Okay so I picked up a 2000 dyna about 6 months ago. I did a 509 Gear cam conversion. I've rode it trouble free almost 2,000 miles since then. The other day it wouldnt crank it'd just leave a singular click when you would press the starter button. Well I checked the battery and the date on the battery was 5 years old figured no big deal I went to the auto store and got another AGM battery. Started and ran fine but I rode it to work and it did the same thing. I figured maybe something in the charging system went out. After all the bike is 20 years old. I put it on a trickle charger in maintenance. Put it back in the bike and it cranked so I rode to a local bike shop after work and they put a multimeter on it and at 2500 rpms its putting out 14.5 volts so it is charging the battery. So my question is what is preventing it from starting. This bike has 9,500 miles on it, and according to the voltmeter the charging system was doing its job. My first thought was that the starter relay went out. I looked all over and couldn't find the starter relay. This is the only twin cam I've owned so am I missing something? Does anyone here have a hypothesis? Also if this is posted in the wrong section help me out.

 

The starter relay should be in the fuse block. Clean your battery cable connections. With that new aftermarket AGM battery, did you use the brass spacers with 1 side flat? Without that spacer, you WILL get a bad connection.

 

I made sure I used the brass spacers. I will check the fuse box when I get home from work. I looked at the fuse box yesterday but I didn't see it. I'm used to seeing the old starter relay that looks like a small black box with the prongs. That's standard on evos. Does the relay look different on the dyna?

 

Probably crank or cam sensor issue; not expensive to replace. #9 and #10 in the attached diagram.

 

does anyone have a diagram on hand showing where the starter relay is?

 

Don't know the exact location on a Dyna but most all HD electrical components are near the battery box, behind a side cover or behind the rear wheel splash guard. I do know that the starter relay is behind a small chrome cover along with some other electrical components and is about 1" square. For a component that requires replacement from time to time, it is most likely not in an easily accessible location as that seems to be the way the HD engineers have come up with to torture us but being in cover that they decided to chrome, it is most likely visible.

The starter relay is a known issue and many have simply bypassed it with simple push button switch that just requires two wires and mounted somewhere within reach of the rider. Good luck.

 

Follow the small green wire that is connected to the starter solenoid, at the other end of the wire will be the relay.

Clean the terminals inside the start relay connector.

Give them a blast of electrical contact cleaner, make sure none of the terminals are pushed back out of the connector.

Consider removing the end cover of the starter solenoid, the contacts may be crudded up...(that`s a technical term).

 

Can this type of maintenance be done with the starter still installed on the motorcycle or do I need to remove it?

 

You charged it, and it ran. So that tells me it is charging system, probably. As long as you didn't wait to long to start it. Weak batteries will work for few days.

It read 14.5DC, which is correct. but given it ran after charging on tender, I would check AC output. I think this year is easy. Connectot is on down tube above regulator. Single phase. Around 20VAC per 1000 is a guess, manual will give actual value.

I would rev it up and see it go 80 or 100 volts. If that is good check connectors and such. Which can be more of PIA

 

It is a standard 5 pin Bosch type relay, just like the Softail uses (just like they all use).

You can remove the end cover, pull out the plunger and clean the contacts while the starter is installed, you can also remove the battery cable contact with starter installed, not sure on the other contact, some are hard to remove because the cable is in a really tight spot.