Weird electrical gremlin
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 80
From: currently an Okie
gremlin
That's a stretch. It's not likely that you have two problems going on at one time. It's not that hard to believe the ground wire has been hitting the header sometime in the past and a new wiring problem came up recently.
I still think the burned headlight fuse is the clue.
I still think the burned headlight fuse is the clue.
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
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Like one PITA game of clue! Now, the latest and greatest, so I go out to cover some more ground to see if I can find out what it is, so decide to start the bike up, and when I turn the ignition switch on, the speedo needle comes to life just swaying around between 0 and 40 with no rythm and a faint strangled buzzing sound. I start the bike and it fires up, and now comming from the right side it sounds like two marbles being rattled in a coffee can???? Sounded like a loose muffler/pipe mount, like two pieces of light metal tapping together under vibration but everything is tight. Now the engine light doesn't re-appear then go away like before, but rather stays on for what seems like a little longer....then goes away like normal. I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is to trace every wire its point of origin till I find something amiss. I don't trust it to even ride it to the dealer for a diagnostics. The new engine rattling worries me but there is still no engine light and what could go wrong in the engine at 25K miles???
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 80
From: currently an Okie
More problems
OK, back up a little.
Is there any way you could have cause a new problem trying to correct the original problem? Is the new noise pinging?
Do you have a tuner (like a PCV) on the bike?
Did you ever take that 20 amp fuse out of the headlight circuit?
I would still pull that headlight fuse out and see if it affects the problems.
Good luck.
Is there any way you could have cause a new problem trying to correct the original problem? Is the new noise pinging?
Do you have a tuner (like a PCV) on the bike?
Did you ever take that 20 amp fuse out of the headlight circuit?
I would still pull that headlight fuse out and see if it affects the problems.
Good luck.
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
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Yea, you're right, just a concern that crossed mt mind. I'm down in CT and the bike is in ME for the fourth, I have a few days when I get back to troubleshoot. Don't know if it is pinging or not, never experienced it myself. The rattling sound seems to come from the lower end toward the front, and has no rythm. Is it incorrect to think it would have a rythm to it that correlates to the compression stroke? Any tips on troubleshooting electrical? Start from the fuse block and see where theres contact tracing every wire starting with the most likely system?
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 26
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Update
So, after going through it as best as I could in a parking lot, I broke down and called the dealer. They picked it up for 20 bucks so that's pretty good I guess. Well, 6 days later I get it back tonight. They say that a tail lamp was bunt out and another shorted, so that's why the lights went out and it doesn't idle right. Apparently Harley had problems with the old bulbs and went to these new ones. I seem to hear this allot in regards to the various parts I buy for this thing to keep it on the road. So, I asked about the speedo dropping out, he says they cleaned the debris off of the speed sensor, I say that's it's known that this might work for a few days and it should have been replaced, but mr man who's been doing this for 20 years says it's good to go. So, I go down the road..........for 7 miles, and it dies. Same old thing, speedo acting up, pull in the clutch to come to a stop and it dies. I am told that the speed sensor has nothing to do with the engine idle, but I'm not convinced, unless...(sigh) there's another problem. Been riding this thing for 6 months, and I'm at around 1000$ in various repairs and component failures.......not sure if I can afford it or if I want to, I depend on my bikes for everyday life and getting home 160 miles away on the weekends to see the family. Is 25k on the clock to much to ask out of a Harley without throwing money at it every 2 to 3k miles? Kinda pissed, I've had no fewer than 10 bikes over 20 years, and a few harleys in that lineup, and I'd go coast to coast on any of them without question, except the harleys. I tried and tried again to give em a chance and I love em, but at the end of the day, I need a ride that'll get me there.
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