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[07street]

Here's the deal about 4 months ago I left my ignition on and ran the battery down.  I thought to myself no big deal just have the battery charged.  So i took the battery to my dealer and they charged and test the battery, about 4 hours later i get a call from the service mgr telling me your battery is fully charged and test ok (no charge).  put the battery back in the bike and ever since the the bike is harder to start and it seems that the the map is off on the Fuelpak.  I checked the settings on the fuelpak and they are correct. I also leave the battery tender on the bike while in the garage.  I'm storing a friends bike in the garage during the winter months and today i went out to start the bikes to let them run for a short time.  The FLHX start up right away however my Duracell was hard to start.  It sounds like the battery is charged and the starter is spinning just fine, but the motor made several coughing noises then on the second try it started.  Is it possible the battery test ok but still weak when starting the bike or is it the fuelpak not working corrctly or 3rd something else
hope this makes sense and thank you for your replies
07street

[dartman]

Im betting on your battery even a slightly weak battery affects starting under adverse conditions, your engine starts in closed loop so your fuel pak should have no effect at all, its a simple test disconnect the Fuel pak and let the ECM default to factory settings see if it starts any better.

[Hoist!]

Im betting on your battery even a slightly weak battery affects starting under adverse conditions, your engine starts in closed loop so your fuel pak should have no effect at all, its a simple test disconnect the Fuel pak and let the ECM default to factory settings see if it starts any better.

I agree. If that ign sw was left on til you ran that battery dead down, then discovered it at a later time, get a new battery. Battery's the first thing that has to be right for these things to start and run properly. I keep mine on a BT, but put a new one in every 2 years whether it needs it or not. Cheap insurance to never worry if a battery's the problem when you have one.

Hoist!

[BIGDOG]

Just a quick note on starting the bikes for a short run. Unless you are taking them out and putting some miles on them you are better off not starting them.You will be getting condensation in the oil and won't be charging the batteries up by short runs. just a thought

[07street]

thank you i will disconnect the the FP and try starting it with the ECM .  if the problem continues i will wait a few months (till the weather changes ) and replace the battery. 


Thank you for the replies
this is one hell of site !!!!!!!!!!

07street

[Loud Couch Rider]

I agree. If that ign sw was left on til you ran that battery dead down, then discovered it at a later time, get a new battery. Battery's the first thing that has to be right for these things to start and run properly. I keep mine on a BT, but put a new one in every 2 years whether it needs it or not. Cheap insurance to never worry if a battery's the problem when you have one.

Hoist!

I agree 100% with Hoist! on this one.  An old timer friend of mine replaces his battery every 2 years PERIOD!  no matter what the condition.  He has always said it is far less expensive than a new starter or worse, getting stuck someplace (in the middle of Nevada for example).   My '05 Ultra (rocket) was hard starting after the battery was 3 yrs old.  I had to keep it on the charger or it would cough and sputter and kickback.  Put in a new battery and have had no problems since.... and I always keep in charged up.   Bottom line, sounds like the battery.   

 

[REGGAB]

Now that I think about it, I left my ignition on for a significant length of time this past late summer/early fall.  Ran the battery down low enough that it required a jump.  Charged back up.  Thought nothing of it......until I got the bike back with the new engine.

Installed a new battery Friday night.  No starting problems whatsoever now.  Looks like I'll need to get on the two year plan.

[Twolanerider]

I agree. If that ign sw was left on til you ran that battery dead down, then discovered it at a later time, get a new battery. Battery's the first thing that has to be right for these things to start and run properly. I keep mine on a BT, but put a new one in every 2 years whether it needs it or not. Cheap insurance to never worry if a battery's the problem when you have one.

Hoist!

New battery every two years?  Wow, that's almost as often as you change eng.......   ah, never mind.  Too easy .

[FUZZNUTS]

New battery every two years?  Wow, that's almost as often as you change eng.......   ah, never mind.  Too easy .

Wow, Don what a shot. Any way my 2 cents worth. I had an older car that the battery died, no big deal. Just changed the battery. Still, hard start or no start. Checked the starter next. It checked out ok. Turns out that the wire inside the stakon from the battery was corroded. Not entirely but enouph to make me waste a Saturday at home trouble shooting. Changed the wire from the battery to the starter and I was back in business. Something to think about or check..................................Fuzz    

[Twolanerider]

Wow, Don what a shot. Any way my 2 cents worth. I had an older car that the battery died, no big deal. Just changed the battery. Still, hard start or no start. Checked the starter next. It checked out ok. Turns out that the wire inside the stakon from the battery was corroded. Not entirely but enouph to make me waste a Saturday at home trouble shooting. Changed the wire from the battery to the starter and I was back in business. Something to think about or check..................................Fuzz    

Good idea Fuzz.  I don't trust battery cables or primary wires any farther than Howie gets out of an engi....   Well, I don't worry about them too much.  They can corrode.  The crimps can get loose and look fine but not be.  Any charging system, hard starting, or other other odd electrical behavior gets new cables or new cable ends if nothing else painfully obvious takes care of it.

[Hoist!]

New battery every two years?  Wow, that's almost as often as you change eng.......   ah, never mind.  Too easy .

HeHe!!! Nope, actually 1/2 as often! Engine gets changed every year!

Hoist!

[grandpadoc]

BubbaLuv went through two batteries last year until he found it was the automatic compression release that wasn't working. Doc

[clegg]

Two years for a battery is unacceptable, especially for gel cells, which I think all the newer Harley's come with. Heck, my 2000 Buell was bought new by me, and still has the original battery in it. It has no battery tender and is stored in the cold shed thru South Dakota winters. Never been out of the bike. Batteries normally give you a warning, they don't just lay down.

[RedDevil]

thank you i will disconnect the the FP and try starting it with the ECM .  if the problem continues i will wait a few months (till the weather changes ) and replace the battery. 


Thank you for the replies
this is one hell of site !!!!!!!!!!

07street

07 Street,
Was your Coppertop included in the Product Enhancement Program (0905 or 0906)?  Under that product enhancement, they replace the ACRs.  Another individual on this site had similar starting issues and when he had the ACRs replaced, that cured the problem.  Just wondering....

   

[Hoist!]

Two years for a battery is unacceptable, especially for gel cells, which I think all the newer Harley's come with. Heck, my 2000 Buell was bought new by me, and still has the original battery in it. It has no battery tender and is stored in the cold shed thru South Dakota winters. Never been out of the bike. Batteries normally give you a warning, they don't just lay down.

Sorry man, I beg to differ! They absolutely can offer no warnings of failure, and surely leave ya stranded. They aren't gel batteries either.

Hoist!

[grandpadoc]

Sorry man, I beg to differ! They absolutely can offer no warnings of failure, and surely leave ya stranded. They aren't gel batteries either.

Hoist!

 
The last time that happened to me the dealer trouble shooted the electrical system for hours before they found it was a dead battery. Like Hoist said they will give you no warning at all and are hard to find out in the middle of nowhere. I change mine every year regardless, and use the old one to run my wife's water features in her garden with solar.
This situation smells like bad ACR's and would cause the bike to crank real slow if at all on a cold morning. At the time my buddy's dealer was unaware that the CVO's even had ACR's and just gave him new batteries when he complained until the recall. He hasn't had a problem since.  Doc 

[clegg]

     I never said batteries can't just die without warning. They certainly do. I said they NORMALY give you clues, IE hard starting. As for factory gel cells that is just what my parts counter person at the dealer told me. I guess it is not abnormal for the guy schlepping parts not to know his a$$ from a hole in the ground though!. I just never gave it a second thought when he told me that because it makes so much sense to put a gel in something that shakes like that....
     I still believe buying a new battery every year or two just because is silly. They are designed to and NORMALY do last longer. I also don't think motorcycle batteries are hard to find in a pinch. Wal Mart has something on the cheap I guarantee will fit well enough to get you home. Then again, I am the guy who bellyaches about spending only $1500.00 to replace cam tensioner shoes...

     I need to get out and ride, I am starting to get squirrelly...

[dlaws01]

Where's the kick starter on my bike?  I got gypped!