Intermittent electrical

[Clevelandpat]

Good morning. Have an electrical issue on my 2001 Rood King. Riding home and everything went dead at stop sign. Everything went dead. No lights...nothing. turned switch off then on and started right up. Got to my driveway and everything dead again. I coasted to a stop. Nothing at all...everything dead. Parked for the night. Next day checked battery dead. Trickle charged...bike started but everything went dead again after 5 to 10 seconds. After few seconds light come back on. Hit starter..starts..runs 5 seconds..then everything goes dead. When it goes dead, the flasher behind the battery clicks ...any ideas?

 

[rhino 2]

Good morning. Have an electrical issue on my 2001 Rood King. Riding home and everything went dead at stop sign. Everything went dead. No lights...nothing. turned switch off then on and started right up. Got to my driveway and everything dead again. I coasted to a stop. Nothing at all...everything dead. Parked for the night. Next day checked battery dead. Trickle charged...bike started but everything went dead again after 5 to 10 seconds. After few seconds light come back on. Hit starter..starts..runs 5 seconds..then everything goes dead. When it goes dead, the flasher behind the battery clicks ...any ideas?

How old is the battery?.....It might be time for a new battery..:Shrug:..

 

[woody]

sounds like it's time to clean and tighten those battery cables.

 

[1dn5up]

Charge battery too 12.7 v . Then let it sit idle for an hour. Take another volt reading , should be 12.7 . Attach the volt meter to the battery and start bike . If it goes below 12volts , 86 the battery.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Electrical 101, KISS..

Pull the battery out, check state of charge, if it is 12.5 have it load tested

It sounds like you have a relay tripping, have you added any accessories lately?

You need to do a parasitic drain test also with a fully charged battery, look here

Testing a system for current drain

To check if something is draining your battery while your bike is turned off you need to test for current, not volts. To do so, do the following:

Switch your Digital Multimeter to DC AMPs. Amps is usually indicated by an "A" on the Multimeter Switch. AC is usually shown as a "~" symbol and DC shown as a "-" symbol. You usually have to move the Multimeter positive lead to a separate socket on the Multimeter. Sometimes there are 2 sockets, a high range and a low range. Always test on the highest setting first. For example: high setting on your multimeter may be 10 Amp. Test on the 10 Amp setting first, then if the current drawn is less than your Multimeter Low setting, move to that setting and keep testing. In my example my Multimeter low setting is 0.3 Amps. Also indicated as 300mA (mA x 1000 = A).

WARNING! Once the multimeter is on Amps do not connect it directly across the battery and do not hit the starter button while testing for current Amps. This will cause the internal fuse in the multimeter to blow! A multimeter set on current is a very low resistance, almost a short circuit and will draw as much current as your battery will supply till something melts. Always plug the Multimeter leads back to volts when you have finished testing to avoid blowing the fuse next time you use your multimeter.

To test for battery drain: Switch everything off on the bike. Disconnect just one battery lead. For example disconnect the Positive Battery Lead. Set your Multimeter to Amps as described above. Connect the Positive Multimeter Lead to the Battery Positive terminal. Make sure the Positive Lead you removed from the battery does not touch anything grounded, like the Bike frame etc…. Connect the Negative Lead from the Multimeter to the Positive Lead you removed from the Battery. You should now see current drain measured in Amps. Move to the lower Amp setting on your multimeter if the current is lower than the setting on the Multimeter Low setting. Start to unplug the wires or fuses around your bike and see if the current reading goes to zero. This will point you in the direction of the current thief. You can convert to Power measured in Watts by multiplying it by the Battery Voltage. Power = Volts x Amps 4.2Watts or (12Volts x 0.35Amps).

- - - Updated - - -

If you have been riding alot in the rain or after washing the bike you may have water intrusion in the run switch, take the switch half apart and clean with contact cleaner then apply some dilectric grease.

You may do the same for the ignition switch on the console

 

[Mykneesbehurtin]

On my 02 Road King I was leaving the doctors office, walked out turned the ignition switch on, nothing. Turned it off then back on and it started, rode it home and parked it, came out a few hours later and nothing no lights zip. New battery and its been fine for 3 years now.

 

[Clevelandpat]

Battery is new

I'm sorry I forgot that battery is new. Today after work, I checked and it cranked but would not run. If you turn key on, lights all come on but after about 10 to 15 seconds everything goes blank. When that happens the circuit breaker and the flasher on top of battery click at same time. Let it set with key on and after 5 to 10 seconds lights come on.. it will crank but not run.

 

[rhino 2]

I'm sorry I forgot that battery is new. Today after work, I checked and it cranked but would not run. If you turn key on, lights all come on but after about 10 to 15 seconds everything goes blank. When that happens the circuit breaker and the flasher on top of battery click at same time. Let it set with key on and after 5 to 10 seconds lights come on.. it will crank but not run.

Still sounds like a bad cell in the battery that can happen even with new batteries!..

Rare but it can happen .. just for the heck of it load test the battery..

 

[Clevelandpat]

Battery

So to understand, a bad battery would make the circuit breaker and flasher open and close at same time?

 

[Jack Klarich]

So to understand, a bad battery would make the circuit breaker and flasher open and close at same time?

It is possible. You do have a short somewhere in the ignition circuit, the clicking of the relay tells you that

Take your seat off and start your bike, does it stay running?

If you do a parasitic drain test and find a draw, you could pull fuses 1 at a time and redo your test to find out what circuit is causing your bad Ju Ju

Before you start any tests have your battery load tested

 

[Jack Klarich]

You may also try a scan of your on board computer to see if there are any stored codes.

Follow this,

2000-2003

1. Remove right side saddlebag and side cover if so equipped. Remove protective plug from data link connector. Other models will be under the seat.

2. To activate the diagnostic feature,follow these steps.

a. Create diagnostic test wire or use a female spade clip which will bridge the two terminals perfectly.

b. Install diagnostic test wire/clip across Terminals 1 and 2 on the data link connector, they are marked.

c. Turn Ignition/Light Key Switch to IGNITION and wait approximately 10 seconds (4 seconds lamp ON, 6 seconds lamp OFF) for check engine lamp to start flashing.

3. All trouble codes are sent out as a series of flashes. To retrieve the first digit of the trouble code simply observe the number of times the lamp flashes.

a. The lamp will then flash one or more times to indicate the first digit of the trouble code.

b. The length of time the lamp is illuminated and the length of time in which it is off are each about 0.5 second in duration.

4. The second digit follows:

a. Following the transmission of the first digit, there is a 1.2 second pause in which the lamp is off.

b. The lamp will then flash one or more times to indicate the second digit of the trouble code. Count the number of times the lamp flashes to retrieve the second digit.

5. If more than one trouble code is sent:

a. Following transmission of the second digit of the first code, there is a 3 second pause in which the lamp is off.

b. Once all codes have been sent, the data string is repeated. When you have recorded the same trouble code twice, it is an indication that the transmission has been restarted and that all trouble codes have been retrieved.

IMPORTANT NOTE ..If diagnostic test wire is installed across Pins 1 and 2 on connector in lieu of a Scanalyzer, the ECM is placed in a diagnostic test mode and the engine will start. The test wire must be removed from the data connector and the ignition switch turned OFF or the check engine lamp will continue to flash codes. A historic trouble code resides in the memory of the ECM until the code is cleared by use of the Scanalyzer or a total of 50 trips has elapsed. A “trip” consists of a start and run cycle, the run cycle lasting at least 30 seconds. After the 50 trip retention period, the trouble code is automatically erased from memory (that is, assuming no subsequent faults of the same type are detected in that period). The numbers after the 'historic' or 'current' is the speedo code number, but without the electrical diagnostics manual you're not going to know what they mean.

The code numbers are the numbers that appear in red.

1 Current 53 ECM flash error

2 Historic 53 ECM flash error

3 Current 54 ECM EEPROM error

4 Historic 54 ECM EEPROM error

5 Current 63 ECM serial data low

6 Current 63 ECM serial data open/high

7 Current 63 TSSM serial data low

8 Current 63 TSSM serial data open/high

9 Current 61 Loss of TSM/TSSM serial data

10 Current 14 Loss of all ECM serial data (state of health)10 24 Loss of vehicle speed10 33 Loss of vehicle inhibit motion10 43 Loss of powertrain security status

11 Current 33 System relay contacts open

12 Current 33 System relay coil high/shorted

13 Current 33 System relay coil open/low

14 Current 33 System relay contacts closed

15 Current 99 Incorrect password

16 Current 99 Missing password

17 Current 41 CKP sensor intermittent

18 Current 41 CKP sensor synch error

19 Current 11 TP sensor open/low

20 Current 11 TP sensor high

21 Current 12 MAP sensor open/low

22 Current 12 MAP sensor high

23 Current 14 ET sensor voltage low

24 Current 14 ET sensor open/high

25 Current 15 IAT sensor voltage low

26 Current 15 IAT sensor open/high

27 Current 24 Front ignition coil open/low

28 Current 25 Rear ignition coil open/low

29 Current 24 Front ignition coil high/shorted

30 Current 25 Rear ignition coil high/shorted

31 Current 24 Front cylinder combustion intermittent

32 Current 25 Rear cylinder combustion intermittent

33 Current 23 Front injector open/low

34 Current 32 Rear injector open/low

35 Current 23 Front injector high

36 Current 32 Rear injector high

37 Current 16 Battery voltage low

38 Current 16 Battery voltage high

39 Current 43 VSS sensor low

40 Current 43 VSS sensor high

41 Current N/A (no speedo code for this) Check engine light open/low NO CHECK ENGINE LAMP AT KEY ON or CHECK ENGINE LAMP ON CONTINUOUSLY

42 Current N/A (no speedo code for this) Check engine light high NO CHECK ENGINE LAMP AT KEY ON

43 Current 35 Tachometer low

44 Current 35 Tachometer high

45 Current 25 Rear cylinder no combustion

46 Current 24 Front cylinder no combustion

47 Current 34 Loss of idle speed control IDLE AIR CONTROL

48 Current 35 Accelerometer fault

49 Current 34 Starter output high

50 Current 25 Ignition enable output high

51 Current 21 Left turn output fault

52 Current 22 Right turn output fault

53 Current 11 Battery voltage high

54 Current 31 Alarm output low

55 Current 32 Alarm output high

56 Current 41 Ignition switch open/low

57 Historic 63 ECM serial data low

58 Historic 63 ECM serial data open/high

59 Historic 63 TSSM serial data low

60 Historic 63 TSSM serial data open/high

61 Historic 61 Loss of TSM/TSSM serial data

62 Historic 14 Loss of all ECM serial data (state of health)

63 Historic 33 System relay contacts open

64 Historic 33 System relay coil high/shorted

65 Historic 33 System relay coil open/low

66 Historic 33 System relay contacts closed

67 Historic 99 Incorrect password

68 Historic 99 Missing password

69 Historic 41 CKP sensor intermittent

70 Historic 41 CKP sensor synch error

71 Historic 11 TP sensor open/low

72 Historic 11 TP sensor high

73 Historic 12 MAP sensor open/low

74 Historic 12 MAP sensor high

75 Historic 14 ET sensor voltage low

76 Historic 14 ET sensor open/high

77 Historic 15 IAT sensor voltage low

78 Historic 15 IAT sensor open/high

79 Historic 24 Front ignition coil open/low

80 Historic 25 Rear ignition coil open/low

81 Historic 24 Front ignition coil high/shorted

82 Historic 25 Rear ignition coil high/shorted

83 Historic 24 Front cylinder combustion intermittent

84 Historic 25 Rear cylinder combustion intermittent

85 Historic 23 Front injector open/low

86 Historic 32 Rear injector open/low

87 Historic 23 Front injector high

88 Historic 32 Rear injector high

89 Historic 16 Battery voltage low

90 Historic 16 Battery voltage high

91 Historic 43 VSS sensor low

92 Historic 43 VSS sensor high

93 Historic N/A Check engine light open/low NO CHECK ENGINE LAMP AT KEY ON or CHECK ENGINE LAMP ON CONTINUOUSLY

94 Historic N/A Check engine light high NO CHECK ENGINE LAMP AT KEY ON

95 Historic 35 Tachometer low

96 Historic 35 Tachometer high

97 Historic 25 Rear cylinder no combustion

98 Historic 24 Front cylinder no combustion

99 Historic 34 Loss of idle speed control

100 Historic 35 Accelerometer fault

101 Historic 34 Starter output high

102 Historic 25 Ignition enable output high

103 Historic 21 Left turn output fault

104 Historic 22 Right turn output fault.

105 Historic 11 Battery voltage high

106 Historic 31 Alarm output low

107 Historic 32 Alarm output high

108 Historic 41 Ignition switch open/low

__________________

 

[NJtony]

I am still new to this forum but if the battery tests ok you may want to check the ignition switch . I am sure Jack may be able to tell you what wires to check.

If you have no codes and the battery is good I would suspect the ignition switch.

 

[1dn5up]

New battery , ok , ground wire connection from battery to frame :Shrug:

 

[Sidecarbill]

You're description is correct for a failed charging system. Pull the battery all the way down because nothing is going back into it. A good battery that's been discharged fairly rapidly will recover quite a bit on its own. If the voltage drops too low during cranking you will get no spark, ie no start. Some diagnosis with a meter would be a big help.

 

[Clevelandpat]

Battery

I did charge battery to 13.00. Let it set unhooked from cables and it dropped to 12.7 in 3 hrs.

 

[Jack Klarich]

I did charge battery to 13.00. Let it set unhooked from cables and it dropped to 12.7 in 3 hrs.

What Sidecar Bill said could be the problem. When your battery drops below 10 volts the ignition system will not fire

Follow this link to check your battery and charging system

https://www.jpcycles.com/common-tre...ions-for-testing-your-harleys-charging-system

 

[Clevelandpat]

Battery

Ok I understand that but what would make the circuit breaker as I mentioned open and close just sitting with key on and not running? Thanks!

 

[Jack Klarich]

Ok I understand that but what would make the circuit breaker as I mentioned open and close just sitting with key on and not running? Thanks!

A dead short in the run circuit( ignition switch, kill switch, coil wiring)

Hook the battery back up, with the seat off and a voltmeter hooked up. Turn the ignition and run switch on , watch your meter. If your voltage drops below 10 volts you have done a poor mans load test. Your battery is starting to fail.

If this test passes , start your bike and check the voltage. Does it rise above 12.7 ( i would like to see 13.5 -14.5 @ 2K rpm. This will rule out the charging system

Next you will be looking at checking the voltage when the bike stops running. What is it?

 

[Clevelandpat]

Not starting

I would do that sir if I could get it to crank long enough to start and stay running..it will run about 5 seconds and then die. Power goes out then back on then I can start it again

 

[Jack Klarich]

I would do that sir if I could get it to crank long enough to start and stay running..it will run about 5 seconds and then die. Power goes out then back on then I can start it again

The circuit breaker clicking is the problem, BUT you need to check the wiring in that circuit to find out why it is overloading and tripping the breaker

Do you have a service manual?