SO now that I have my license and the weather is lovely my bike has decided to take a dump on me. <o></o>First legal ride and she just shut off at an intersection. I try to restart her but she will not ignite. Mike pushed me and I jump started her but she died again (acting like she was out of fuel, I had plenty). Jumped her again and managed to get her home.<o></o>We filled her up with higher octane fuel. Changed the spark plugs. Checked the fuel flow from tank to carb. Checked the float. And tried her again. <o></o>She died again. She dies in 1st idling. And check this.. she dies when I lean her away from the carb which totally sounds like fuel.. But what else could it be fuel related that we did not address? When I lean her she sputters and quits. I initiate that response by leaning her. When she dies upright she just quits like a kill switch.Th<o></o><o>is is a new problem. She ran great when I was illegal. The only thing we changed was adding the lights. But if it is I am baffled. I know you guys have to have some ideas. </o>
You make sure you getting hot enough spark? Could be an ign issue. Maybe coil is crapping out on you. If you have verified that your getting good fuel flow and venting is not the issue I would look towards ign.
Pull the plugs and ground them and try and start the bike... Even if you have spark it might not be hot enough to burn the fuel propely and causing it to die...
Disclaimer: I'm barely a good wrench on my own shit so take this as food for thought
You make sure you getting hot enough spark? Could be an ign issue. Maybe coil is crapping out on you. If you have verified that your getting good fuel flow and venting is not the issue I would look towards ign.
Pull the plugs and ground them and try and start the bike... Even if you have spark it might not be hot enough to burn the fuel propely and causing it to die...
Disclaimer: I'm barley a good wrench on my own shit so take this as food for thought
Trash in the jets? Trash in the fuel filter? Plugged bowl vent in the carb?
You have a Super B laying around don't you? Slap that on the manifold and see if it does the same thing. You don't have to attach the throttle cable to test it.
Trash in the jets? Trash in the fuel filter? Plugged bowl vent in the carb?
You have a Super B laying around don't you? Slap that on the manifold and see if it does the same thing. You don't have to attach the throttle cable to test it.
If it ran good til you added lights, the first step is to go back that last bit of work that changed things. (although I wouldnt shy away from look in the carb to see if you have a little shit floating around in it, which would imply......um, shit in the carb ;-)
Leaning the bike can be a connection grounding out.
Bad charging, may have been enough to fire the coil before light was added.
Get a volt meter, see how your battery reads, see how much juice the charging system puts out.
If thats all good disconnect the main point where you hook light wires into the system & try a ride to see it the light wiring was the culprit.
I can work on bikes better then I can type about it, hope that made sense.
You did a fine job describing it. And it all makes perfect sense. Thanks for giving me some perspective on some basic trouble shooting for the new wiring.
Dude... totally feel ya there... half the time the problem wasn't the bike but the retard between the seat and handlebars (that'd be me...lol)...
However, it is sometimes the the last thing you check...and a huge learning process... Like Bozi said... check the charging system on your battery with the lights on... you want to see up to 15v... if not then you know you have an electrical issue... that will also cause the coil to not work right too...
The only thing I can add is what you already know:
- if the electric starter cranks the motor over after it dies,
the problem is not battery or charging system.
- as stated, leaning=cutoff can be an intermittent short somewhere.
- It may be a fuel vent issue, but probably not carb, from what you've described.
ps Jump start = connecting another battery to yours
Bump start = push/run and jump on.
My Triumph did the same thing (other than the lean) and it was the gas cap. You described the problem I had to a tee!
P.S. Are you the same Little Lindsay that was on the cover of a car mag a few years back driving a '32 or something? I'm a little fuzzy on the details but was one of my favorites when it came out!
notes from MIke-
Just checked JJ to see if any good input. All great input! and appreciated!... The following additional troubleshooting steps have been taken and may help.
So check this...
I have wired the bike so that all accessories(all new stuff this week) are run on a separate circuit. Meaning they run off the "Accessory" terminal on the key switch. With this set up...we are able to start and run the bike without any accessories powered on... thus eliminating the new wiring as the culprit. I think...Ha!
I also put a tester on the hot lead at the coil to see if it fluctuated during the bike tilting/stalling conditions... no change! hmmmm? Also wiggled all wires/wiring during upright/good running conditions... No change! hmmmm? I will still continue looking/testing, but....
My thoughts are fuel issues or possibly a bad coil that somehow acts spiratic while tilting the bike. hmmmmm????
Ps. yes I am that Lindsey.. This is my first two wheel vehicle.
Have you checked to see if the spark plugs are wet or removed the air cleaner to see if gas is getting into the cylinders. I also think that you will find your problem is electrical in nature. Do you know how to use a multimeter? That skill will help right about now...
A few things that made Ironheads die for no reason.
Gas Cap venting not working
pull off the gas cap if it doesnt stall out you got the culprit.
S&S E carb read number 11 if your not running the stock eliment. http://www.sscycle.com/feature/featureview.php?s_id=11
Condensor failure can cause bike to just die. I also seen spark plugs back out from dot being seated. Check your caps and wires as well.
Wasted coil if bike runs then starts failing when its warm a bad coil is suspect. Also there should be good ground behind coil mount. All paint removed from grounding point.
Your bike was running before so check these if it doesnt fix I got a few more things to look at.
He meant the ignition Lindsey. Points or electonic ingnition. I would say points and condensor could be the problem.
Lindsey we will be heading up your way this weekened for The Beer Booter. You and your man should try to make it! Our ride will be passing through your area from San Diego around 11:30am. If you got the demon exersised form you ride we can stop at the Carls Jr. if you both want to ride up with us.
If its not fixed I might be able to stop by if you both arent to far off the beaten path and see if I can track it down for you. http://beerbreed.blogspot.com/2011/01/beer-booters-time-to-get-our-drink-on.html#links
Still wondering if gas is making it past the carb on a regular and predictable basis. But a condensor in your ignition could be the root of yer probs. Swap for a new one and see. You should have extra points and condensor in yer toolbag (hint hint).
Both of my Ironhead have acted very similar to what you are experiencing, I would change the coil. Mine would run fine for 15-20 minutes then act up, it like yours was the only original part I didn't replace. There was a hair line crack in it, when it expanded it was a total bitch. So basically what everyone else said...
Sounds like an electrical problem to me. Have you checked any of the wires in or on your handle bars.. ? Look very carefully where the wire may have "arced" on bare metal.. it will leave tiny scorch marks.. I'm an aircraft mechanic and dick with TONS of electronics and wiring.. Your electrical gremlen can be difficult to track down.. The wire doesn't even have to be rubbed bare and shorting on something.. it can be broken off inside of the insulation or weakened at a connection point somewhere.. After I pulled the harness out of my 76' XLCH I was disgusted by the condition of the wires.. I'm gonna build my own harness when I get to choppin' :-D Good luck to ya!
fuel line getting hot and collapsing , is it between the cylinders?. You have to make too much of a curve to come from the bottom of the super e and if you dont have a 90* gas line it collapses from the heat . Usually it starts again when it cools . It wont happen till after a few rides when the hose gets soft. Then it will happen continually until you change the fuel line. Thought i would throw it out there.
fuel line getting hot and collapsing , is it between the cylinders?. You have to make too much of a curve to come from the bottom of the super e and if you dont have a 90* gas line it collapses from the heat . Usually it starts again when it cools . It wont happen till after a few rides when the hose gets soft. Then it will happen continually until you change the fuel line. Thought i would throw it out there.
+1 on this - had the same prob recently on mine when I changed the fuel line after repainting the tank.
Also...just checking the coil hot side does not diagnose the condition of a coil. Please go spent the $60 for a fresh coil, hang it on and fuggedaboutit. I'm on my third coil as the OEM unit took a dump wich was then replaced by a cheap-assed chinese piece which failed 6 months later. Get a good, old fashioned American-made, Harley coil for peace of mind.
Here's the thing - you've spent lots of time and energy on this ride, spend a few more $$ and freshen the items likely to break down (points, condenser, coil) and then if you're really industrious, install a fresh wiring loom.
Thanks guys we have lots of good info to help start sorting this out. I will update you when we find the culprit or come crying back for more assistance.
you never said you rechecked the timing, or tuned the new carb. for what its worth, mine stalls unless those are good. Time it with the timing light running like the manual says, at 2000 rpms, with the oil blasting out the timing inspection port. then reset the carb idle, air bleed, then the accelerator pump. if it still dies, check the valve lash, the push rod adjusters can come loose and fall after rebuilding/wrenching. if you have done all those already, one more place might be intake leaks. after all that, the bike is officially messing with you, and you might need a tiki mask to scare away the gremlin.
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