Problem with the Sportster
#23
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Update:
Well, turns out I had a little free time today before work so I ran out to the dealer and asked them about the water in the fuse block issue and the guy at the desk said he had never heard of the problem before, but if I got him my VIN he could check it in the system. Went back to shop, put the charged battery back in the bike and it fired right up, but after the bike was off for a few minutes I heard the cycling noise again. I started pulling fuses, first one I pulled it stopped and didn't start up again after I placed it back. I pulled the very first 15A fuse, all the way to the top left, but I don't know if that is what caused it to stop. I did pull the two relays, and the bottom one, which I believe is the system relay, was green and corroded. I called the dealer back, got a different service tech, explained the situation and he hadn't heard anything either but said that it made sense. Ran my VIN and it came up blank.
Now at least I have a service number to give the guys, and for that
THANK YOU cHARLEY!! Looked all around and couldn't find anything.
Well, turns out I had a little free time today before work so I ran out to the dealer and asked them about the water in the fuse block issue and the guy at the desk said he had never heard of the problem before, but if I got him my VIN he could check it in the system. Went back to shop, put the charged battery back in the bike and it fired right up, but after the bike was off for a few minutes I heard the cycling noise again. I started pulling fuses, first one I pulled it stopped and didn't start up again after I placed it back. I pulled the very first 15A fuse, all the way to the top left, but I don't know if that is what caused it to stop. I did pull the two relays, and the bottom one, which I believe is the system relay, was green and corroded. I called the dealer back, got a different service tech, explained the situation and he hadn't heard anything either but said that it made sense. Ran my VIN and it came up blank.
Now at least I have a service number to give the guys, and for that
THANK YOU cHARLEY!! Looked all around and couldn't find anything.
#24
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Aaanndd just got off the phone with the dealer again and he pretty much just read me the bulletin word for word on how to fix it. Replace the system relay switch, pack it full of that grease and call it good. Just to bad they don't have a better solution, which I know has been said many times before. But at least I know what the problem is, and it shouldn't be a horrible thing to stay on top of.
#25
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Trust me. when you walk in there with that bulletin number they will know exactly what is going on. It took me some pounding on the dealer but they finally contacted the moco and their rep authorized them to replace the entire wiring harness. have not had a problem since. DON'T LET THEM TELL YOU DIFFERENT AND DONT LET THEM TELL YOU A NEW BATTER WILL SOLVE THE ISSUE. You need one or 2 new relays to fix the problem otherwise the new or old battery will keep dieing. they will clean the fuse box and crap a few times and stuff it full of grease but the real solution is a newer model wiring harness.
#26
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Aaanndd just got off the phone with the dealer again and he pretty much just read me the bulletin word for word on how to fix it. Replace the system relay switch, pack it full of that grease and call it good. Just to bad they don't have a better solution, which I know has been said many times before. But at least I know what the problem is, and it shouldn't be a horrible thing to stay on top of.
They will fix it a few times but it will keep happening to you. hopefully you wont get stranded somewhere. you need to lean on the service manager very hard to get the newer harness. Don't let him tell you different. Why do you think the moco came up with that trade in your 2007 or newer sportster for a bigtwin and get msrp for trade in value? So they did not have to issue a recall to fix all of these bikes!
#27
#29
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Lol...really? The odds favor his bike being submerged?
Dead batteries do crazy things to a bike. Start with a good battery (hopefully the one you have now) then troubleshoot but my guess is that the battery will cure the probs.
Brackish water...ha ha ha. My daughter has a brackish fish tank. Toss a puffer fish in the gas tank. If it lives more than an hour I would say your bike has been submerged in brackish water.
Dead batteries do crazy things to a bike. Start with a good battery (hopefully the one you have now) then troubleshoot but my guess is that the battery will cure the probs.
Brackish water...ha ha ha. My daughter has a brackish fish tank. Toss a puffer fish in the gas tank. If it lives more than an hour I would say your bike has been submerged in brackish water.
After Katrina flooded all of New Orleans, and then Ike did a followup on the coast down here, this whole area was saturated with NEW and used HD's that had been submerged in brackish water. Once cleaned up and the fluids changed, they looked and ran fine-for awhile-Then they all started suffering from green electrical rot in their wiring harnesses.
For you guys who live elsewhere, you too can buy a used bike that had been submerged due to flooding or being ran off the road in a flooded/muddy ditch where the bike doesn't even get scratched, but will forever afterwards suffer from corrosion in the wiring harness.
#30