HELP!!! Dog won't start, Electrical Issues!!

Energy One
J

johny125

Member
I have an 03 Husky, with Thunderheart Ignition. I go out today to crank her up and the ignition only clicks, then nothing but the headlight dimming, dash lights blinking and then all goes out. I checked the battery, which is only one month old, 450 CCA, and it reads fully charged. I checked all the connectors I could get to and all look good. The red light on the Thunderheart module goes on briefly when I hit the run button, but then goes off after 5 seconds or so. The ignition module lights are OFF until I hit the ignition button. Then the yellow light blinks once and everything goes dim. I think it is probably a short somewhere, but it ran fine yesterday. I did notice my battery saver charger was very hot.

Could my ignition module be bad, as the starter never turns over? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. John:bang:
 
BadDawg Bill

BadDawg Bill

Well-Known Member
That really sounds like a bad connection to the battery or ground on the bike. I don't know much about stock systems but everything dimming sounds like a bad connection somewhere. The charger getting hot sounds like a pos is grounding out. Check the wires from the battery to the starter and VR and see if one has rubbed through. You could take the wires off and use a test light to see if it's grounded. good luck.
 
FrankBDPS

FrankBDPS

Well-Known Member
How did you check the battery? Volt meter or load test? It is most likely the battery has failed because the charging system is not working. The are miles of posts on here on the subject.
 
Brew

Brew

Troop Supporter
You really need to have it load checked. A battery can have a bad cell and a load check will find that out for you. It's free to have done at the auto store...
 
J

johny125

Member
Thanks, I will get it load tested,

UPDATE: With the key on, I jiggled the wires to the Voltage Regulator and the headlight dimmed and then got bright again.

John
 
BadDawg Bill

BadDawg Bill

Well-Known Member
Take off the black wire from the VR to the battery, Charge the battery and then try to start it. If it starts your VR is dust.
 
BadDawg Bill

BadDawg Bill

Well-Known Member
johny125 said:
I will also give this a try. Thanks for your help BadDawg.
Click to expand...
No problem bro. Just take that black wire off the battery and try it. You can check out your VR this way:

To check voltage regulator function:
1) set multimeter to VDC
2) check battery voltage...12.5-13.0 VDC
(if the battery isn't fully charged, this test is useless)
3) start bike
4) hold the red lead of the multimeter to the positive post of the battery and the black lead to the negative post.
5) increase engine RPM to at least 2000 RPM
6) multimeter will show regulator charging rate which should be 14.2-14.6 VDC. A brand new fully charged battery will sometimes only indicate 14.0 VDC,

To check for a shorted or grounded stator:
1) set multimeter to "ohms"
2) read across the stator plug
3) resistance should be 0.2-0.3 ohms
4) now check each stator pin to ground
5) should have no continuity
7) reconnect stator plug
 
BWG56

BWG56

Guru
Brew said:
You really need to have it load checked. A battery can have a bad cell and a load check will find that out for you. It's free to have done at the auto store...
Click to expand...
I had 2 battery's one was 2 yrs old and the other new, both load tested to 800, but only one would turn the Dog over the other clicked. Thats why I always say to use a jump box first to try and start. Especially when they say the last time the bike was fine and now it won't start or lights blink or tach light work, etc. And when my Dog just clicked the lights did not flash.
I just love it when someone comes to me because their power equipment don't start after winter storage and before they come to me they have tried adjusting the carb:bang::bang: First question I ask is, was it running before you stored it, then why in the hell would you adjust the carb. Just piss's me off:bang: I'm done:rant::whoop:
 
FrankBDPS

FrankBDPS

Well-Known Member
BWG56 said:
I had 2 battery's one was 2 yrs old and the other new, both load tested to 800, but only one would turn the Dog over the other clicked. Thats why I always say to use a jump box first to try and start. Especially when they say the last time the bike was fine and now it won't start or lights blink or tach light work, etc. And when my Dog just clicked the lights did not flash.
I just love it when someone comes to me because their power equipment don't start after winter storage and before they come to me they have tried adjusting the carb:bang::bang: First question I ask is, was it running before you stored it, then why in the hell would you adjust the carb. Just piss's me off:bang: I'm done:rant::whoop:
Click to expand...
And let me quess they left the old gas in it all winter, no stabilizer and should not own anything with an internal combustion engine on it.
 
S

Sven

Well-Known Member
Is it my battery or my thunderstruck is the question.

1. As stated, set volt/ohm meter to 20v so the range is 12 to 14v.
2. Charge battery again.
3. With key on, 12v at the battery being a surface charge of 12v, do we have lights, thunder showing correct LED lights as you recognize as normal? Yes.

Then, for now it is not the thunderbox.

4. Remove spark plugs, install them back in the wires: if the kill will not start the engine. You move the spark away from the holes for that whoosh of fuel out the hole will light the garage on fire if not the bike. Ground the plugs on the engine somewhere else.
5. Start the engine so as to see more crank, less dim, and if it begins to slow down and dim out?

Battery.

6. My battery gets hot when charging it. That's a sign of resistance at the door (battery posts)
7. My charger gets hot and can't push the current and for every action of resistance, there goes me having the resistance and I am now the ground so I take the heat too.
8. My battery does get hot when I charge it... Yes?
9. My charger never heated up like this... Right?

Battery is my guess. Unless you ran in the rain the other day.... :up: Still a variable you are leaving things out about the history of that battery.


:roll: JK about the rain....... :eek: You did??!?!
 
J

johny125

Member
UPDATE: Problem SOLVED!!!

Thank you all who responded on my sick dog. Taking the advise of several members, I brought the battery I bought in June 2014 to AutoZone to have it checked. Well apparently even though my Battery Buddy stated the battery was fully charged, it only registered 9.6 V on the Autozone tester. I charged it again and got the same results. SO, I charged an old battery I had and it started right up. Damn China made batteries. Thanks again, I really appreciate all of your help.

John:2thumbs:
 
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