Stumped
Road Captain
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 713
Likes: 2
From: Pa.
Did you check your ignition switch? Sounds like you might have a bad switch. With the key off you should have 12.8 volts to the red wire. turn to the acc. pos. check the volts on the other two wires. then the start run pos. should have the same on the other of the two wires. BTW an 87 is not an ironhead its an evo motor.
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
From: Cresson, Texas
The lights came on once, but only once while hooked to the "battery charger" correct? Then when you removed the "battery charger" and turned the ignition switch on again you have no lights, no power whatsoever? Yes or no... If you have no lights or power with the ignition switch to the on position without the battery charger hooked up, then you have a loose wire or a bad battery again.
Troubleshoot this manner:
1. Verify voltage in battery again with volt meter touching + and - posts on Bat. with voltmeter leads. If 12 volts plus, it is good.
2. Check + lead wire from bat. to starter to ensure wire is secure at both points and not broken or grounded along the way.
3. Check lead coming from starter to circuit breaker to ensure wire is secure at both points.
4. Pull circuit breaker and inspect to see if filament is intact i.e. breaker is good. If in doubt, use your volt meter and perform a continuity check on the breaker. If it is good proceed on.
5. There is another wire from this specific circuit breaker that goes to the ignition. Check it for security and damage in the same manner as you checked the preceding wires.
Assuming that the Bike was running properly before you changed out the starter then problem most likely is associated with the items listed above, with the exception to item #5. I suggest you retrace the steps you used when you began the task of changing your starter out.
Troubleshoot this manner:
1. Verify voltage in battery again with volt meter touching + and - posts on Bat. with voltmeter leads. If 12 volts plus, it is good.
2. Check + lead wire from bat. to starter to ensure wire is secure at both points and not broken or grounded along the way.
3. Check lead coming from starter to circuit breaker to ensure wire is secure at both points.
4. Pull circuit breaker and inspect to see if filament is intact i.e. breaker is good. If in doubt, use your volt meter and perform a continuity check on the breaker. If it is good proceed on.
5. There is another wire from this specific circuit breaker that goes to the ignition. Check it for security and damage in the same manner as you checked the preceding wires.
Assuming that the Bike was running properly before you changed out the starter then problem most likely is associated with the items listed above, with the exception to item #5. I suggest you retrace the steps you used when you began the task of changing your starter out.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, Colorado... I'm originally from Denver.
No...
The bike isen't ok. I've followed everything everyone has suggested here and I'm STILL not getting anything from it. I've checked everything. I've removed the cover from the ignition relay, it reads as getting power. The starter is getting power, the battery is fully charged and everything is connected tightly and all contacts are clean. I even checked the plugs and plug wires. I may have to trailer it up to Colorado Springs H-D and see if they can figure it out.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, Colorado... I'm originally from Denver.
I'm not sure WHAT this is any more. It doesn't have many of the original parts on it. The last owner had it bored out to a 1200. When I bought it, I rode it 4 times before it started giving me trouble. I took it to one place and they really shafted me on repairs. They'd fix one or two small things, then wait until something major went wrong and was forced to take it back time and again. The last mechanic, she found 95% of the problems that the other place didn't even look at. She fixed all those. but then the starter went bad. I didn't have the money to take it to the shop at the time, so I opted to replace the starter myself. I did that and everything else but still no luck in getting it to start.
Banned
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 2
From: Dirty Jersey
The battery, the fuses, the wiring, the ignition relay, the starter, are all checked out and everything is charged. But still no start up. Am I missing something? Or should I just freakin' take it to the HD shop? Ie's an ironhead, and alot of these young mechanics have NO knowledge of those models and how to fix them. HELP!!!!
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, Colorado... I'm originally from Denver.
According to my mechanic (She's certified and she's been doing H-D repairs for 12 years.) BOTH bikes are ironheads. Like I've said before, I don't think either of these 2 bikes are all original. I'm pretty damn sure that the engines aren't original engines. And I'm pretty sure that quite a few of the parts on them are not the original parts. So I can only guess that whoever owned these bikes before did some stuff to them.
Banned
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 2
From: Dirty Jersey
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 281
Likes: 1
From: Cleveland,TN USA
I would start to suspect a bad new starter.
You could put the old one back on and see if the lights come back on. I am not sure of the configuration of the wirng on your model, but there may be a connection inside the starter that is shorting out the rest of the electronics.
If you apply voltage from a seperate battery to the starter terminal and then connect the ground from this battery to the frame, the starter should turn without any other action if there is no internal solonoid. Not sure about that.
You could put the old one back on and see if the lights come back on. I am not sure of the configuration of the wirng on your model, but there may be a connection inside the starter that is shorting out the rest of the electronics.
If you apply voltage from a seperate battery to the starter terminal and then connect the ground from this battery to the frame, the starter should turn without any other action if there is no internal solonoid. Not sure about that.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, Colorado... I'm originally from Denver.
That's what she said. I don't really know. I bought the '87 for $2000.00
It wasen't running when I got it. I invested around $3500.00 to have one place fix it and they only did whatever it was to keep it running.... Barely. When I took it in to this place, I told them I wanted a tune up and for them to check everything. take off the primary cover, check the clutch basket, the forward controls, everything. They didn't do anything I wanted done. I'd charge the battery, it'd run for a day, then I'd have to charge the battery again before trying to start it. Then it'd just die after 2 or 3 mins. of running. So far, I've put another $700.00 into it and now a new starter on it and still no power/start-up.
The '88 was more or less given to me. My "brother" james had problems with it from the start. He invested about $4000.00 into it, and the mechanic said a cam gear shot thru the oil pan. He got tired of dealing with it, so he gave it to me to salvage parts for the '87 to get and keep it running, and rebuild at my leasure. (Rebuild the '88 first)
But my mechanic says both bikes are ironheads. Which leaves me to believe that the prior owners of these 2 bikes did some alterations on them, and that not every part on either bike is original.
It wasen't running when I got it. I invested around $3500.00 to have one place fix it and they only did whatever it was to keep it running.... Barely. When I took it in to this place, I told them I wanted a tune up and for them to check everything. take off the primary cover, check the clutch basket, the forward controls, everything. They didn't do anything I wanted done. I'd charge the battery, it'd run for a day, then I'd have to charge the battery again before trying to start it. Then it'd just die after 2 or 3 mins. of running. So far, I've put another $700.00 into it and now a new starter on it and still no power/start-up.
The '88 was more or less given to me. My "brother" james had problems with it from the start. He invested about $4000.00 into it, and the mechanic said a cam gear shot thru the oil pan. He got tired of dealing with it, so he gave it to me to salvage parts for the '87 to get and keep it running, and rebuild at my leasure. (Rebuild the '88 first)
But my mechanic says both bikes are ironheads. Which leaves me to believe that the prior owners of these 2 bikes did some alterations on them, and that not every part on either bike is original.
Last edited by TommyTheKat2010; Aug 25, 2010 at 04:07 PM. Reason: forgot a couple sentences