Shuvel Starter misery Harley Shovelhead Discuss Shuvel Starter misery in the Classic Harley Motorcycles forums; I have a problem with my shuvel starter the bike is a composite build (problem #1) It has a Premo belt drive with a vented inner primary and a vented ...

[scarry larry]

I have a problem with my shuvel starter

the bike is a composite build (problem #1)
It has a Premo belt drive with a vented inner primary and a vented tin outer primary cover and a four speed gear box with a kicker

This problem started after i took everything apart to fix a oil seal leak on the trans. The problem is when I press the button I here hear the starter spin but it won't engage the starter ring on the clutch shell. If I look thru one of the slot's cut in the cover and I can see the starter gear move out and spin. I have replaced the solenoid and the starter gear. Each time i take it apart and put it together it will work for a short time then start doing this again. The forks and linkage on the solenoid all seam fine. I have begun to suspect that the starter gear is hitting the edge of the clutch shell and not getting to the starter ring. But this would mean that it's an alignment problem and I cant find anything wrong.

HELP!!

Scarry Larry

[JCourneyaP]

Good one for Shovel, Frisco and a few others to chime in. I am going to sit back and get schooled on this post.........

[frisco-rigid]

Hi Scarry


JC----Shovelmike will have to help him on this cuz I've never built/owned a push-button sickle..

[shovelmike]

Gee...I'm no help on this one. My Shovel hasn't got the push button either. My push button bikes haven't given me any grief yet, so no experience digging into those...yet anyhow. Anyone else out there who can lend a hand?

[frisco-rigid]

Hmmm

I re-read it and only one thought came to mind about the possible alignment issue you mentioned..

The TIN outer, if I remember correctly, has a bushing for the starter gear to slip into, but, being that it's a TIN outer and not the more common and substantial Aluminum Outer, perhaps the alignment issue is there..

In-other-words, the TIN outer is warping or simply not aligned well enough to depend upon and does not allow the starter to slip in the bushing correctly..

I think that if the starter is hitting the clutch shell it's because it can't find the bushing..
Hey,, push-buttons are not my bag, I'm doing the best I can here..

[scarry larry]

Thanks for all the reply's
yeah i agree i did kind of suspect the the tin cover may have warped a little over the years but it's kind of expensive to just guess at. My next step is to try and borrow a cover from longrider Pete down at the shop. Thank the shovel gods that it also has a kicker.

hey im yer huckleberry come git some
Doc holiday

[Runway54]

I went through this on a Sportster 900.

It drove me nuts.. how could a perfectly good system stop working once it was back together..

Your solenoid is not getting all the way to the back to make full contact.. check your rubber boot make sure it is seated properly.. the new one I got from V-Twin had lip on it that my original HD one didn't have, I trimmed it off with a pair of scissors. I also had a new solenoid to starter cable made a THICK one. Twice as thick as the stock one.

and threw it all back together... everything was new.. battery.. starter.. wires.. solenoids, switches.. and it still wouldn't engage... nothing was wrong.. except the tab the holds the plunger rod (maybe that got bent a hair??) so I took a 3/4" deep socket and slipped it over the spring .. pushed it in all the way and gave it a good rap with a hammer twice.. I was sick of tearing everything apart... guess what.. It started working flawlessly.. you can take it apart and bend the tab in a vice.. make sure your alignment is good and that the pins on the plunger rod are perfectly centered..

let us know if this works..

Jim

[RJPS1970]

Hey guy's,i hope scary larry's problem is fixed by now,i just came across his post, and i agree with runway54. I do have a couple of other suggestions for anyone else that happens to be a little
slow on reading the posts.the problem is definitely in the plunger/
rod/fork assembly.first of all,along with all of the good advise
from runway54 make sure to check the shifter coller that the fork slips into,also check the plunger itself.there shouldn't be any
binding at all. Especially in the plunger. Sand down the whole
plunger assembly with very fine emery cloth,just enough to clean
it up,and remove any rust or burrs.also make sure that the bearing in the cover is flush and not cocked.if everything that runway54
and i have spoken of is done,there is no reason that the spinning
starter shouldn't contact the ring gear...good luck and ride
S A F E ! ! !.....rich