Broke down on vacation

[Kelly66502]

My 1996 GL1500SE won't start. Three days into a trip to see the grandkids we didn't cover the bike up because it wasn't supposed to rain. It not only rained, it was like a monsoon overnight. I've gotten it wet before in similar situations and also ridden in the heavy rain with no problems. Go to leave the next morning and no dash light self check and no spark. I followed the check list in the shop manual and I have checked all the components listed with the ohm meter and everything tests within range. Continuity tests check out and all the fuses are good. I have unplugged and re connected plugs and there's no corrosion to be found. I have read the other posts that describe the same type of issue including the guy that it just decided to start without knowing what happened. I should add that the dash lights are doing a self check again three days after the fact but still no spark.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Kelly

[gford]

you have a good battery?

[Kelly66502]

Just came from the local MC shop and battery tested 265 CCA @13.2V Granted it's a walmart battery but it's 2 weeks old. Is 265 CCA enough?

[Rambozo]

No dash lights makes me think water got into the ignition switch. Maybe you can blow it out with compressed air?

If you have been trying for three days, I bet the battery needs charging by now.

[biguns]

Battery looks OK , wish I could help more.

[blupupher]

No dash lights makes me think water got into the ignition switch. Maybe you can blow it out with compressed air?

If you have been trying for three days, I bet the battery needs charging by now.

Thats my line of thinking as well. If battery is good, but no lights when key is on leads to think ignition switch or something with the fuses.

[WingAdmin]

You're saying no spark, but the bike will still crank the engine?

[Sassy]

I had a similiar problem after pressure washing the bike at a wand car wash, moved the kill switch back n forth and the life came back. Been to the carwash before no problem.

[Corkster52]

I had a similar problem years ago with my '88 after a torrent of rain hit while I was at work and one side of the bike faced the strong wind. It took me several days to figure out what happened. It was "water-locked". Turned out one of my spark plugs was not tight and water got in. Found it by pulling one plug at a time, cranking it over with the starter, reinstalling it (if nothing appeared wrong) and moving on to the next one. I thought I was doomed until the 4th plug I tried spit out water! Reinstalled the plug and it started right up

[Kelly66502]

Thank you everyone for the help.
Here's what happened in the process to it running again.
After re checking the entire list of connections and components yet again and still not finding a problem I took the battery to a shop that kinda specializes in Harley Davidson. He said that if everything has been checked except the Ignition Control Module (which I didn't have a way to actually test) then the next thing is to find a used one and try it. He suggested trying a mechanic that worked on everything including Honda. It was after hours and I was showing the ICM to my wife after I took it out and opened it up. Jokingly I told her that my dear old grandmother always said if it's mechanical and wont work just give it a good whack. I tapped each side of the ICM with a screwdriver handle and plugged it back in and hit the starter...... IT STARTED! There were some amazed looks of course.
Of course that wasn't the issue although I'd never dispute grandma. What I did find was that there were two plugs that even though they tested at the plug were not making constant contact to the spade connection on the ICM. The main one that was a battery voltage in when checked with an alligator clip and volt meter on the in side of the module would go from 13.2V to 0 and back so fast that you had to watch really close to catch it. Of course the motor would die immediately and as soon as I tweaked the plug to make a tighter connection that wire was good. There was another one somewhere but I was pooped so I just tweaked all the remaining female plugs and I could jiggle the harness vigorously without any reaction.
So there you have the solution to the problem. I had unplugged that plug to test resistance at least three times. Maybe it was grandmas whack that did lead to the solution.
Thanks again, safe riding everyone.

[landisr]

Congrats, and thanks for the update.

Now press on to parts unknown!

Ron in AZ

PS. And Hi to grandma if she's still with us.

[cagmo]

I was caught in a torrential downpour on the Blue Ridge Parkway and my '98 1500 SE's engine just died. It would crank but not start. A call to the dealer in Norfolk the next morning solved the problem.
Legendary Gold Wing mechanic Dave Hunter diagnosed it in ten seconds; kill switch had shorted out. He told me to attach both leads to the switch to the same terminal effectively by-passing it. I continued my trip and when I got home 1,200 miles later bought a new switch. But after thinking about the pro's and con's of it; I never installed it and never had another incident. I experienced many electrical issues with both my 1500's; relays etc. but have owned an 1800 for several years now without any.
This is a simple roadside repair only requiring a phillips head screwdriver.