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All Electrical - POOF

RetiredJake

Junior Member
Pulled the Dyna out of the garage this morning. Turned on the ignition, fuel pump ran, check engine light went out, hit the starter button. Got about a half revolution (or less) and it stopped. All indicator lights went out. Puzzled. Cycled ignition and cutoff switch again, nothing. Just unhooked the battery tender before I rolled it out of the garage, so pretty sure the battery was not dead. Pulled the Maxi-Fuse to check it, no problems. I now have no electrical at all. The security light does not flash, no indicators when the ignition switch is turned on, just nothing. When I hook up the battery tender, I get a slow flashing of the amber light. Verified the battery is charged, 12.9 VDC.

Need some ideas on where to start and what to look at.

TIA,
Jake
 
Year of bike Jake.:p

Also the voltage can't be 12.9 unless your testing it with the charger still hooked up.
 
Hoop,

2008 Street Bob. Yes, the battery tender was hooked up when I took the reading. Without, about 12.3.

Jake
 
If the whole system is dead, I would look at the battery terminals, heavy ground cable off the battery to frame mounting bolt (on my bike there are like 3 ground cables to frame under seat) ,,,the Ignition switch could be bad..

I would first take a meter and monitor the voltage at the MAXI fuse to frame ground while I turned on the ignition key. You should see ~12.6 volts at the MAXI before and after you turn on the ignition switch. See if it falls low. If it stays high, check the ignition switch and see if you have power to fuses after turning on ignition switch.

Do you have schematics?

So you are FXDI?
 
Hoop,

I have pulled all of the fuses to check. Found more corrosion than I expected. Reinstalled all fuses, security light started blinking. Turned on ignition and the lights came on, so hit the starter. The beast roared to life. I'm guessing that one or more of the fuses had poor contact due to the corrosion and that is the source of my problem. Now the question is, how to clean the fuse holders.

Can I squirt some WD40 in there, put the fuses in and pull them back out a few times to clean the contact area, then spray some carb cleaner (or something) to remove the WD40? Finally reinstall the fuses with dielectric grease. Is this okay, or do you have a better method.

Thanks,
Jake

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Hoop,

We crossed on the last post. Yes, it is FXDB (fuel injection), with a Thundermax fueler. I will also check the cables you recommended, but believe it is in the fuse holders. I have checked the connections on the battery and they are good.

Jake
 
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Jake,, You don't want to use anything like WD40 or carb cleaner. If it is just a white powder on the surface, I would use something like DeoxIT 5 spray cleaner to flush, followed by the Harley #99861-02 Nyogel contact lube. That is the best combo you can perform.

If the buildup is hard & crusty and is inside the fuse box terminals, go down to a welding shop and buy a package of wire files that are used to clean the holes in oxy-gas torches. Piano wire files in all different sizes that you can use to clean sockets. Works GREAT. Then do the DeoxIT 5 flush followed by Nyogel lube. Electrical contact lube is a science in itself. Use the right product. Anything else is a shortcut.

DeoxIT® D-Series

Hoop,

We crossed on the last post. Yes, it is FXDB (fuel injection), with a Thundermax fueler. I will also check the cables you recommended, but believe it is in the fuse holders. I have checked the connections on the battery and they are good.

Jake

I have the prints for your model bike but for a 2009 which I bet are pretty close. If the problems returns, we can take over from where we left off. I think you may have nailed it.
 
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Hoop,

Thanks for the info. I looked up the DeoxIT, closest dealer is 50 miles away in Nashville. Any other options for the cleaner? The welding tip cleaners are a piece of cake. I have the schematics that are in the service manual.

Thanks,
Jake
 
Hoop,

I have pulled all of the fuses to check. Found more corrosion than I expected. Reinstalled all fuses, security light started blinking. Turned on ignition and the lights came on, so hit the starter. The beast roared to life. I'm guessing that one or more of the fuses had poor contact due to the corrosion and that is the source of my problem. Now the question is, how to clean the fuse holders.

Can I squirt some WD40 in there, put the fuses in and pull them back out a few times to clean the contact area, then spray some carb cleaner (or something) to remove the WD40? Finally reinstall the fuses with dielectric grease. Is this okay, or do you have a better method.

Thanks,
Jake

Go to Radio Shack or local electronics supply house and pick up some tuner/control wash/contact spray. It should not have a strong smell, maybe a hint of alcohol. Anything stronger may attack plastic or insulation, mate and remove fuse with solvent/cleaner that will evaporate leaving no residue. Now put dielectric grease on NEW fuses and install and your done.

Why new?...they have been in your bike for as long as you remember, and subject to surges, heat cycles and weathering, don't want them to go intermittent on you 100 miles or more from home...and at less than $1 a piece why not? On my Sportster, the fuse block is exposed to weathering and that white fur is a reminder that anything exposed to weathering will be suspect given five or six years.
 
All the real good tuner flushes you can no longer find because they have been taken off the market due to the ozone problems. DeoxIT has been my favorite for the last 25 years. It's all I use.

I would use the dielectric grease for now and just mail order a can of Deoxit from the link or ebay. It's not cheap but its the best. The dielectric grease will probably work fine.

With tuner flushes you have to be careful because you don't want the spray to attack the plastic housing or anything like that. Some of the "tuner sprays" will attack some terminal housings. If you find some local spray, read the label. No silicone.

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Now put dielectric grease on NEW fuses and install and your done.
.

Very Good Point. NEW fuses. You can't go wrong with that.:s
 
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Thanks guys. I got some CRC QD Electronic CLeaner. States that it is plastic safe and for sensitive electronics. Flushed out the fuse block and brushed as deep as I could with an old toothbrush. Tried using the weld tip cleaners, didn't seem like I was accomplishing anything. As soon as the dealer opens, I will go over and get a new set of fuses and some Nyogel.

Thanks Again,
Jake
 
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