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So I got this 76 basket and have been working on it for a while. Seems like one thing after another and I don't even have it on the road yet. Thought I finally got it finished sort of...well able to ride. Took it out to test everything and the bike ran great. Then I parked it so I could set the idle. Went to fire it back up and nothing. No crank no click...nothing. Bike was just ridden 5mins previously. All lights work, horn, signals, oil light, neutral...just no crank. Starter works amazing and bike fires up stronger than any bike I've owned. WTF? This thing has fought me the entire build. Its a 76 fxe with 5 gallon tanks. Dash is for an 85 and up so the circuit breakers had to be tucked under the or between the tanks but are secured. I have inline fuses and they are good. This happened once before and I thought it was the ignition switch so I soldered in a new one. Made sure that its not shorting on the bars also. If I wait until tomorrow or a few hours from now I bet it will start. Can a circuit breaker be causing this from overheating? The relay and breakers are all new. All my connections are soldered and sound. Ready to sell this damn thing when its done.
Break out the test light or a volt meter.
start at the relay under the battery and see if you get a signal from the starter switch. One big wire is hot all the time and the smaller wire is from the switch.
If you're using NGK spark plugs and they have fouled , what i have found in recent rebuilds is that they dont like being fouled and cause all sorts of troubles even when cleaned up and reused........not bagging them as ive been a user of NGKs for decades and if using them on a motor that is already tuned probably not a problem.
Break out the test light or a volt meter.
start at the relay under the battery and see if you get a signal from the starter switch. One big wire is hot all the time and the smaller wire is from the switch.
triple checked wiring. All is correct and functioning. Can a breaker over heat being too close to rockers? Dumb question but I can't fig this outhink using the pro-one wiring harness with this frame so the breakers are tucked under the tank. They were originally on the rear fender with oem harness using the 3 light dash. Im now using a 5 light so I had to get creative with hiding them. But ALL electronics function even the start button but seems to stop when engine get hot.
If you're using NGK spark plugs and they have fouled , what i have found in recent rebuilds is that they dont like being fouled and cause all sorts of troubles even when cleaned up and reused........not bagging them as ive been a user of NGKs for decades and if using them on a motor that is already tuned probably not a problem.
Okay I'm not that versed on Shovel Head; however, my best guess is your starter solenoid plunger is binding once it gets heated up and will not complete the circuit or the starter relay is malfunctioning because of heat.
I would carry some computer cooling spray and when it is hot and does not start, spray the cooling spray on the starter solenoid & starter relay to see if it will start after cooling.
This i a wild *** guess but I have seen starter solenoid plungers bind from heat.
Have you had the starter & starter solenoid apart? If not it may just need a good cleaning.
Last edited by CoolBreeze3646; Jul 2, 2024 at 07:33 PM.
Okay I'm not that versed on Shovel Head; however, my best guess is your starter solenoid plunger is binding once it gets heated up and will not complete the circuit or the starter relay is malfunctioning because of heat.
I would carry some computer cooling spray and when it is hot and does not start, spray the cooling spray on the starter solenoid & starter relay to see if it will start after cooling.
This i a wild *** guess but I have seen starter solenoid plungers bind from heat.
Have you had the starter & starter solenoid apart? If not it may just need a good cleaning.
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Shovel is beating me down...
