Superglide no go
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
Superglide no go
Hi guys I decided to pull my 97 superglide out of the back of the garage to get it ready for storage. I had it running fine a while ago and when I turned the key to on position lites came on like normal and it sputtered then wouldn't start and in turn killed the battery. I had it on charge for a bit and now I turn the key to on and get nothing, no lites on dash headlite brake lite nothing. If I push the button on the starter the motor will turn over ok but I;m suspecting it will do this even with key off. Any suggestions guys to getting me pointed in the right direction. Near as I can tell its just a stock ignition and in fact it still has the rivets on the cover from being a reman.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 957
Likes: 2
From: Carlsbad Springs Ontario
ignition
Hi guys I decided to pull my 97 superglide out of the back of the garage to get it ready for storage. I had it running fine a while ago and when I turned the key to on position lites came on like normal and it sputtered then wouldn't start and in turn killed the battery. I had it on charge for a bit and now I turn the key to on and get nothing, no lites on dash headlite brake lite nothing. If I push the button on the starter the motor will turn over ok but I;m suspecting it will do this even with key off. Any suggestions guys to getting me pointed in the right direction. Near as I can tell its just a stock ignition and in fact it still has the rivets on the cover from being a reman.
I would suggest a bad ignition switch or relay etc.
First ., disconnect bat. and shoot WD40 into the ign. switch while turning the key back and forth to clean it out . Let sit to allow the switch to drain or force dry with comp. air. Start test ... ok ? Not ok ? check wiring and primary ign. system .
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
Thanks Mike and Paul Ishould have said I checked for spark which there was none on either plug and good compression.
Definitely motor is turning over fast enough just pushing the button that's on the end of the starter. I tried with key turned to on with starter button on starter, tried with ignition unplugged and tried jumping the 3 wire ends together ( thinking they all need to connect ). I pulled the handle bar cover off on throttle side to expose the push button for start and kill switch, hard to tell but they looked ok and no bare wires grounded to bar. I could only see one circuit breaker unlike my bagger which has about 5 or 6 plus. As for eliminating the igniting key switch I should only have to unlug it from the harness and jump the 3 wires correct?
Thanks
Definitely motor is turning over fast enough just pushing the button that's on the end of the starter. I tried with key turned to on with starter button on starter, tried with ignition unplugged and tried jumping the 3 wire ends together ( thinking they all need to connect ). I pulled the handle bar cover off on throttle side to expose the push button for start and kill switch, hard to tell but they looked ok and no bare wires grounded to bar. I could only see one circuit breaker unlike my bagger which has about 5 or 6 plus. As for eliminating the igniting key switch I should only have to unlug it from the harness and jump the 3 wires correct?
Thanks
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
Thanks Dr Hess I was hoping you might chime in. Ok heres where I'm at sorry love photos may even help someone else some day. Anyway I started by checking each of the 4 fuses you see there and actually I didn't actually go so far to check the fuse them selves as Im not sure how but what I did was one at a time I shorted across each fuse flat and no difference. Then I shorted across the circuit breaker and still no difference. Then I had a thought to myself, why are none of the 3 ignition switch leads live??? unplugged the ignition switch from its mate and jumped from the positive of the battery to the first lead as seen in the pic and then got lights and hit starter and bike rolled over. So where is the power cut from that lead I shorted too? Im pretty sure the switch should get power right off the single circuit breaker. Or is it the wire off the relay.
Last edited by RidemyEVO; Aug 26, 2014 at 08:15 PM.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21,143
Likes: 12,707
From: South Carolina
First make sure the battery if fully charged, and have it load tested.
The ignition switch gets power from the main fuse or breaker (I don`t have a diagram for a `97).
Poking around blindly with a jumper cable will most likely not end well.
Turn on the ignition switch, and with a voltmeter check the voltage at both terminals of the main fuse/breaker.
Check the voltage at each fuse.
The ignition switch gets power from the main fuse or breaker (I don`t have a diagram for a `97).
Poking around blindly with a jumper cable will most likely not end well.
Turn on the ignition switch, and with a voltmeter check the voltage at both terminals of the main fuse/breaker.
Check the voltage at each fuse.
Last edited by Dan89FLSTC; Aug 26, 2014 at 08:35 PM.
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Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
First make sure the battery if fully charged, and have it load tested.
The ignition switch gets power from the main fuse or breaker (I don`t have a diagram for a `97).
Poking around blindly with a jumper cable will most likely not end well.
Turn on the ignition switch, and with a voltmeter check the voltage at both terminals of the main fuse/breaker.
Check the voltage at each fuse.
The ignition switch gets power from the main fuse or breaker (I don`t have a diagram for a `97).
Poking around blindly with a jumper cable will most likely not end well.
Turn on the ignition switch, and with a voltmeter check the voltage at both terminals of the main fuse/breaker.
Check the voltage at each fuse.
I posted a wire diagram in post 5. The jumper cable was fused. Still have a bit more chasing but narrowing it down. Thinking its the feed to the main circuit breaker.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,199
Likes: 3,087
From: NW AR
You need a proper volt meter. I suppose a test light would work in this case, but I really prefer a volt meter. Ground the black lead, meter on Volts, about 20V scale. Check battery. Check main breaker, both sides. All should have 12.x Volts. Turn ignition switch on. Check terminals. All should have about 12.x Volts, or whatever your battery has with the switch on, give or take a little. Yeah, jumpering breakers and fuses is A Bad Thing, even with a fused jumper. If you had a short, you likely blew the fuse in your jumper. How are you going to know?