I started this thread in the reg. dyna forums but got very little response.

Well it seems my starter clutch is acting out on me It started feeling weird a little while back like the motor starts turning and then just hangs. back a while ago I would just let go the switch and let it rest for a second, but recently started just holding it down when it does that and it starts. So for a few days now it's been getting worse , and today I nearly got stuck 50 miles from home.
It sounds like it has lots of power but there just aint enough to make the engine crank over. I does make weird noises like sometimes a clicking or it's turning but not a normal turning sound, like something wants to engage but sort of slipping. like a chicken choking sound HAHA we've all heard that !
So can this be changed easily enough? The part here is 150$
My dealer says the inner ring gear has to be inspected at the same time in case it's messed up too. that must be more rare since the part for that is 600$ (canada), but his tek tells me I probably don't have the tools forthe inspection..
+ the only time he can do it is Friday 10 aug.
Can anyone tell me how I could do a home eval for this so I don't have to just give it over and trust them?

My stater clutch has already been changed back in '09 under warranty @ 20,000 miles and now has 46,000 miles and is now broken again. Should I bite the bullet get a different starter or fix this one and hope I'll be good for another few years. c'mon I need some suugestions please!

 

First charge battery for two days on maintenance charger and remove battery and take to Autozone to check cold cranking amps. OK? Then take a dc volt meter and hook to battery to see your voltage (should be about 12.6 or so) Hit the starter and what do you get. Should be above 9.7 or so if it cranks. If it just click and the voltage doesn't drop, it's the contacts in the starter solenoid. Harley has a kit to repair that. The shinny piston has a big contact on it. When you hit te start button the small switch turns on a magnet that pulls the piston down pushing in the starter gear. Then the contact hits those big tabs which cuts starter on. It take a good battery just to make solenoid work. If contacts in it are bad, starter motor will not work right. It all works together. Start in the correct order for the repair. Post back here and PM me what you find out and I will try to answer what I think.

 

quote=maddghost]My battery is brand new, I don't get a clicking sound now, it's more of a "the starter doesn't sound right". It's like when the piston is approaching top dead center she just doesn't have the oomff to get right around. Is there some way to check the inner ring gear for wear which is what my H-dealer told may be a secondary cause and if that was worn I would need a 600$ (can) part which is in the primary case and is the part the starter shaft turns to start the engine?[/quote]

It's not the ring gear. From what you are saying now, what that is is these big V twins do that a lot depending on where the happen to stop at from the last turn off of the motor. That is normal. Mine does that 40-60% of the time. Bet if you hook up your good car battery + to + and - to- to your fully charge bike and hit the starter it will not do it with all that reserve cranking amps. However just the way it is, if it goes 'uh' but IS turning(cranking) and and then spins freely starting up, that is normal. That is why they put compression releases on these motors when they modify them. The starters when new are not over designed and have little reserve.

 

It was normal until the last couple of days now it turns goes uh turns sounding funny and goes uh again then might pick up some speed and finally start = IMO not normal at all, like I said I almost got stuck 50 miles from home yesterday. I don't think I'm short any C-amps. They told me at HD with my current build 103" st II 255 SE cams It was not yet necessary to install compression releases, but to expect to have to change the starter clutch now and then. I've had the stage II for a year and the S C is three years old. They have freed up a spot and I may get it in tomorrow and they can inspect the ring gear and the solonoid contacts all at the same time, gonna cost me 250$ instead of 150$ for the part alone and I install it. Not too bad I think, maybe by the next starter clutch I shall have amassed the skill to do it all myself.

I am going to try boosting it with my car just to see in a few minutes.

 

Just my opinion but it's also not starter clutch. The drives is solid. How it works is once engine spins, the drive drops out just in case you happen to keep button down too long. If by chance you did that, motor would spin back thru starter armature and the high rpm would sling commentator copper strips off destroying starter. There is no extra load driving it since the drive pins are metal to metal. They just ramp out to unlock, not lock. There is extra amps on the contacts and solenoid plunger. Your experts do not know what they are talking about. The starter clutch I guess could be worn out but I do not believe it would be sounding like you describe. What it would do is either slip completely and the starter would sing from unloaded rpm or it would make a big bang when the motor started and as you let off the key. If you ignored this big bang, it could damage the big starter ring gear. If a cheap fix like the contacts previously mentioned did not fix it and even at that you would need to do it yourself to save. As many miles as you have if I were paying someone, I would replace the complete starter and drive. Good luck

 

Ok so yesterday I get ready to boost the bike and take it to harley because they have found me an openning for this morning. Lo and behold now that the motor is cold all I get is this whirring sound.So I held that down a few seconds and it slowly got louder until the motor finally kicked over. Get ti over there and that was the last start it had in it! Try it in the garage and all heads turned when they heard it. The starter clutch is mos def blown! Now they reccomend openning the primary and removeing the clutch basket to make sure the ring gear isn't damaged. The tek said he could just look in with a flashlight and mirror once the starter is off , but he wouldn't be 100% sure until he pulls the clutch.
It seems to me they really just need to pull the primary cover off , creating light and just looking in and feeling the cogs they should be able to tell if the cogs are chipped!

 

Least you have it pinned down now. On my bike you have to pull primary to remove starter drive gear and clutch before you can remove starter. They changed that sometime after 2004 to make it simpler. However primary cover removal is no problem for them. I have had mine off twice now and all it takes is about 10 minutes + a few gaskets and qt oil. That should be no more then 1/2 hr labor.

 

Thank you for standing by Ripsaw! she is ready now the ring gear / clutch basket is 100% intact, so just the starter clutch = not too bad after all! I'm off to the races!!!
Now i wish I had just removed the starter, changed the S/C and used a flashlight to inspect the inner gear! yyyeeeaaaah hindsight!