79 Shovel Electical Bug
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Joined: May 2006
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79 Shovel Electical Bug
OK, I"ve been trying to solve this problem for a while now. Bike won't start. Battery is good, lights/horn work. No click, no nothing. I installed a new solenoid and a new starter relay. Still nothing. Jumping the solenoid makes the starter work. Jumping the wires at the relay makes the starter work. But nothing with the start button. When pushing the start button I do get power to the relay (the small terminal) but power on only one of the two large terminals. The other large terminal shows no power at any time.
What's going on here? HELP!
Radio915
What's going on here? HELP!
Radio915
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,286
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From: SoCal
radio915,
I suspect the starter relay is not grounded. The relay is mounted on the bottom of the battery tray and that is rubber mounted for vibration isolation. That also insulates it electrically from the rest of the bike. Check to make sure you have a ground wire from one of the relay mounting bolts (where it attaches to the battery tray) to the transmission (usually fastened to the starter support plate that is bolted to the tranny). Use about a 12 gauge wire if you need to make one.
The coil in the relay gets 12 volts from the starter switch but it is not a complete circuit until the other side of that coil is connected to ground. Without that ground wire, the coil can't energize/create a magnetic field and pull the contacts together for the power to the solenoid's coil.
I suspect the starter relay is not grounded. The relay is mounted on the bottom of the battery tray and that is rubber mounted for vibration isolation. That also insulates it electrically from the rest of the bike. Check to make sure you have a ground wire from one of the relay mounting bolts (where it attaches to the battery tray) to the transmission (usually fastened to the starter support plate that is bolted to the tranny). Use about a 12 gauge wire if you need to make one.
The coil in the relay gets 12 volts from the starter switch but it is not a complete circuit until the other side of that coil is connected to ground. Without that ground wire, the coil can't energize/create a magnetic field and pull the contacts together for the power to the solenoid's coil.
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Hey Magawatt. Thanks bud. Your recommendation did the trick! I ran a wire from the base of the starter relay to the frame ground post and voila, contact! I don't know why this problem would develop. I've had this bike for over 20 years and all of a sudden the relay ground fails? Go figure. I guess that's part of the joy of Harley ownership! Anyway, thanks for your help. Roy
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,286
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From: SoCal
You are welcome radio915.
Are you saying you haven't had a wire there from the get-go?
There had to be something grounding that relay for it to work correctly all those years.
Glad ya got it working.
Are you saying you haven't had a wire there from the get-go?
There had to be something grounding that relay for it to work correctly all those years.
Glad ya got it working.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 365
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From: Ohio
Glad you fixed your problem Radio. You may want to check the 2 18 ga wires for wear.
I have had an erratic problem with starter this year. Sunday I stopped at a friends.
The bike just sat there cooling down. The starter began to turn over, all by itself.
I had to pull the battery, and disconnect the ground, before it would stop.
This is probably not your problem, but since this can cause some real
problems. I would check the wires. I was lucky the bike was not in gear.
I still am not sure how this happened, with the switch on off, but it did.
Wires are fried so I will never know what caused it. Maybe this will save
you from a similar problem. I am glad I always carry tools.
I have had an erratic problem with starter this year. Sunday I stopped at a friends.
The bike just sat there cooling down. The starter began to turn over, all by itself.
I had to pull the battery, and disconnect the ground, before it would stop.
This is probably not your problem, but since this can cause some real
problems. I would check the wires. I was lucky the bike was not in gear.
I still am not sure how this happened, with the switch on off, but it did.
Wires are fried so I will never know what caused it. Maybe this will save
you from a similar problem. I am glad I always carry tools.
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