2000 Wing 1500cc...engine quit

[DannyB]

Thanks in advance! Have a 2000 Wing 1500cc (85,000 km) kept in a heated shed all winter, which I start up once a month, and let it idle at 2000rpm for about 10 minutes to keep it working. Plugged in to a battery tender all the time. New battery last year. Went to start it yesterday, and it cranked for about 5 seconds b/4 it fired up. GREAT..I THOUGHT.. Set the idle at 2000rpm and about 10 minutes later, it shut down completely...all the lights were working, even the dashboard. When I hit the starter button, it was dead. Played with the kill switch a bit, and checked the main fuse which seemed okay. Where do I go next to troubleshoot this, so I don't need to get it hauled to a shop 70 km away. Not being too mechanically inclined, any help is appreciated. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.

[aj1500]

one thing that comes to mind is the starter relay, there is a plug on top that is known for the ground heating up and loosing contact. I ended up cutting mine and putting a new connector on it
you pretty much have to take the seat off to get to it, but maybe you can just wiggle the wires a bit just to see if that is the problem, also there is a fuse in there as well it's beside the battery

[DannyB]

Thanks A.J...I'll take a look at both of those..what kind of fuse am I looking for next to the battery?

[Charlie1Horse]

Sounds possibly to be a bad/dirty connection on the battery or a defective battery. Have the battery LOAD tested by a local auto parts house. Or possibly a dirty connection in the kill switch/jiggle it a few times to make a good connection.
Russell

[DannyB]

Hi Charlie1Horse...thanks for this, but my battery is max 2 years old, and plugged in to battery tender all winter in the shed. It started (after a month) in about 5 seconds on first crank . I 'never' use the kill switch, so maybe that's what needs attention. I will look into both...Thanks!!

[Charlie1Horse]

I never use the kill switch either but when I purchased my 92 Interstate, years and miles of vibration had caused the terminal screws under the kill switch to loosen and have bad connections. I tightened them and never any more problem. But later, I had a problem with intermittent shut downs on the road and found that the kill switch had a bad connection at random times and after cleaning the switch there is no problem.
My dad, years ago, drilled it into my head that 'just because it is new doesn't mean that it it good'. Thanks Dad. So it doesn't hurt to have the battery tested at any time when you are having any kind of starting trouble.
I had a friend that had a problem with starting on his Wing and had the same problem you have described at a lunch stop one day. We found that he had a bad connection on one battery cable even though it felt tight. We took it off and cleaned it and retightened it to have no more trouble. Hope you find the problem soon.
Good Evening from Florida
Russell

[DannyB]

Thanks for this Russell...I will give them both a try on the weekend, and let you know !! Have a good day down there, from Vernon BC Canada (spring it right around the corner)..

[WingAdmin]

Thanks in advance! Have a 2000 Wing 1500cc (85,000 km) kept in a heated shed all winter, which I start up once a month, and let it idle at 2000rpm for about 10 minutes to keep it working. Plugged in to a battery tender all the time. New battery last year. Went to start it yesterday, and it cranked for about 5 seconds b/4 it fired up. GREAT..I THOUGHT.. Set the idle at 2000rpm and about 10 minutes later, it shut down completely...all the lights were working, even the dashboard. When I hit the starter button, it was dead. Played with the kill switch a bit, and checked the main fuse which seemed okay. Where do I go next to troubleshoot this, so I don't need to get it hauled to a shop 70 km away. Not being too mechanically inclined, any help is appreciated. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.

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[Rambozo]

You have two problems to troubleshoot. They may or may not be the same problem.
First what caused it to die.
Second is the no start condition.
And you sure aren't doing it any favors by running it 10 minutes a month.
It sounds like the dash is lit up, but the starter won't crank?
Time to bust out a meter or test light, and start tracing.

[DannyB]

Hi Rambozo..thanks for this....I tried starting it yesterday, and it started within 3 seconds!! Did the same thing, ran for about 10 minutes & conked out again. Pulled the battery out & tested it (90%), checked the main fuse, (replaced it with my spare..just in case it may be slightly cracked)..and then turned the key on, everything lit up ...but I'm EMBARRASSED to tell you I "think" I found my problem. My tranny shifter is a little delicate, and the NEUTRAL light was not lit up. I reached over top (small shed) to the shifter & 'gently' lifted it up & the green neutral light came on....fired up right away. SHEESH...the first place I should have looked at..(the neutral light)...will try it again today, but I'm sure it's fine....easy fix, by a not so intelligent do it yourselfer.!! Hope I fixed the problem. !! Thanks for your concern.

[69Mustang]

DannyB that one has caught most of us at one time or another

[DannyB]

Hey 69 Mustang....guess I'll look there FIRST next time & NOT assume anything. Thanks for the reply.