I am starting to think I have an issue with my starter. Every so often, when trying to turn the bike over, it'll just crank and crank but won't kick over. It's not a constant issue and, so far, hasn't left me stranded but I am concerned that if my starter is beginning to fail then it's just a matter of time. Is there any specific symptoms a starter would begin to show when it's failing or is it kind of an all or nothing scenario where it just works until it doesn't?

 

Before you start replacing expensive parts, make sure the battery is in good condition. Charge it and have it load tested. If it turns out to be healthy then go from there. But you should eliminate it as a possibility before more diagnoses.

 

The job of the starter is to crank the engine. Per your post, it's doing just that. Why are you blaming the starter?

 

I was talking to one of the service writers one day and they brought out the little piggyback tester the techs use and it came back at like 12.4 needed to crank the bike over. I haven't had them pull it out and throw it on their tester due to how much of a pain in the *** it is on the newer Softails.

 

I realize reading is hard for some, I said I THINK my starter may be failing.

 

Ok, I'll play. WHY do you THINK the starter may be failing if it is successfully cranking the engine? I read your post correctly the first time. It still makes no sense.

 

I was thinking the same thing

 

Sounds like your starter is doing great. My guess is how you trouble shoot, you need another engine for the starter. Or start with new new fuel, then plugs and air filter.

If it clicks and hesitates and then speeds up cranking and starts, the battery is weak on charge or amps.

Usually the big contact in the starter solenoid goes first. Your battery is good and you here small relay click but nothing else.



So many variables however, one needs a few pages for each thing.

Are we talking about a 2021?? If so you have to be a tin man's cash cow for sure.

For sure on anything EFI, hit starter and don't let up. Letting up too soon only makes starting harder for the ECM and FI to figure what's going on.

And each hit on the start is a start count for that large contact. Four pushes on the start button for one actually running engine is four starts.


Why some don't get much life from a starter.

 

I had also considered the possibility of bad ground. The problem is there are multiple different things that happen at different times that make troubleshooting such a pain in the ***. At times it will start slow before speeding up and cranking over however my train of thought is, the bike is being run every single day so if the variables are the same then the problem should replicate itself fairly regularly, but it doesn't. For example, last night I went to run to the store after the bike had been sitting for just a few hours and it just kept cranking without turning over. I let it sit and then it started up just fine. This morning when I went to leave for work and the bike had been sitting for 8-9hrs it started without any issue. And twice now I'll hit the starter, it'll crank once and then I won't get any response from the switch at all. I'll let it sit a minute and then it runs fine. None of the issues I can't seem to replicate any of these issues when I want to so I am really shooting blindfolded and hoping I hit the target.

 

Sounds like compounding problems:
1 - cranks without starting.
> If the starter is cranking strong then there must be a Luther reason the motor does not start. Ignition or fuel.

2 - sometimes ya push the starter button and nothing happens.
> could be a bad ground to the transmission, or power cable to the starter.
> maybe connection/power to the starter solenoid
> bad start switch
> if you are trying to start in gear, whilst pulling the clutch in…maybe bad clutch switch.
> if you are trying to start in neutral, maybe bad or intermittent neutral switch
> operator error…did you inadvertently shut off the run switch?

Thats all I have..