What to do if your Harley Davidson Sportster has an electrical problem?

What to do if your Harley Davidson Sportster has an electrical problem?

Move your ignition switch and coils from the front of the bike, under the tank, and open up the whole look of your Sportster. Know where your fuse box is and which fuse does what, because it is the first place to look when you have an electrical issue.

How to check for parasitic draw on Harley Davidson Sportster?

You may notice this as a headlight that remains dimly lit even with the switch off. To check for a parasitic draw: Turn the ignition off. Remove the positive battery cable. Set your meter to read amps. Connect your multimeter in series (one probe on the battery positive terminal, the other on the positive wire) and record the reading.

How can I identify stator problems in Harley Davidson?

Take a test light and clip it to the negative terminal of the battery and then touch first one pin and then the other on the plug that goes to the regulator. If you get even the slightest amount of light from the test light the regulator is toast.

Where are the ground wires on a Harley Davidson Sportster?

There is one main ground wire routed from the battery’s negative (black) terminal to a stud on the primary case. This is the largest of the ground wires on the Sportster. Start with the larger ground wires first, as they will have the greatest impact on your electrical system if a failure occurred.

How does the electrical system work on a Harley Davidson?

The electrical system powers the engine for start-up, charges the battery, keeps the engine running by creating sparks, and injects the proper amount of fuel. Any one electrical problem may reduce the effectiveness of one or all the electrical sub systems.

How many amps does a Harley Davidson Sportster have?

Place the amp clamp around the large positive wire between the starter and battery. Face the amp clamp with the arrow on the clamp facing towards the starter (direction of current flow). Start the engine and record the reading. A normal reading is between 140 to 180 amps.

Move your ignition switch and coils from the front of the bike, under the tank, and open up the whole look of your Sportster. Know where your fuse box is and which fuse does what, because it is the first place to look when you have an electrical issue.

Place the amp clamp around the large positive wire between the starter and battery. Face the amp clamp with the arrow on the clamp facing towards the starter (direction of current flow). Start the engine and record the reading. A normal reading is between 140 to 180 amps.

The electrical system powers the engine for start-up, charges the battery, keeps the engine running by creating sparks, and injects the proper amount of fuel. Any one electrical problem may reduce the effectiveness of one or all the electrical sub systems.

What should the fuse draw be on a Harley Davidson Sportster?

Connect your multimeter in series (one probe on the battery positive terminal, the other on the positive wire) and record the reading. If the reading is over 0.02 amps, the current draw is to high. Remove fuses from the fuse box one by one until the current draw returns below 0.02.

Why do some of my Harley Davidson lights burn out?

Harley’s have a bad reputation when it comes to electrical problems such as bulb burn out. While this may seem like only a maintenance issue, some Harley’s bulbs have been installed improperly. Bulb burnout exposes a rider safety problem resulting from signals and brake lights malfunctioning.

What causes a Harley Davidson engine to fail?

The cam tensioner, camshaft, cam bearings, and cam support plate are at risk for operational failure. When and if these components do fail, they could put your engine and electrical system at greater risk for further damage.