Starter Clutch Replacement on 09 SG
#12
11-12-2012, 05:12 PM
Road Warrior
Excellent ! Doing mine this week 
Ok so I went ahead today because I had time and decided I would replace my worn starter clutch in my 09 Streetglide with 25k on it and it was not starting or had the hot start grinding sound. The HD kit part number is 31633-07A which includes a new starter cluch assembly, o-ring, spring, and ball msrp about $125 from HD. I did not find a lot of information in the HD service manual but removing the starter was pretty straight forward. I disconnected the battery and for my sake just removed it. I then disconnected the positive cable on top of the starter solenoid assembly as well as disconnected the connector on the lower forward side of the starter. Removed the two securing allen bolts and gently tugged and removed the starter assembly at a upward angle. The book states to remove the oil fill cap but I did not have to. Also another caution is to make sure you do not loose the two ring dowels in the mount holes for the starter to install into the backside of the primary. Thats it for removing the starter, pretty easy. Pictured below is the new start clutch assembly.
Attachment 213112
Now the fun part to replace the starter clutch. As stated earlier in this thread I cleaned and wiped off the starter and took a knife and cut the powder coat at the seam where it comes apart to try to eliminate it flaking. Its a little hard to explain but once you have the assembly out you can kind of see what you have to do to get at it and hopefully the pictures help. Remove the chrome cap and bracket off the solenoid. If you look you will see two recessed phillips screws that you have to loosen and remove. Mine were covered in powder coat so I used a phillips socket and gently hit the bit into place and then a rachet to loosen and remove those two fasteners. Second where you removed the chrome cover and bracket on the solenoid end you have to loosen those two long fasteners holding the solenoid in place. Be carefull to lay the starter assembly on its side and not allow the solenoid assembly to come apart or the brushes can drop out of place. Just loosen the two fasteners and leave that part together. Now with those four fasteners removed you can gently spit the starter assembly and see the starter clutch and the rest of the gears and pieces. Also be careful that there is five roller type bearings that are loose inside the center of the smaller gear inside a plastic retainer do not loose those. Here are a few pictures to help explain what I am talking about.
Attachment 213113
Attachment 213114
Attachment 213115
Attachment 213116
I left the solenoid part of the started sideways on my bench and cleaned that assembly. I then removed the original starter clutch assembly with a light pull. After which I removed the smalled gear with the roller bearings insided and cleaned the assembly. After which I placed a little oil around the bearing race and insearted the new starter clutch assembly in the starter housing with a gentle force and made sure it seated the bearing in the case. After which I installed the smaller gear and bearings in place. The kit gives you a new ball bearing make sure you place that inside the shaft of the new starter clutch. If you look inside the original one you will see it. Next replace the spring on the plunger assembly it just slides of and on. After that i put a little oil on the other bearing and gently slid the two haves together while leaving it on the bench as to not disrupt the solenoid brushes and I then tightened the four removed fasteners. I then installed the new o-ring on the starter that goes into the backside of the primary. After which again make sure your ring dowels are in place and reinstall the starter as you removed it and make sure to locktight and tourqe the two starter mount bolts to 22-24ft-lbs per the HD service manual. I then installed the battery and seat and tried it out and it worked perfect. I let the bike warm up and shut it of and on a few times and it again worked great. Went for a short ride to get it warmed up to operating temp stopped for gas and again it worked great like it used to. I have a new SE compensator on order and am going to change that next week as well. Also another note as I could not see any visible wear on the original starter clutch.
The starter clutch job did not take very long and if you just take your time its pretty easy to do. Maybe took about 1 1/2 hours total and thats with me screwing around and cleaning everything which I guess thats what the dealer quoted me. Sorry for the long winded post I just thought it may help somebody down the road with theirs. If you have any questions of suggestions please post or if you would like to add anything to this thread. Thanks again to the guys that posted their information and suggestions.
Attachment 213112
Now the fun part to replace the starter clutch. As stated earlier in this thread I cleaned and wiped off the starter and took a knife and cut the powder coat at the seam where it comes apart to try to eliminate it flaking. Its a little hard to explain but once you have the assembly out you can kind of see what you have to do to get at it and hopefully the pictures help. Remove the chrome cap and bracket off the solenoid. If you look you will see two recessed phillips screws that you have to loosen and remove. Mine were covered in powder coat so I used a phillips socket and gently hit the bit into place and then a rachet to loosen and remove those two fasteners. Second where you removed the chrome cover and bracket on the solenoid end you have to loosen those two long fasteners holding the solenoid in place. Be carefull to lay the starter assembly on its side and not allow the solenoid assembly to come apart or the brushes can drop out of place. Just loosen the two fasteners and leave that part together. Now with those four fasteners removed you can gently spit the starter assembly and see the starter clutch and the rest of the gears and pieces. Also be careful that there is five roller type bearings that are loose inside the center of the smaller gear inside a plastic retainer do not loose those. Here are a few pictures to help explain what I am talking about.
Attachment 213113
Attachment 213114
Attachment 213115
Attachment 213116
I left the solenoid part of the started sideways on my bench and cleaned that assembly. I then removed the original starter clutch assembly with a light pull. After which I removed the smalled gear with the roller bearings insided and cleaned the assembly. After which I placed a little oil around the bearing race and insearted the new starter clutch assembly in the starter housing with a gentle force and made sure it seated the bearing in the case. After which I installed the smaller gear and bearings in place. The kit gives you a new ball bearing make sure you place that inside the shaft of the new starter clutch. If you look inside the original one you will see it. Next replace the spring on the plunger assembly it just slides of and on. After that i put a little oil on the other bearing and gently slid the two haves together while leaving it on the bench as to not disrupt the solenoid brushes and I then tightened the four removed fasteners. I then installed the new o-ring on the starter that goes into the backside of the primary. After which again make sure your ring dowels are in place and reinstall the starter as you removed it and make sure to locktight and tourqe the two starter mount bolts to 22-24ft-lbs per the HD service manual. I then installed the battery and seat and tried it out and it worked perfect. I let the bike warm up and shut it of and on a few times and it again worked great. Went for a short ride to get it warmed up to operating temp stopped for gas and again it worked great like it used to. I have a new SE compensator on order and am going to change that next week as well. Also another note as I could not see any visible wear on the original starter clutch.
The starter clutch job did not take very long and if you just take your time its pretty easy to do. Maybe took about 1 1/2 hours total and thats with me screwing around and cleaning everything which I guess thats what the dealer quoted me. Sorry for the long winded post I just thought it may help somebody down the road with theirs. If you have any questions of suggestions please post or if you would like to add anything to this thread. Thanks again to the guys that posted their information and suggestions.
#13
11-12-2012, 05:16 PM
Road Warrior
Anybody try this one? http://www.harleystarterdrives.com/
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/383-450 $ 97.00
#15
11-12-2012, 08:22 PM
Harley needs to come up with a new SPRAG Clutch
I have changed my starter clutch 3 times now and Harley never admits they are the weakest part of the starter. They (the parts guys) always recommend a "High Torque" starter. Torque is not the problem - the problem is a lousy Sprag (the one way clutch) on the end of the starter. You could put in a starter that requires the output of a Hoover Dam and the clutch would still fail.
Great fun changing this thing out in the parking lot of a motel in the middle of Canada. I have a 2000 that requires the primary removal. Come on Harley - give us a reliable starter.
Great fun changing this thing out in the parking lot of a motel in the middle of Canada. I have a 2000 that requires the primary removal. Come on Harley - give us a reliable starter.
#16
11-13-2012, 02:52 AM
Grand HDF Member
Anybody try this one? http://www.harleystarterdrives.com/
#17
11-20-2012, 07:18 AM
Novice
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Scubamike, that was an amazing post! I have been having trouble with my starter ever since my trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since you stop often to look at the sights at one stop the starter "spun" but didn't engage. After 3 tries it stared up. Freaked me out to say the least considering my bike is an 10 Ultra Classic with only 27k on it. Then no problems for about 3 weeks then out of the blue it did it again. Now I'm stating to worry but again it stopped. Finally the day I'm leaving for Florida which was about one month later (I live in NY on Long Island) it did it again and this time it sounded nasty and took me at least 3 tries to start that started my day off thinking "I'm gonna get stuck". So Now I'm leaving for my trip with this issue in the back of my mind every time I have to stop for gas or just stop period. Needless to say it made my trip a bit less enjoyable but the riding overcame that and it only happened once the entire trip and when it happened it started up on the second try. But once again it happened last week while I was out riding so it's time to do some work. I will be changing the compensator to the SE 40274-08A MSPR $249.95 and the Starter Clutch 31633-07A MSRP $125.99. Sucks when you spend this kind of money on a bike and have to deal with this crap!
#18
11-28-2012, 11:05 AM
Stage III
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2010 Road Glide Starter Issue...
Like so many others that took the time to read this thread... I feel the need to share my experience with my 2010 FLTRX Road Glide starter issue. I have three starters laying in my garage with issues.
The first start that went out came with the bike and lasted 2 weeks past the 2 year warranty period. I went to the dealer and they told me the warranty expired and I need to handle the issue on my own... they also took the opportunity to explain why the extended coverage is such a good deal...
The second starter was bought to replace the first starter and cost me $504 at San Jose Harley in Cali, which I find way out of line for this part. This starter lasted 13 months and then simply just spun when I hit the start button. I'm now working the rebuild on this issue because of Starter number 3....
The third starter was bought from Re Rare Electrical for $152.00 & $24 for shipping. This starter lasted almost a month. Had the 1.4KVW and is a complete piece of crap. After installing with new o-ring it leaked oil. Now it turns very slowly and don't start my bike. Sure it's warranted but now I have to spend the money to ship to and from and really... I'd rather find a solution that is going to work.
My starter issues developed after putting 32k on my bike. Yes, this is a fair amount of miles, the bike is used to commute about 45 miles to/from work which ads up to just under 900 miles per month. I ride almost everyday with the exception of days when its raining. I think its a better decision to drive my old Chevy pick up when it rains. BTW, Chevy starters cost about $30 all day long, every day of the week... any week of the year.
Thanks for reading my nickel's worth as at one time it was called 2 cents worth... but times are changing.
I do have one thing I noticed... when starting the bike when it's hot, at times it appears to stall the starter and appear some what locked up. I let off the starter button give it a second and try again and it starts right up. I always thought this was happening on a compression stroke... could it be something else?
What is the reason for replacing the compensator?
Flames N Thunder
The first start that went out came with the bike and lasted 2 weeks past the 2 year warranty period. I went to the dealer and they told me the warranty expired and I need to handle the issue on my own... they also took the opportunity to explain why the extended coverage is such a good deal...
The second starter was bought to replace the first starter and cost me $504 at San Jose Harley in Cali, which I find way out of line for this part. This starter lasted 13 months and then simply just spun when I hit the start button. I'm now working the rebuild on this issue because of Starter number 3....
The third starter was bought from Re Rare Electrical for $152.00 & $24 for shipping. This starter lasted almost a month. Had the 1.4KVW and is a complete piece of crap. After installing with new o-ring it leaked oil. Now it turns very slowly and don't start my bike. Sure it's warranted but now I have to spend the money to ship to and from and really... I'd rather find a solution that is going to work.
My starter issues developed after putting 32k on my bike. Yes, this is a fair amount of miles, the bike is used to commute about 45 miles to/from work which ads up to just under 900 miles per month. I ride almost everyday with the exception of days when its raining. I think its a better decision to drive my old Chevy pick up when it rains. BTW, Chevy starters cost about $30 all day long, every day of the week... any week of the year.
Thanks for reading my nickel's worth as at one time it was called 2 cents worth... but times are changing.
I do have one thing I noticed... when starting the bike when it's hot, at times it appears to stall the starter and appear some what locked up. I let off the starter button give it a second and try again and it starts right up. I always thought this was happening on a compression stroke... could it be something else?
What is the reason for replacing the compensator?
Flames N Thunder
#19
04-22-2013, 07:36 AM
#20
04-22-2013, 09:15 AM
I had all the "starting" problems with my 09 103 RKC. Did the SE compensator thing. Did the bigger starter thing. Replaced the starter clutch. Nada. The final solution was to replace the heads with some 2012 take offs that had the ACR's. Took a while to do. Not a hard job though. Except for connecting the harness wires to the fuse box. Result. Big difference. Now it starts nice and easy hot or cold. No kickbacks. No grinding. No grunts. No loud bangs. Just a little whirr and away I go.
