Electrical smoke from under gas tank
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Stage IV
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 4
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From: IN
Electrical smoke from under gas tank
I have a 1993 heritage softail a couple weeks ago I had it in the shop getting a 21 inch rim on the front. They told me they set the speedometer accordingly. Then last week I was on a ride and my bike started to smoke from under my seat and gas tank. Grabbed a new battery and put in but still have electric smoke coming from under the gas tank. Turn signal module went out but why is it still smoking like this? Did they do something wrong when adjusting speedometer or just the turn signal module still smoking?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2019
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From: OH
In stock configuration your bike had a mechanical speedometer, not sure how it would be "adjusted"
Smoke indicates an electrical short , it`s 28 years old, wires chafe and S##T gets old.
I strongly suggest you pull seat and tank and try to follow the problem before it gets worse
Smoke indicates an electrical short , it`s 28 years old, wires chafe and S##T gets old.
I strongly suggest you pull seat and tank and try to follow the problem before it gets worse
Thread Starter
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Stage IV
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: IN
yeah I left the part out about leaving the bar and my bike wouldn't start til we push started it. Then later down the road about an hour is when it started smoking and pulled over and found a hole burnt in the battery. Didn't mean to leave out pieces trying to make a long story short. Sorry new here
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: San Diego, CA
I have a 1993 heritage softail a couple weeks ago I had it in the shop getting a 21 inch rim on the front. They told me they set the speedometer accordingly. Then last week I was on a ride and my bike started to smoke from under my seat and gas tank. Grabbed a new battery and put in but still have electric smoke coming from under the gas tank. Turn signal module went out but why is it still smoking like this? Did they do something wrong when adjusting speedometer or just the turn signal module still smoking?
On the off chance this isn't a joke... DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY ASAP....!!!
If you have modules going out and smoke from under your seat and gas tank, you are risking a fire...!!!!
Hopefully your fuses would save you, but never trust them when there is smoke...
You have a short of some kind that is causing a wire, module, or instrument to draw enough current to cook a wire/connector/sensor/module...
You need to get out a volt meter, or find someone who knows how to use it, and find the source of the overcurrent... It should be easy to spot with darkened, burned wires surrounding it/them....
Fix the integrity of your electrical system before hooking up the battery... a straight short, with 12V, can cause much damage AND physical injury..!
As for the shop that installed the front wheel, obviously they could have put something back together improperly and/or pinched/damaged a wire to cause a short...
However, your speedo is a cable driven speedo. It is NOT electric. It is run by a drive unit attached to the front wheel, and then via a cable to the back of the speedo itself. I suspect they just changed a gear in the drive unit at the front wheel, or changed to a new drive unit altogether... There is nothing electrical about adjusting the speedo, and no need I am aware of for them to go into your speedo console for that adjustment. It is highly unlikely that a speedo adjustment is directly responsible for your "smoke"...
NOTE:
All posts, but your's and the welcoming post,, were put up while I was typing.....
Glad you took it to a shop! Smart move...
Last edited by hattitude; Aug 5, 2021 at 02:42 PM.
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Thread Starter
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Stage IV
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 4
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From: IN
On the off chance this isn't a joke... DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY ASAP....!!!
If you have modules going out and smoke from under your seat and gas tank, you are risking a fire...!!!!
Hopefully your fuses would save you, but never trust them when there is smoke...
You have a short of some kind that is causing a wire, module, or instrument to draw enough current to cook a wire/connector/sensor/module...
You need to get out a volt meter, or find someone who knows how to use it, and find the source of the overcurrent... It should be easy to spot with darkened, burned wires surrounding it/them....
Fix the integrity of your electrical system before hooking up the battery... a straight short, with 12V, can cause much damage AND physical injury..!
As for the shop that installed the front wheel, obviously they could have put something back together improperly and/or pinched/damaged a wire to cause a short...
However, your speedo is a cable driven speedo. It is NOT electric. It is run by a drive unit attached to the front wheel, and then via a cable to the back of the speedo itself. I suspect they just changed a gear in the drive unit at the front wheel, or changed to a new drive unit altogether... There is nothing electrical about adjusting the speedo, and no need I am aware of for them to go into your speedo console for that adjustment. It is highly unlikely that a speedo adjustment is directly responsible for your "smoke"...
If you have modules going out and smoke from under your seat and gas tank, you are risking a fire...!!!!
Hopefully your fuses would save you, but never trust them when there is smoke...
You have a short of some kind that is causing a wire, module, or instrument to draw enough current to cook a wire/connector/sensor/module...
You need to get out a volt meter, or find someone who knows how to use it, and find the source of the overcurrent... It should be easy to spot with darkened, burned wires surrounding it/them....
Fix the integrity of your electrical system before hooking up the battery... a straight short, with 12V, can cause much damage AND physical injury..!
As for the shop that installed the front wheel, obviously they could have put something back together improperly and/or pinched/damaged a wire to cause a short...
However, your speedo is a cable driven speedo. It is NOT electric. It is run by a drive unit attached to the front wheel, and then via a cable to the back of the speedo itself. I suspect they just changed a gear in the drive unit at the front wheel, or changed to a new drive unit altogether... There is nothing electrical about adjusting the speedo, and no need I am aware of for them to go into your speedo console for that adjustment. It is highly unlikely that a speedo adjustment is directly responsible for your "smoke"...
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,165
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From: San Diego, CA
And FWIW.....
If you smell smoke, and find a hole burned into a battery... you are very lucky it neither exploded nor caught on fire.... A hole burnt into a battery is a very serious issue....
I suspect you developed a severe short, and luckily just the wire (or component) burned up, that broke the continuity of the severe short.... or else your second battery would have done the same thing.... or worse...
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
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From: Michigan
I once had wiring issues (chafing) on a '87 FXSTC when is was only a couple of years old.
The wiring harness that ran down the frame behind the batter and horseshoe oil tank shorted out.
However, with a battery getting overheated or "having hole in it" I'd be suspicious of a faulty voltage regulator.
The wiring harness that ran down the frame behind the batter and horseshoe oil tank shorted out.
However, with a battery getting overheated or "having hole in it" I'd be suspicious of a faulty voltage regulator.