2000 Dyna Wide Glide

I'm guessing I have a loose connection somewhere but I don't have a clue as to where to start looking. Below is a description of what happened and I am hoping someone can tell me where to start...

Yesterday I went to start it, turned the ignition on and the odometer came on but no neutral indicator or the red oil light indicator. And nothing when I pushed the starter button. Checked the kill switch (on) and cycled the ignition a couple of times. Checked the fuses (good). Cycled the kill switch and ignition a few more times. Looked at all the connections. Tried it again a couple minutes later and everything was back to normal and it started.

Later, it started fine, but then I noticed my turn signals were not working. About 30 seconds later they worked fine.

I really hate electrical problems so any suggestions or advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!

 

You could have a bad battery so have it load tested. Was it stored on a tender?
Battery connections, including the ground, need to be clean and tight. Check all fuses for continuity(visually they may look good) and corrosion. Check the relays for corrosion on the tabs.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think it's the battery. It has started every time before and since the incident, and I just cleaned the terminals about a month or so ago.

I think it is either the ignition switch or the kill switch as I still had electrical power but it just seemed like the circuit that allows the start button to energize the starter was not active or hot. And then later, when I was riding it, I had no turn signals...

I am going to go through it and clean every terminal I can find - relays, battery, switches, etc., - and see if that eliminates it.

 

Am I understanding you are saying that you have intermittent starting cycle, intermittent turn lights , intermittent neutral indicator? Man, this brings up a lot of possible scenarios with too many questions to really direct you to a starting point, but a logical place to start based on what you have found out so far is at the main ignition switch. They go bad sometimes.

Some things to look for:
Does (did) the front and back running lights, speedometer/gas guage back lighting, and headlight come on when the turn signals did not work? How about the brake lights?

Does (did) it go through the self test cycle when you turn power up? My 2001 Super Glide flashes the turn signals and idiot lights and then the check engine light on the speedometer goes out when I first power up.

Did you hear the starter relay click when you tried to turn it over?

What did you wiggle/mess with just before it all started working?

FWIW, If you are going to troubleshoot electrical problems, you are definitely going to need a wiring diagram and a multimeter and a manual with troubleshooting steps. I have a Clymer that covers your make and model and it has a pretty decent walk-through troubleshooting guide for the starting circuit system with wiring diagrams.

Troubleshooting intermittent electrical problems is tricky and sometimes requires a little more than a basic understanding of circuits and wiring, so if you have never troubleshot electrical system problems before, you may need some help understanding what you are observing as well.

And, no matter what, it is not fixed until you find and take care of the problem, and Murphy dictates that it will break down again at the worst possible time until you do.

Good luck and let us know what you find out...

 

I think it is all one issue. I'm going to have to wait until it does it again, and do a more thorough check on what is happening. Like Murphy's Law, it happened when I was late going back to work, so I was just trying to get it started.

I think (not sure) that it was acting like I turned the ignition switch to the left (ACC) instead of to the right (RUN). The odometer came on, but since it was broad daylight, I didn't notice what lights came on. And, it never went through the self test cycle, there was nothing from the starter relay, and there was no neutral indicator light or oil light that normally comes on when I turn it to the RUN position.

I wiggled just about everything electrical I could find and nothing seemed to help. A couple minutes later, it started normally. I do have a factory service manual and a Clymer and a good multimeter.

I really hate electrical problems, and INTERMITTENT electrical problems give me nightmares. I'm going to clean the ignition contacts, kill switch contacts, relays, etc., and see if it happens again. Thanks for the suggestions and advice!

 

I had the same problem with my 2k fxdwg. The main harness to the ignition switch has no locking clip and works just loose enough to not make good contact. Remove the dash and Zip Tie or wire that harness to the switch. Worth a try!

 

Sometimes the tilt switch can get nervous.

I hate ignition/electrical problems.

You can go broke replacing parts until you find the problem.

Sometimes a pro, with the right equipment, is the only answer