please help- 93 fatboy not starting
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
please help- 93 fatboy not starting
heres the deal- bike broke down(wouldnt start after stopping for lunch) two years ago and due to money and time i havent meesed with till now. i just put in a brand new hd battery and all i could get was a clicking noise to the silinoid located by the rear tire. i replaced that with a brand new on from hd same results. after that i removed the starter took it in to a local custom shop to test it- it tested bad. new one arrived today i installed it same story(clicking). i found on here you can jump the starter to the battery, if i do this it will engage just fine. what am i missing?? ive looked over and put a power meter to everything i can see or think of. any help would be greatly appreciated as im about to push it in to a lake.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,595
Likes: 8
From: Vancouver Island British Colombia Canada
Your not the first one with this problem. Some riders have a fail safe switch installed that bypasses the push button circuit. You have to rule out loose wiring, dirty connections etc. the wires that come off your start button are small so they are sent to a relay switch which can handle the heat of cranking amps. i would look for and test your relay switch because that is where it sounds like your power is being interrupted!
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
i noticed others with this issues, really frustrating. what relay switch shuld i be looking for? when i hit the factory starter button i get the cliking noise so to me anyways my starter button is working. ive looked over a lot of wires so far but sounds like i need to keep looking. any other ideas would be appreciated. thanks guys
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
update.. i went and bought another brand new relay put it in and still clicking. i was loking at the connection where the relay plugs in and noticed where the power lead came inti the harness and where it ran to the so i put a peice of wire (jump wire) between the rwo female slots, hit the starter button and low and behold she started. ran rough and sound like crap but thats a different concern. has any one tryed this or have any idea whats going on here. this is turning into a nightmare.
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
From: Chesapeake, VA
Trons is trons.
You may need change out the cables and evidently some of the wires as well. Sometimes old wire can break down underload. Gets corroded inside the insulation and will give a good continuity check when there is no voltage but as soon as volts are applied it opens up.
You can bypass everything in the system by running a jumper from the + terminal on the battery to the connection on the solenoid. If it starts (and it sounds like it will) then work your way back towards the switch. As soon as it doesn't start, you'll know the general location of the problem.
There's a reason why shops get big $$ doing electrical troubleshooting. It's a pain. But this should be a fairly easy and cheap fix.
Good luck.
You may need change out the cables and evidently some of the wires as well. Sometimes old wire can break down underload. Gets corroded inside the insulation and will give a good continuity check when there is no voltage but as soon as volts are applied it opens up.
You can bypass everything in the system by running a jumper from the + terminal on the battery to the connection on the solenoid. If it starts (and it sounds like it will) then work your way back towards the switch. As soon as it doesn't start, you'll know the general location of the problem.
There's a reason why shops get big $$ doing electrical troubleshooting. It's a pain. But this should be a fairly easy and cheap fix.
Good luck.
Trending Topics
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Gillespie, IL
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
thanks for the advice about the wiring being corroded, that makes sense and i should have thought about that. ill try running some new wire in the morning.
iceman--if i have the starter relay pluged in and i hit the ignition switch all i get is a clicking in the relay. if i unplug it and use a jump wire in the wiring harness i can get it to start. thats the confusing part to me, why it will work with a wire in there and not the relay--yes i have tried multiple new relays so im convinced its that the relay thats bad.
ill try some new wiring in the moring and hope its somewhere in there. thanks for the ideas and help i really appreciate it.
iceman--if i have the starter relay pluged in and i hit the ignition switch all i get is a clicking in the relay. if i unplug it and use a jump wire in the wiring harness i can get it to start. thats the confusing part to me, why it will work with a wire in there and not the relay--yes i have tried multiple new relays so im convinced its that the relay thats bad.
ill try some new wiring in the moring and hope its somewhere in there. thanks for the ideas and help i really appreciate it.
Stage II
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
I'm having a similar problem with my 94 fatboy, but mine won't crank jumping from the battery. Only cranks over if jumped to a larger (small car) battery. New starter, relay & battery.
Please let me know if you come up with anything
Please let me know if you come up with anything