| Author | Message | ||
     Eryngium |
Folks A while ago I did the star washer adjustment, but I don't know where all the grounding points are. I installed star washers in three places - two under the seat (one next to/behind the fuse box, one a little further back) and one behind the headlights. The bike, especially what I perceive to be electrical things, seems inconsistent. The horn can sound a little weak, still a little hesitation on hitting the starter. Even with a charged battery the volt meter was showing less than a complete charge when I brought her out of hibernation this weekend. However, I'm getting a full charge when it's running - according to the volt meter. In general it can be a little rougher running sometimes than others. It seems like ground problems can express themselves in many ways. Wondering if I missed a ground (or a couple). LIke I said, it just seems inconsistent. Otherwise, I }think it runs fine. Oh yeah, it's an '07 X. I re-shaped the 77 connector after the bike shut down on the interstate on the way to work last year. Do I need to add that my competence in things auto/moto electrical is minimal? You guys rock! paul | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Hook up a battery charger to the positive post of the battery and if you can get a spark with the negative lead then you've found a place to ground to. | ||
| Motorfish |
Check battery connections, and maybe ground strap under airbox. Can`t hurt to check. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
! There's a ground strap under the airbox? My 2008 has always cranked over very slowly. I checked all the connections I could see. Going to poke around under there next! Thanks for the heads up! | ||
| Someday |
Nat, There's a large ground strap that sits on top of the tie bar underneath the airbox baseplate. To access it you have to remove the baseplate. | ||
| Uly_man |
Eryngium. The horn is total rubbish and it will not get any better. Fit a air horn. My bike still has a hard time, on the first push of the button, to turn the engine over if its cold. Thats with with a well run in engine (15k miles) and a brand new OEM battery. I even hooked up leads direct to the starter and it was still the same. If you add a jump battery you will find the engine will spin up fine. Thats because the battery is under rated for the bike. Most V-Twins have a bit of a problem anyway. If I remember right HD state an OEM battery is fully charged at 12.7v. I find that if it goes below 12.4v it can become a problem for starting the Uly. Any battery will dis-charge over time. I get two weeks before I need to charge the battery on my Uly. Once you get "chatter" from the starter the battery needs to be charged or replaced. A star washer is a anti vibration/locking washer and not very suitable for that application. If you have used it between the Earth washer and the Earth point and not cleaned off the paint it may not help much. This is because the edges of the washer will bit into the alloy, of the Earth point, but you will still not have enough surface area, on the Earth point, and could still have a high electrical resistance. Which is what the problem is all about. If you have not done it clean off the paint of the Earth point back to alloy. It is a know issue of the bike and one that is in HDs tech/fault list. The one next to the fuse box is the main one as it also has the ECM loom Negative on it and causes odd running problems. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I don't think the batteries are under reated as my X1 uses the same size and it cranks over normally. Same compression ratios. Perhaps gearing of starter was changed at 2008? P.S. I still haven't tried for the grounding wire yet. I will check it out when I replace the airfilter. | ||
| Eryngium |
Thanks for the input. I'll definitely look at and check the strap under the airbox. The reason I wonder about the horn is because mostly it sounds normal, but other times kind of sickly. Looking back I see I didn't make that very clear. Uly_man, are you suggesting the horn itself changes? The weather is supposed to get cold over the next couple days and I don't expect to be riding. Should be a good time to recheck grounding points and make sure surfaces are sanded well and all connections tight. No one has mentioned anything about other ground points, so I'm guessing I hit 'em all (except maybe the strap). | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
About the horn thing: They are mounted on a thin strap and often the horn can be touching the inside surface of the front flyscreen. The stupid strap has to be bent just right so that the horn isn't touching anything in there. This little idiocy is the source for "mystery vibes" at certain RPMs too. As you can tell from my tone, I will be installing some other type of horn this year  | ||
| Xbimmer |
No one has mentioned anything about other ground points, so I'm guessing I hit 'em all (except maybe the strap). If I'm not mistaken the strap is the only direct ground link from the engine to the frame, so corrosion at its contact points or loose bolts couldn't help. The one next to the fuse box is the main one as it also has the ECM loom Negative on it and causes odd running problems. That front one was definitely an issue on my bike, once I filed it flat and antiseized the washers my occasional engine light for no reason went away, still had other problems eventually solved with an '07 ECM. Goodbye ping, after only four years... I don't think the batteries are under reated as my X1 uses the same size and it cranks over normally. I replaced my OEM couple years ago with a Deka ETX-14, performed great until I left the lights on last Dec. Never recovered fully and it got to the point I would just hold the button until it lit off because one shot was all I was gonna get. Just replaced it with a new Deka ETX-14, noticed on the new label it's rated at 220 CCA, not 200 like the other Deka. Thing spins now like I forgot to put in spark plugs. | ||
| Yamafreak |
Is the Deka ETX-14 The same size as stock? | ||
| Xbimmer |
Is the Deka ETX-14 The same size as stock? Yes. And I double checked yesterday, the rating for the stock OEM battery was 200 CCA, my first Deka was also. The new 220 CCA suits me fine. Also, the Deka has two tapped holes on each terminal, top and front, so it's easier to attach accessory leads and leave the main cables dedicated. Big Crank batteries IIRC are Dekas too, among others. | ||
| Uly_man |
All my engine running problems, over three years, were solved once the Earthing problems were fixed. Sometimes it would run right and sometimes it would not. It would idle right and then not. I tried every thing, but no joy, then one day the bike died on me altogether. The starter would not engage and the dash said the main beam was on but it was not. The bike now runs right all the time. Remember this. FI and ECM systems rely on data from sensors and are effected by bad electrics. If, for example, your air temp sensor is reading back to the ECM that the air is colder than it is then the ECM will not fuel the engine right so the engine will not run right. If your getting any odd running problems then its electrical. |
