98 Magna wont start. replaced stator and battery. where is starter located?

[TLRam1]

It will be in the Very very very VERY front  where the tire throws all your mud, water and debris. Hootmon has a great photo for you.

[hootmon]

Thanx Terry for not mentioning how dirty my bike is in the picture..
Anybody like the beer can oil filter??? It's Budweiser Select BTW...
I started to by a Harley Davidson Beer can, but in the end, I couldn't by the Harley brand product...
Another BTW.. In the photo, just under the starter there appears to be port holes where an oil cooler could be attached... Anyone ever do that? (I do understand that it is probably unnecessary with the radiator),  just wondering...

[TLRam1]

I was Going to mention the Beer can oil filter, short on time and have to gget out of Dodge!

Those two ports are CA emissions I think. Try the oil cooler idea and let us know what happens. 

[MarylandMagnav45]

Here is a pictures of the starter
(Click on Picture for larger view)

 

How did you do a picture like that?  Making it small, and then click to enlarge?

[TLRam1]

He's just a trickster of magic.

[hootmon]

Some post have Attach as an option under "additional Options", some do not...
This thread does, so I attached the picture directly without having to link from Tinypic.com.
I have not found a rhyme or reason for when it's there and when it's not, but seems to run on certain threads... Anywayz, when you attach it directly, the thumbnail, click to make it large feature is built in.

I'm sure the People who pay for server space (or additional harddrives) would prefer the TinyPic.com links. Since it appears the picture get's uploaded to the server in the process. One picture is worth lots of posts in harddrive space...

[ed5757]

Thanks Hootmon. yes, nice oil filter. and thanks for the pic.
O.k.   I see the two bolts on the one end , but the other end it looks like one has to remove the casing to get to the other end.
and dumb question #23: after I test the battery , how do you test to see if the starter is the evil gremlin causing me not being able to ride? and I should check the relay as well, correct?  Eddie

[hootmon]

It's been a while since I removed the starter, but it was a no brainer...

Remove the Electrical cable. Remove the mounting bolts on the right, I cant rememeber if there is a bolt on the left or not, but definitely no case removes...

I would suspect the Relay or a connection to the relay 1st...

There is no Bendix (Throw out gear) on the starter, it just spins... You could find a time when you can't start the bike just apply 12V to the nut where the cable is on the front of the starter and see if it spins (Jumper cables perhaps)(Make sure bike is in Neutral), if the starter spins, then the problem is upstream toward the relay. If it doesn't spin, you have an intermittant starter. (I would tend to believe it's NOT the starter)

[ed5757]

Thanks Hootman. so basically I can just pull that cable off of the starter. (does that just pop off?) connect the jumper to a (bolt? )underneath, and see if it spins. now at the other end of that cable is the relay I presume.  I traced the cable from the starter to what prob is the relay. if you are sitting on the bike, it would be on the left right beside the battery, correct? assuming thats it, then there are two Allen bolts, one would be neg. the other right above where the cable connects being the pos.  Am I right? any advice on how to test the relay? and if its not the relay, what would be futher up the line, the battery?
I am mechanically inclined, just not familiar with electrical too much. once again, thanks.  E.

[hootmon]

You remove the cable by removing a nut.
That cable does trace back to the left side under the side cover to the Relay.
That cable is NOT negative.
There is a power cable that runs from the battery to the other side of the relay. There is also some small wires & a connector. When you hit the Start switch it sends a voltage signal through that smaller connector, this in turn engergizes a coil (Inside the relay) this connects the battery side cable to the Starter side cable and makes it virtually the same wire. The "negative" comes from the Starter case, which is connected to the engine case, which has a ground wire connected to it.
So, with your volt meter
1) check the voltage across the battery post (should be ~12-13Volts)
2) Start the bike (if you can) and rev the engine to 3K RPM. The voltage at the battery should be ~14.7 VDC
3) turn off the bike and check the voltage at the regulator (Not touching the wire or connector, but on the bolt/nut - you should have your ~12-13v (If not, you have a bad cable)
4) Disconnect the small connector. Connect your Positive from your volt meter into the connector (not the relay side) and hit the start switch (With the key turned on) Then try the other wire (One of them should show voltage when the starter switch is pressed) If no voltage then you have a bad switch. (Reconnect small connector)
5) Assuming you have voltage from the switch - Now test the voltage on the starter side of the relay while pressing the starter switch - No voltage, bad Relay
6) Assuming you have good relay - You could test the voltage at the nut on the starter while pushing the starter switch (Checking to see if there is a break in the cable to the starter)

All this is covered in the manual you can get it here (takes a while to download)
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/crbinson/lst?.dir=/Magna+Manual&.src=bc&.view

Hope it helps.. what did I miss guys???

[ed5757]

Thanks a million hootmon, now I'm feeling motivated! thanks even more for the manual, sure that will help as well.
will have to take you up on that invite to meet up in Daytona soon. but only if you let me buy the beer.
will update anyone interested, hopefully with good news.  E.

[Greg Cothern]

Having not read every post forgive me if I missed it and it was said already.

I would replace the battery, they can have enough juice to run the lights and all but not the starter relay..

My original 96 did this once and I swapped in a new battery (the original one was 6 years old) and VOILA all was good.  ALSO note it runs through the headlight circuit.

[Lurkin]

Definitely follow the advice the others have given you first, as the 3rd Gen Magna starters have not seen many problems (that I've heard of anyway).  If you do find that it is the starter though, talk to me first as I have a used one that I bought when trying to diagnose a starting problem.

If you do need it, I will sell it for _much_ less then the $300 new one.

Rod...