it's a looong story, but I still need to order a solenoid for the 84 shovel.
my question is,,, is there, (or) are there, any other "parts" that I should order at the same time (to save a few dollars on shipping), that i will need in order to swap out the solenoid. It has been suggested that i need to take off the primary cover ( and i will, as i have never had one off before), but i can't see any reason why i need to be in there just to change the solenoid.,,,hope this make sence. any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated.
thanks,
marion..

 

k....trying to figure out why you need to pop the outer primary to replace your solenoid. Definitely not a requirement. Only thing holding the solenoid in place are a couple of 5/16 x 18 bolts.

Not sure where you are getting the solenoid but All ***** sells one that is not made in Mexico, Pakistan, China, Viet Nam....made in Brazil. Have one on my 84 FLH and so far seems to work fine,

Everything I have read says stay away from Accel...unless you like being on the side of the road like a broke-dick-dog.

 

That's funny as hell!!! I havent heard that in quite awhile!!

Oh, dont forget to disconnect your negative battery terminal before you start takin **** apart....
Just sayin!!!
jim

 

cool,
thanks for the info,,,
got it,,,
yea the battery has been removed, and the solenoid is off. was planning on ordering from J & P, but theirs is Accel,, so will order from someone else. thanks for that...The local HD folks were NO help.
.
oh,, one other question,,,on a previous post there was a BIG discussion about the "possibility" of the starter/solenoid system (maybe) getting locked up, or stuck when starting, and the continuous current flow burning up some "parts". after reading that i looked into adding a "kill-switch" in the negative battery to ground wire so that i could open that circuit IF need be. must be a pretty heafty switch to handle the possible heavy current draw.
.
just wondering what's your view is on that issue?,,, and if a good idea, any suggestions/recommendation on a specific make and model for the disconnect switch, and, any thoughts on (where and how) to mount so it does not look like crap but provides easy quick access?
.
thanks again,
mb

 

OK. This subject has been kicked around for a looooooooong time. Early EVO and Shovel starters are basically.....junk.
The problem with them starts generally with a weak battery. When the battery starts getting weak, it welds the washer thats under the solinoid cover, and it causes the starter to roll until the battery dies, and it will continue to roll even if the bike starts. Panic time. A "fix" is to take the cover off and flip the washer to the good side, but if one still has a weak battery, it will fry the good side.
As said previously, the Accel is junk, as is a factory solinoid (which you probably can't get anymore). There are others on the market that I can't attest to their reliability. Others have made suggestions as what to buy.
There are great batterys on the market that will hold a charge and give you all of the amps you need to turn the starter over.
There are great charging systems on the market that are better than stock.
A trick to help your starter is to wire your kill switch where you can get your motor rolling and then turn on the ignition for start.
Another little tip is to change the relay from the big "Ford" style relay to the delco style used on later Harleys.
As for a back up when your electric starter takes a dive on you, and it will, get a kick starter. Period.

 

I wouldn't. I only had the solenoid hang up a couple times on my 84 shovel, which I rode over 60,000 miles and never on my 85 wide glide with over 130,000 miles. When it kept turning the starter on my 84 I just got a wrench (out of my handlebar tool bag) and unbolted the battery lead at the solenoid. When it happens, you'll know it immediately!! And it'll only happen as your tryin to start the bike. Just carry the right tools and you can take care of the problem before your battery runs down or burns up your starter. As Al Cherry mentioned the problem is usually associated with an old tired battery or one that doesn't have the correct current capacity for your bike. A cheap aftermarket battery was the reason my 84 did it. It was a fairly new battery and after I replaced it (and rebuilt the solenoid) because of an early failure I never had the problem again.
I'm a firm believer of 'fix it before it's broke' so I do alot of preventative maintenance and keep good records. I've been called **** about it before, but I've rarely had to walk or call for a ride due to a mechanical failure..
There's my .02 cents!!!
Good luck,
jim

 

If you replace your solenoid another part you need is the seal for it.
Another thing you could do is get one of those starter lever assemblies that replaces the solenoid altogether. they are not cheap, around $100 and you will need the old style starter relay because you will need the heavier contacts since that set up routes the starter motor current through the relay.
With one of those lever assemblies you manually engage and disengage the starter linkage and electrical contacts.
I have one of those assemblies but I have not installed it yet so I cannot speak to its function or reliability but I have not heard any complaints about them either.
You might want to do some research on it to see if that would work best for you.
One of these days I'll get around to installing it and post up a review of the install and function.
Good luck man. I know its a pain in the rear when it gets stuck in start mode.
I can't say that heavy duty switch for the ground cable is a bad idea but it does need to be placed where you can get to it quickly. Race cars use them for disconnecting the battery power on the vehicle so a place like Summit Racing would have them.

 

Couple of thoughts...

 

I just got done changing the rear belt on my 85 FXWG. When I reconnected the battery the starter (Hitachi type) immediately started spinning. The solenoid does not engage, so it doesn't crank the motor, it just spins the starter motor.

Everything worked fine before it came apart. The starter is the factory original. One of the things that seems not right is that the battery terminal on the starter motor is grounded. Even with the starter out of the bike the terminal is shorted to ground (the starter case). Is this right?

Second, should the solenoid terminals be grounded?

Any ideas would be helpful.

 

i use the all ***** stuff on my 79 FXE 80" 8:1 cr with a leinweber L3S cam ya need a good starter.. it spins my engine like a air starter -- also the ease of IF you ever have to remove it you dont have to take the primary off..