there to the frame. I placed a star washer at that junction to ensure a good contact point. This should insure that there is a good ground from the battery to the starter and to the frame.