Weird starting problem

Started the bike up yesterday and it runs fine.

Go to start it today, neutral light comes on, horn works. taillight is on. flip the kill switch to "run", hit the start button and... nothing. :evil:

I though the start button might be dirty, but the mulitmeter shows about 0.2 Ohms when you push it in.

Any ideas? MiCarl and I were going to ride today, so maybe we can figure it out with some daylight to spare.

 

When you hit the start button does the neutral light dim a bit? when you say 'nothing' do you hear any click? Can you hear the starter solenoid clunk? Check the ignition switch it might not be working correctly, clean the connector. does it start with a boost?

 

I meant "nothing"... no lights dimmed, no clicks, no noise at all.

I checked all my connections, ended up bumping the start button, and it fired and ran fine tonight.

Go figure. My bike has issues. :wink:

Now to figure out why the speedo (and odometer) don't work.

 

My bike has this too where I hit the starter button and absolutely nothing - like the key isn't even in the bike. I just keep trying - after 4 or 5 pushes of the button it catches and starts to crank and then start. I don't know why it does this but it happens on occasion.

I chalked it up to something with the starter.

 

Seems to indicate dirty contacts for the start button.

Z

 

That's what I would have thought, too, since the last time it was wonky was a dirty kill switch, so I tested the start button with my ohmmeter and it read 0.2 Ohms.

Oh, well, like I said, the bike has issues.

Now on to my broken speedometer sender (the gauge itself works, spun the cable with a drill.)

 

Push the button in and twist it around with your thumb. If it starts to crank then strip and clean.

For the speedo,romove the front wheel and remove the speedo drive from the left hand side ofthe wheel. Check that the locking tabs have not been bent back. Happened on my 550 and was a simple fix.

 

There's write-up on that sender somewhere here, but I couldn't find it. IIRC, it was something about the tabs that fit into the wheel; clean, lube, check functionality, and seat it properly into position.

On a side note, I just noticed F-85 in your sig. My first car was a '67 442. Thankfully, it was all stock except for air shocks and mags, because there's no telling what I would have done if it had been performance modded. Transmission literally exploded driving to my first duty station after basic training, which was about six months after I bought her. Tearfully sold it at a huge loss to the transmission shop that towed it in, and on I went to my first base. Someday, man, someday I'll own another. Similar to mine: http://www.442.com/vcs/1964_1972/hilton.html
Z

 

Yeah, 67 on is easy to find stuff for. Fortunately, GM didn't change much from 64-69, and A bodies have a lot of common parts (Chevy parts always in stock, and cheaper)

Even a stock 442 is fast enough to get you in trouble. I only put on the Flows and headers because the exhaust manifold was rusting through, and that was easier to find.