| Author | Message | ||
     Nu2buell |
Treat me as if I know nothing about motorcycles, because it is a learning process for me. I looked through the knowledge vault, but could find nothing for this problem. If anyone else can find it, please post a link. My bike started and ran fine two weeks ago, then I went away for two weeks. I came back and tried to start it and....click. That's it! Nothing but a light clicking sound. I checked the battery and it is good. What else do I need to check and where is it located? I do not have a service manual. Your help is appreciated in advance, thanks. | ||
| Nu2buell |
06 Lightning Long, sorry. | ||
| P_squared |
I checked the battery and it is good. Are you 100% sure of that assessment? If it started up & ran fine 2 weeks ago, was parked for said 2 weeks, and now acts like it's not getting enough juice to start (the 'click' you reference hearing), I'd be looking HARD at the battery as the most likely culprit. *Put it on a charger & make sure it's charged up. *If you don't have a charger, try a known good battery.* *If you've ruled out the battery itself at this point, check all connections, specifically the ground (black wire on the - post of the battery) Start with the easy stuff 1st & hope this helps. | ||
| Hughlysses |
If you don't have a battery charger and/or a good way to check it, take it to your local auto parts store or your dealer. They will generally charge and check one for free. | ||
| Ochoa0042 |
the battery may have the proper volts reading to you, but not enough CCAmps to work | ||
| Mrsinister |
Either the battery is dead or possibly a loose connection on the battery or starter loose ground something along those lines. Probably just a dead battery. | ||
| Nu2buell |
All I don't have a battery tester, but I do have a charger. I charged it to 100% and still nothing. I've checked the connections to the battery terminals and they are secure. I haven't checked anything else yet because I don't know what to look for. I will check all connections when I get home, though. Thanks for the input. | ||
| Ramm |
+1 to loose connection on the battery. Happened to me. | ||
| Deltablue |
The other thing that you can check is the relays. If one of the 3 is bad you will get most of the starting electric but not all. Still it sounds like a bad battery, as stated they will fully charge but not be able to crank the engine. The life expectancy is around 3 years. Some get more some get less. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
What you are looking for first is to "load test" that battery. (For complete beginner, the charge can show full, but it may not be enough to crank the machine over.) Does click come from under seat or by the lower left cylinder area? (For beginner: under seat is relay, lower left is starter solenoid.) | ||
| Nu2buell |
Iamarchangel, Clicking is from under the seat. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Ok, first guess is still battery not charged for load. I really wouldn't do anything else until that was checked out. Your answer indicates power is getting to relay but not from relay to solenoid. That could be the battery issue, being strong enough to trigger the relay but not strong enough to trigger the solenoid. Still considering the battery as the prime suspect, you could check out the green wire running from the relays to the solenoid. The fuses and relays are under the seat. The relay you need to check is 7. Just look under it and follow the green wire as best you can to the solenoid. If it's not obvious, don't do anything until the battery is load tested. (A relay is about $7. I don't know if your fuse/relay tray has a spare slot but it's worth having a spare for emergencies and for switching around in situations like this. They're universal, hopefully somebody will give you the auto part number in case your Buell dealer is out of stock.) | ||
| Nu2buell |
Iamarchangel, Thanks, I'll have the battery tested tomorrow if I can make it to the dealership. I know which relay it is, but like you said, I'll check the battery. Are you saying to check the wire for loose connections or damage? I'll try that too. I appreciate the help. I just want to ride again. Haven't in about 15 days and the weather's perfect. | ||
| Nu2buell |
Found the problem. A squirrel ate through the wire to the solenoid and stored some nuts in my bike. Next question is, since it took about two inches from the cable, how do I replace it? | ||
| Iamarchangel |
That's funny but tough. A picture would help right now. If I've got this right, I would get some same gauge wire, male and female bullet clips, and a crimper and make a jumper cable to patch it. Had to that last month on another issue. Your choice would be to replace the harness and that's a lot of hassle and expense. | ||
| Ochoa0042 |
get some spare wire (matching gauge) and some shrink wrap.. and presto cabamo its fixed | ||
| Ourdee |
Shrink wrap is important. Don't skimp. | ||
| Nu2buell |
I'll try that, won't skimp on the shrink wrap. It is funny, but it sucks. Seams like a pretty easy fix, though. Thanks for your help. |
