Starter Question

[eatfire]

I've been gone for a while, so I hope you all don't mind a quick question. Had to replace my drive clutch. After replacing the starter it just clicks. solenoid makes contact but the motor doesn't turn. Took it out and checked the brushes and bench tested it. Ran for 30 seconds and now just clicks. I'm stumped.

[chopper]

How are the cables going from the battery to ground and the solenoid?

[klown]

Yeah check the battery cables, how old is the battery? Sounds like a battery or cable issue to me. Make sure the ground connection for the battery isn't corroded, that can happen if the connection isn't tight.

[eatfire]

Cables are all good. Battery is good with a fresh charge. Like I said I pulled the starter and bench tested it it runs for 30 seconds then acts like it has a dead short. This was after I played with the brushes. In the bike when I hit the button it killed the lights.

[chopper]

Starter is junk then.

[eatfire]

Yer probly right. Have to take it to the shop for further testing. Thanks for the help!

[klown]

What did you do with the brushes? If you messed the brushes up can you replace just the brushes on your starter?

[Big D]

"Click-no-start" is one of the hardest things to diagnose in an automotive type starter. If it's not the solenoid, not the hook-up, and not the battery, then... along with the brushes as Klown suggested, the armature commutator may have one or more "dead" spots in it. This happens as the starter gets into middle age. Can seem fine; then if the armature happens to come to a stop in just the wrong spot, click-no-start, sometimes with a huge current draw.

If you've just put a 5 roll clutch in it, sounds like it's got some age to it. If it's a dead spot in an armature commutator or a short in the armature lammination stack, a new armature could fix you right up. It's finding the problem that's the worst, not the actual fix.

If it's Harley, at least you have the option to service the thing... It's to the point now that automotive starters cannot. (I'm refering to Delco Fuckin' Remy stuff)

Good luck...

[eatfire]

Thanks for the advise. The starter is a couple years old but not really that old. The bikes an '04 custom. So the Harley shop is out of the question. I do most my own work and the wrench I trust to do the rest is out of state hunting. I SUCK at electrical. If I had a blown up diagram of the starter that would help. Might be able to see if there is something missing. Something I lost or left out. Hey it could happen. Can't seem to find a manual with one yet. Was going to take the starter to a local alternator shop today but ended up helping my kid get a washer and dryer and installing it. Took all damn day! Now it's back to work tomorrow so I wont be able to work on it for a few days. Just the way things go. By the way Klown the brushes look good but I think thats where the short is. When I take the end cover off the starter and just move the plate the brushes are mounted to the starter works like I said before, for about 30 seconds then nothing. Maybe it is a bad armature like Big D says, or there is something shorting in the end cap. I might get a chance to mess with it on Friday. Maybe I'll see then. Thanks again guys for the help.

[BiggyD]

I've used power-master starters on a lot of customs ,work really well and pretty inexpensive.