All electrical works but hit stater switch then nothing

I have '57 pan, installed new points and plugs. Fires first kick but then starts bacfiring and running rough, won't idle. Sounds like an electrical problem. Before it would start run a couple of minutes, then die. If you let tit sit a couple of minutes would start again. Sounds like runnining out of gas. Have a linkert (what else?). Float may have been stuck.

I have a 07 Harley RKC . Last week It took me about 15 times to start her when I hit the start button This week it won't start but everything works. All systems go except starting? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bill

Check starter switch internals, connections to starter, starter relay

2002 Deuce EFI Installed brand new battery and next day completely dead. Installed another fully charged brand new battery and also next day completely dead. Did not leave ignition on and either.

What it could be?

06 harley softail stardard with not crank and the starter with not click. Have a new batt. checked fuses and relays

How to remove radio volumn swith on 08 ultra classic

Check your throw out on late models 1989 on (Electro Magnetic) the copper ring gets covered in muck , black stuff so does the contacts it hits which transfer current through the ring to the starter motor. Disconnect the battery ,There's an access panel with three screws a gasket. Undo it slowly holding the panel as the throw out shaft is spring loaded so it returns back from the clutch stater ring when you take your finger off the switch ( a small metal ball might come out at the end of the spring so watch it) . Pull out the shaft and clean the ring with contact cleaner same for the two contacts that you will see bolt through the Housing. Get a Clymer Manual you'll see the diagram. I just scrape the muck away with sandpaper, a file , pen knife of stainless wool etc. It's a regular maintenance thing the muck is caused by heat generated by the closing circuit , electrical burning. If the copper ring is badly worn or the contacts from constantly hitting each other you can get rebuild kits from H-D or aftermarket. Also there are two small enamelled wires running into the magnetic coil. I had them come away or someone cut them at a shop for return work. If there broken the Magnetic coil won't get power and won't pull the throw out shaft through. I found I only needed one wire off the right hand power input and soldered to the two exposed ends after scraping back the non cunductive enamel and the nylon looking insulation at the coil. It's a real finicky job as there's not much to work with. You'll see what I mean when you look at the bolted through contacts. After I fixed it it worked fine. It came loose once and I had to redo it. As it sparked on the case when the bike ran it caused a miss.

If you ever get stuck when the ring doesn't throw out I discovered I could take off the door turn on the ignition , fuel, bike in neutral and push the ring manually to contact the power contacts with a screw driver on the insulator hole in the middle (looks like bakealite opr masonite ring) got it started a few times like that. I had an idea that it'd be great to put a button through the door so I could just push it like an old car starter and bypass the starte button electrics, but I found on eBay someone's had the same idea and the make doors with buttons now so I bought one they only fit 91 on starters though as there smaller than my 89 so I had to buy a new assembly to use it but my old one still goes as I keep cleaning it and I put a rebuild kit in a year or so ago.

Or alternatively a wire could've come off at your starter switch I had this happen too. Disassemble the accelator housing and check the wiring I had to solder mine not pretty but it still works. Corrosion gets at the soldered ends ( dry joints) and they break strip back the insulation and try and resolder them it's a bit like microsurgery or if your rich see if an auto electrician will do it. To can purchase new switches I'm still waiting on mine been 3 months as I'm in Australia and my bike FLTCU 1990 parts are becoming obsolete,I ordered a sporter switch set as it looked the same and all that was available from a US parts supplier on Ebay who ran out of stock.

Hope this helps you to get Rock n Rolling again

I have 2011 tri glide and has lack of power in higher gear 6 gear will not hold 60mph

All electrical works but hit stater switch then nothing

Have you checked the HD Forums .com ? They have a section for older Harleys.

I have an "09 Electra Glide Police Editon. While riding intermittantly the red battery light and Check engine light will come on. The gauge will at times drop to 11 - 11.5. After a few on/off ignition cycles it will go back up and the lights will go off. Any thoughts?

I have an "09 Electra Glide Police Editon. While riding intermittantly the red battery light and Check engine light will come on. The gauge will at times drop to 11 - 11.5. After a few on/off ignition cycles it will go back up and the lights will go off. Any thoughts?

Hey mc134 Is your bike still under warranty? If it is let your dealer know your problem. It sounds like you could have an intermittent loose wire or wires . I would first check your battery connections and where your main ground wire connects to the frame.All bikes on the road can have the same problem. If your bike is out of warranty find a good mechanic that is familiar with the newer Harleys. I live in Arizona and I have a good mechanic that can work on all big bikes.I don't trust dealers. Also the HD forum could help you. It is an excellent site. I hop this info helps.

May be in the Ignition Switch. A meter will compare voltage into and out of Ignition switch.
RayOy, he is at the right place(AMHD)

Cruise control problems set it . It shuts it self right back off

04 superglide parked 30 min tried starting no power battery full charge ?

Any sign of power? Lights, indicators?
Turns on but won't crank?

I have 2011 tri glide and has lack of power in higher gear 6 gear will not hold 60mph

Tri the screamin eagle se251 cams. And a two into one exhaust. Also check out R.B. racing web site. It's not just for racers.

I have a 2009 Harley Davidson Ultra Deluxe. Everything turns on, but when I push the start button, nothing happens... not even a click.

I have a 2002 Road King with a new S&S 126 crate motor. When I start gearing down to come to a stop, The bike starts shuddering & vibrateing with or without the clutch in or out. After the stop the bike takes off normal. What could this be?Where should I start looking?

I have an 88 Sportster 1200 engine misses.While trouble shooting I found that if I unplug the headlight bulb the miss would go away. I thought I had a ground problem between the frame and triple tree. I made a ground wire to go from the frame to the triple tree it seemed to help for a short period. Any suggestions?

Cronic, you NEED to make sure you have a good ground to the front, otherwise the Current can look for a ground through your fork bearings. Not good for bearings.

cronic, you NEED to make sure you have a good ground to the front, otherwise the Current can look for a ground through your fork bearings. Not good for bearings.

I installed a ground wire from the front bolt of the gas tank mount and bolted it to the headlight mount. I noticed today that the headlight ground is attached to the turn signal flasher mount. I'm going to run a new ground all the way back to the frame. Thanks for your help!

If it backfires out the exhaust that means it's rich if it spits back through the carbs that's lean. Low or high timing will cause backfire. Look at your plugs if they are black it's flooding! Make sure your point gap is correct because point gap or dwell will effect timing but timing will not effect dwell. So always set point or dwell before timing. I was trying to help the guy with the 57 pan head I must have posted in the wrong box. (Rookie)

2002 Deuce EFI Installed brand new battery and next day completely dead. Installed another fully charged brand new battery and also next day completely dead. Did not leave ignition on and either.

What it could be? Makes sure everything is turned off. Disconnect the negative battery cable at the battery and then touch it back to the post . If you see a strong spark something is pulling on the battery. Start disconnecting relays one at a time until you get no spark when you touch the cable back to the battery. Refer to your manual to see what that relay controls. Hope this helps you!

skrfevr, Alternators, Generators, Regulators and Rectifiers can fail and draw current.
Maybe disconnect the negative cable from the Battery, and hook a bulb or test light, 1 side to Battery Negative, the other to Battery Negative cable, if it lights you have a Load, Remove Fuses, Relays, and if the load is still there, disconnect charging components(alternator, regulator, regulator, rectifier). If still there, disconnect any Modules or components, until the light goes out.
Take note of fuse and relay locations.

Also, when the Battery is charged, and Bike running, Is the system charging?
(Higher running voltage then standing voltage)

[QUOTE=cronic94;3462054]I installed a ground wire from the front bolt of the gas tank mount and bolted it to the headlight mount. I noticed today that the headlight ground is attached to the turn signal flasher mount. I'm going to run a new ground all the way back to the frame. Thanks for your help


Today I ran a new ground wire from the headlight back to the frame. For the first time in two years and god knows how many hours of work, I rode my bike without it missing. Thanks for all the help!

Good Deal

And especially if you push it 60, 70 miles an hour then it starts to sputter and start quiting almost as if either the ignition is being shut off or it's running out of gas. Then you have a hard time just to keep it running if you're going fast enough you can keep throatleing back and forth and it will run half assed but it'll keep sputtering and quiting or if you turn the ignition off throatle it and turn the ignition back on it'll keep going but still sputtering and quiting. If you pull over shut it down for a few seconds it'll start back up and run fairly good for a short time and start doing it again. I have replaced the ignition timming sensor, I've taken it in and had the carburator taken apart & cleaned, I've emptied the gas tank took the pit cock off and cleaned the inside of the tank and nothing has done a good enough job to stop this from happening. What can I do ?

I have a 1988 FLHS 1340cc that runs good until it warms up and especially if you push it 60, 70 miles an hour then it starts to sputter and start quiting almost as if either the ignition is being shut off or it's running out of gas. Then you have a hard time just to keep it running if you're going fast enough you can keep throatleing back and forth and it will run half assed but it'll keep sputtering and quiting or if you turn the ignition off throatle it and turn the ignition back on it'll keep going but still sputtering and quiting. If you pull over shut it down for a few seconds it'll start back up and run fairly good for a short time and start doing it again. I have replaced the ignition timming sensor, I've taken it in and had the carburator taken apart & cleaned, I've emptied the gas tank took the pit cock off and cleaned the inside of the tank and nothing has done a good enough job to stop this from happening. What can I do ?

Coils?

Well I thought about the coil and I also thought about the ignition modual but both of those are expensive and I'd sort of like to know before going through a trial and error situation. I've already gone through three idea's I put in a new ignition timming sensor, I had my carburator completely gone through and I completely flushed my gas tank and cleaned it out. I don't think it's a gas issue it seems electrical. I might just have to go through that trial & error process like it or not. I'm probably wrong but I'm leaning to ignition modual first because the ignition timming sensor went out completely and may have damaged the modual (I don't know)??

I have a 1988 FLHS 1340cc that runs good until it warms up and especially if you push it 60, 70 miles an hour then it starts to sputter and start quiting almost as if either the ignition is being shut off or it's running out of gas. Then you have a hard time just to keep it running if you're going fast enough you can keep throatleing back and forth and it will run half assed but it'll keep sputtering and quiting or if you turn the ignition off throatle it and turn the ignition back on it'll keep going but still sputtering and quiting. If you pull over shut it down for a few seconds it'll start back up and run fairly good for a short time and start doing it again. I have replaced the ignition timming sensor, I've taken it in and had the carburator taken apart & cleaned, I've emptied the gas tank took the pit cock off and cleaned the inside of the tank and nothing has done a good enough job to stop this from happening. What can I do ?

Man I'm not saying you have the same problem I had with my bike but it sounds just like what I went through! Try unplugging you headlight and ride it down the road if it's headlight ground it will run fine with the headlight unplugged!

I tried what you suggested but it didn't do any good at all. I'm not saying that you are entirely wrong because it could be a bad ground wire somewhere but it's not the headlight :-) I now believe that I was wrong also thingking it's Ignition sensor or the Coil. I tried to go for a ride and it started to sputter right away when I started it up. I didn't even get but about a block down the road and it got so bad I had to come home and when I slowed to get in the drive way it stalled. From that point on I barely got it back in the garage. The difference this time was I left my pit cock open from the last time I rode. The gas tank that's on this bike isn't the original and I think it could be the coating on the inside is coming off and plugging up the pit cock. I already drained my gas tank took the pit cock off and flushed the tank once before but I think I might have to do it again and do a better job of it. I also think I'll get a new pit cock and gasline. That would be the cheapest way to go for now but I may still have to go back to my idea with the ignition sensor & coil. It's been a good bike until this but at this point I'm so pissed I could sell this thing for scrap iron !

I tried what you suggested but it didn't do any good at all. I'm not saying that you are entirely wrong because it could be a bad ground wire somewhere but it's not the headlight :-) I now believe that I was wrong also thingking it's Ignition sensor or the Coil. I tried to go for a ride and it started to sputter right away when I started it up. I didn't even get but about a block down the road and it got so bad I had to come home and when I slowed to get in the drive way it stalled. From that point on I barely got it back in the garage. The differance this time was I left my pit cock open from the last time I rode. The gas tank that's on this bike isn't the original and I think it could be the coating on the inside is coming off and plugging up the pit cock. I already drained my gas tank took the pit cock off and flushed the tank once before but I think I might have to do it again and do a better job of it. I also think I'll get a new pit cock and gasline. That would be the cheapest way to go for now but I may still have to go back to my idea with the ignition sensor & coil. It's been a good bike until this but at this point I'm so pissed I could sell this thing for scrap iron !

I just bought a coil for my bike it was only $36.00 That is cheap for the peace of mind of knowing it's not the problem. You say you had your carburetor cleaned did they put a new diaphragm in it?

That was the main reason I had them go through my carburetor was to see if it had a bad diaphram and that was what they were looking for. When they cleaned my carburetor they checked all the parts and said they were all good . Next on the agenda is to rerplace the gas petcock and gas line and if that isn't it then I'll go to the coil, then the ignition module. I certainly won't know where to go after that if none work except to look for a bad ground wire somewhere and I've already touched on that by checking the headlight ground.
That was a good price on your coil the cheapest I've found for mine is $ 43.00.

That was the main reason I had them go through my carburetor was to see if it had a bad diaphram and that was what they were looking for. When they cleaned my carburetor they checked all the parts and said they were all good . Next on the agenda is to rerplace the gas petcock and gas line and if that isn't it then I'll go to the coil, then the ignition module. I certainly won't know where to go after that if none work except to look for a bad ground wire somewhere and I've already touched on that by checking the headlight ground.
That was a good price on your coil the cheapest I've found for mine is $ 43.00.

I bought my coil from Frazier's Harley Davidson in Buford Georgia. My bike is a 1200 Sportster that might be why the price is different. Wish you luck!

The horn, turn signals, and brake lights on my 2002 Harley XL1200C all quit working today at the same time. Any ideas why?

The horn, turn signals, and brake lights on my 2002 Harley XL1200C all quit working today at the same time. Any ideas why?

I'm not a Harley mechanic I worked on cars and trucks for the last 35 years. I would take the seat off and check the relays with a test light. If they all check OK you might want to look at the wiring that goes into your handle bars behind your headlight. Most of the time when this many things happen at once it's a ground problem. So check all your grounds.

You could also hold horn button in and turn key back and forth to see if maybe a bad contact in the ignition switch, it may control a relay, or power back to Fuses for these circuits.

Fuse burned out or a short circuit

Fuse burned out or a short circuit

Are you saying you found your problem?

No the fuse burned out or a short circuit was I thought an answer to another persons problem he had. His problem was that his lights went out but ewverything else worked just fine. So it sounded to me like an accessory fuse burned out. My problem is still there but I'm just waiting on one more part to start my work on it. I'm replacing the gas petcock and gas line ands I'm waiting on a fuel sending unit so I can replace the non working gas sending unit I have to fix my gas gauge. When I get that thewn I'll start work on the whole deal. The reason for the wait is because I don't want to clean my gas tank and replace my petcock and gas line then latter on put the sending unit on and have contaminants fall into the tank screwing things up again.

Dennis, A clogged vent in the Tank could cause slow flow, See how the fuel flow is fuel line disconnected, Many bikes have Petcocks that have a vacuum line going to them so fuel flow stops when engine is off(no vacuum). Petcock has a diaphram. Headlight Not working could also be a bad bulb, headlight switch, and with the fuel sender out, could be a ground problem.
Check for variable resistance on the fuel sender. I am more for testing parts, than changing parts.
Good Luck

My Harley is an older bike aned does not have a vacume operated petcock mine is manual.My old petcock I believe is plugged because for one thing when I removed it there was NO filtering screen on it and there were contaminants in it. I don't have a problem with my head light I was just answering a question for someone else but what you said is a good answer . My fuel sending unit the ground on it is very good and is secure I know that it is the unit that's bad but hey I really do appreciate the advice that's why I'm here :-) You are right about checking something to see if it's bad rather than replaceing it but I don't have the equipment to check stuff and I wouldn't even know where to take it to have it checked except a Harley Dealer and with the cost of that I might just as well buy a new part :-)

Did you have smooth variable resistance on the sender?
Good flow with Hose removed from Carbs?

I have a 2000 roadking fuelinjected. Starts fine but shuts down after a few seconds. Ran fine when parked 4 days ago. Does not need gas. Any ideas?

Dennis, I would add an Inline filter, If you have been trying to start without, the carbs may? Be contaminated.
p2o, You need to determine if losing fuel or spark.

2012 Street glide. 4k miles on it. Check eng and batt lamp came on and voltage only shows about 10.5 any ideas?

Bad Battery
Not Charging
A Drain?