Softail Starter Removal - Page 3 - Harley Forum

aceharleywrench · #21 03-23-2009, 05:56 PM

Good luck,keep us posted.

03fxst · #22 03-25-2009, 12:51 PM

Okay. So far so good. Oil tank and sarer are now removed. Before I open the starter are there any tips aside from what the book tells me. It is pretty slim on detail in terms of replacing the clutch assembly. Harley sells it as an assembly so I will replace all of it. It did not come with any o rings but I see by the diagram in the manual I will be exposing at least one. I'll headack to the dealer to get that part. Anything else to watch for in there?

03FXST

aceharleywrench · #23 03-25-2009, 03:02 PM

Yeah,there are several things to watch out for,the loose roller bearings around the sprague gear & the single ball bearing located inside the starter shaft (held in place by the return spring) These parts have a tendency to fall out when you first take the starter apart.Clean all the crud away from the shaft & bearing before disassembly,you may want rubber gloves when you disassemble the starter as the grease inside is black,nasty,crap.Take your time & you should be fine.

03fxst · #24 03-25-2009, 03:05 PM

Here is a follow up. I took a cloe lok at the assembly and noticed it includes a jack shaft pinion but not one like mine. Called the dealer they said the assembly is actually for a sportster and that I have to remove that pinion and the shaft it is attacked to inside the starter clutch and put my parts back in. I did that but there is a locking washer type attachment on the geared shaft that keeps it from slipping inside the clutch when attached. There was no such lock on mine, it just slipped right out of there. This is the thick geared shaft that goes inside the starter not the thin shaft that holds the pinion. Anyway, my geared shaft will take this washer type lock and it does keep the shaft from slipping back inside the starter clutch on the spring. Should I add it even though mine did not have one or leave it out?
Oh and the idler gear bearings slipped out of their cage onto the bench and picked up a little grit. I cloth cleaned them. Should I do more, add more grease?

Adding an edit here. Just went and looked again to be sure that locking washer hadn't fsallen somewhere. What I did find was a tiny snap ring wedged inside the metal tube that goes around the starter gear shaft between the starter housing and the jackshaft pinion. It is not shown in the manual but the end of the shaft nearest the pinion is grooved so I guess it goes there. The locking washer fits at the opposite end where the shaft meets the starter clutch. . Also I know that geared shaft cannot slip back into the cutch because the nut and shaft holding the pinion to it are screwed into the end inside the primary. The sporty one is not tapped for a screw, it has a heavy duty snap ring at the end of the pinion gear.

Thanks guys
03FXST

aceharleywrench · #25 03-25-2009, 06:33 PM

The snap ring inside the coupling belongs there & if you look close you will find it in the parts book.I'm not real clear on your other snap ring issue,but I would leave it out seeing as how your original shaft was not equipped with it.

03fxst · #26 03-25-2009, 07:15 PM

Hey Ace
Thanks again. You are right I found it on the next page in the parts blow-up for the Jack Shaft assembly instead of with the starter parts. The coupling itself is on that page as well. I will put the clip back on and leave the other one with the shaft for the sportster.

I really appreciate your expertise on this and you were absolutely right on about the gloves. That is one greasy assembly.

03FXST

03fxst · #27 03-26-2009, 08:57 AM

So far so good. Al starter components have been cleaned, regreased and re-installed with the new clutch. The assembly went together perfectly. The book says nothing about locktight so I didn't use any. Should I take the screws out and add some? The book says to check that snap ring so I took it out of the coupling and it looked fine. I slid it back in, you can see a tiny grooved line in the splines inside the coupling so I put it there. The coupling fits over the starter shaft and now it's ready to go onto the jackshaft and back on the bike. I'm puzzled though. What exactly does that snap ring accomplish if it is inside the coupling in the area where the two shafts meet but is not actually on either of the shafts themselves?

03FXST

evoKENevo · #28 03-26-2009, 09:51 AM

The snap ring you're describing between where the 2 shaft ends meet in the coupler is there keep the coupler from sliding out of postion...very important !!

aceharleywrench · #29 03-27-2009, 06:46 AM

The snap ring also makes it impossible to install the coupler backwards,if you have it on the wrong way it wont slide all the way on to the starter.

03fxst · #30 03-27-2009, 02:01 PM

I might have a problem on final re-assembly. Everything seems to go together perfectly but the jack shaft sticks all the way out untill the keyed slot is over the ring gear and and just passed its outer edge. I don't remember it being that out before. The pinion will not slide back all the way off the ring gear. It is just barley nicking the inside edge of the gear. I did not put the long bolt through yet because I don't want to force anything. Will that bolt pull it in? How much clearence should there be between the edge of the pinion teeth and the ring gear itself? Maybe I'm just being too careful but better safe than sorry.

03FXST