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| Basic Starter trouble shooting | | The FAQ below is intended to provide basic starter trouble shooting pointers. The two most important tools you can buy are the service manual and parts books. These provide in depth guides and illustrations and schemetics that are extremely important in proper trouble shooting.
If the engine isn't turning over, it is unlikely it is an ignition problem. If it is making a "whirring" sound it might be the starter clutch inside the starter.
Time for some basic trouble shooting here.
First, you need the service manual or a full copy of the schematics or you need to fully understand the starter circuit Second you need a fully charged serviceable battery. No guess work, make sure it is fully charged. Second, you will need a multi-meter analog or digital and last a piece of #10-12 guage wire that is fairly flexible about a foot long.
We want to begin at the starter and work backwards. We need to determine if there is voltage at the solenoid and at the positive terminal of the starter.
Use the mult-meter to measure and note the battery voltage then, check for voltage on the battery post of the starter. You should have full battery voltage with no or very little drop from the battery.
Have an asistant press the starter switch while you test for voltage on the lead from the relay to the starter. It is the smaller of the two leads on the starter. If you do not get voltage then go to the starter relay and check it by using the meter or you can jump it to test. If the starter button is pressed and you hear a sound stop and listen to it. Is it a click, chatter, click type noise? Or a whirring screeching type noise from the starter? Or a sharp metallic grinding noise? Each of these indicate different problems.
The click-chatter usually indicates a bad solenoid or bad contacts if the noise is from the starter area. If it is up by the seat or not easily located by ear, check the relay.
The whirring-screeching noise usually means a toasty starter clutch which can be replaced.
The loud sharp metallic grinding sound is usually a torn up ring gear or pinion gear.
If you get no noise, click, boom or bang go to the relay and test it. Make sure you are getting voltage to the positive side of the normally open contact and when the starter button is pressed you get voltage on the coil contacts.
If you do not get voltage to the relay, go to the starter switch and check for voltage across the kill switch.
If you look at the schematic, you will see that there are multiple points that the starter circuit can be jumpered. The relay can be jumpered for example or the solenoid can be tested using a fairly heavy guage wire and jumping across the two terminals.
Oh yeah, if you press the starter button and the voltage take a big dive and the starter and battery wires get hot, pull the starter as it probably is toast.
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| High Performance Air Cleaner basics | | Engines need air cleaners if they are to have a long and useful life. An engine running without an air cleaner is a bit like one of us drinking water and then eating the glass --- it can be done but isn't a great idea.
Air filters for Harley-Davidsons vary widely in appearance and performance. Let use ignore the very subjective issue of appearance and only consider air cleaner performance.
Air cleaner performance has two aspects: dirt removal and airflow capacity. If the filter does not remove small-enough dirt particles, the engine wears prematurely. If it does not pass a large-enough volume of air, the engine cannot deliver its maximum possible power output. The trick is in getting both, fine particle removal and generous airflow, while satisfying styling demands.
Stock "paper," plastic foam and pleated cloth filter elements can all remove small particles of dirt. The main practical difference is the size required to both filter well and pass large amounts of air. The pleated cloth filter passes more air for a given size than either the factory paper or aftermarket foam filters. This is the reason for the near-universal use of the K&N-type filter design in high performance applications.
The larger the filter surface area and the straighter the air flow into the mouth of the carb, the less restriction on air flow. If the filter is large enough and air flow into and out of the filter is free enough, there is no significant flow loss and the engine can realize its maximum power potential. Examples of such a filter design are the Mikuni 2.5" and 3" filters. These filters, made by K&N, are large in area. They point the air flow directly into the mouth of the HSR42/45 carburetor via a short velocity stack. And, they are shielded from the wind by a large chromed filter cover. No filter delivers more air to the HSR series carburetors.
Small area filters, especially if they are both small and made of foam or paper, limit air flow and, therefore, power output. Even large filters, no matter what they are made from, cannot perform well if the filter cover is too close to the filter material. The ideal filter/cover configuration would allow air to flow directly (straight) into the mouth of the carburetor.
There is an energy (flow) loss each time air must turn a corner on its way into the carburetor. This loss may be very small but it is still there. This is the fundamental reason why very high performance engines have the straightest possible intake systems.
So, when you choose the filter assembly for your Mikuni HSR, S&S or any other high performance carburetor, please keep in mind that function could be compromised by styling. The Mikuni filter design is the standard by which to judge other filters. It flows a maximum amount of air and delivers that air, as directly as possible, into the mouth of the carburetor. |
| Late Model H-D starter problems and solutions | | It's a nice day so you jump on your 2000 FXST motorcycle to go for a ride. You've had a hard week and you know that a good long ride on your Harley will take all that stress away. You hit the starter button and hear an all too familiar sound again. The starter makes a grinding noise and you have to thumb it twice to get it to engage. Your stress meter is pegged and you're thinking of the money you are going to spend on another starter. What the heck is going on here? Are you causing the problem? Well don't feel lonely, as you are not alone and it is not your fault. In 1989 Harley Davidson began using gear reduction motorcycle starters with a lot more cranking power than the old Prestolite and Hitachi starters. This new power practically ended starting problems for motorcycles on all but very high compression big inch engines. Along with the new starter there was a new jackshaft and gear ratio for the pinion and ring gear. The pinion was a 9 tooth and the ring gear was a 66 tooth. This is a 7.33:1 gear ratio. So if your starter were spinning at 1,000 RPM the motorcycles engine would be spinning at 136 RPM. This was plenty of cranking power for most applications. In 1994, Harley Davidson changed the gear ratio to 10.2:1 or a 10-tooth pinion and a 102-tooth ring gear. The reason is unclear but perhaps the idea was to get cranking power by reducing the RPM. As in our example above, the new and current gear ratio would crank the engine at 98 RPM. In theory, the change in gearing would allow more power to be applied to the task of cranking the engine. Like starting off in first gear versus second gear.
The change in gear ratio created another problem though. Since the diameter of the ring gear cannot be changed, adding 36 teeth means one thing. Smaller teeth. The same thing applies to the pinion gear. When the starter is engaged, the pinion gear starts rotating as it pushed out ward to the ring gear. If there is a misalignment between the ring gear and the pinion the back cut on the ring gear helps engage the pinion gear and ring gear. However, there is always some damage done as the pinion attempts to engage the ring gear. If you get a kick back or the battery is a little weak more damage happens. When enough damage is done the starter makes that grinding sound like a Chevy with a bad ring gear does. It's the same thing really. A misaligned starter on the ring gear of the Chevy causes the pinion gear to not engage properly and it wears the ring gear teeth and you get that familiar grinding noise we all have heard.
Kickback is another issue and is caused by cranking compression, improperly set ignition where the spark is not delayed for a few RPM before firing, too much initial spark advance and weak battery voltage of bad cables etc. These can all contribute to starter problems for your motorcycle but usually this is what causes a starter clutch failure.
There are some easy things you can do to help reduce the problem and there are products that will eliminate the problem.
1. Make sure your motorcycles battery is fully charged and your battery cables are in good shape and not corroded and the starter circuit is functioning properly. If the cables are old or you have an engine with high cranking compression you should consider using some Fisher Terry battery cables. These cables are made from ultra fine high-grade copper and have much more current carrying capabilities than stock cables.
2. If you have a high performance engine that has high cranking compression, consider using a starter with increased torque. There are many choices from 1.4kw to over 2.0kw with varying finishes. The increased cranking power will actually lessen the load on the electrical system overall.
3. One of the best solutions is to change the gear ratio back to the pre 1994 7.33 or 66 tooth ring gear, 9-tooth pinion gear. There are kits from Rivera that allows you to convert from any 994 and later 10.2:1 ratio to the earlier ratio. These kits include all needed motorcycle parts and instructions and are easily installed. There are kits for the 94-97-clutch basket and the 98 and later clutch basket. |
| Twin Cam TC88 oil pressure issues | | The TC88 and TC88B engines are good, well thought out designs for your motorcycle. Up to a point that is. The cylinder setup, oil cooling jets, much larger cooling fin area, cylinder base o-ring seal and the new rocker boxes are good improvements. We have been receiving more and more requests for a motorcycle part like the "Cure" for the EVO as oil is still being blown out the breather of the "Twinkie". We are in the prototype stage of some new motorcycle part designs and ideas and will hopefully release a solution soon. On our own 2000 FLHRCI (2KRK) we have had more than a fair share of problems. We were one the first of the cam bearing failures locally barely catching it in time and more recently lost half of the oil pressure for no visible reason. We tore down the cam chest, top end and had a look see and found no apparent cause. We decided to pump it up to 95" and add a 203 SE cam. We ordered a Delkron cam plate and new style OEM oil pump that was supposed to address the return sumping issues of the original motorcycle part design. After assembly with all new parts we found that the new pump would not prime even through back flowing from the filter. We called Gene at Feuling Engineering to get some input as to what he may have come across. He has studied the new oil system and is in agreement that it is a blend of high-pressure low volume and low-pressure high volume in design yet the pump is not capable of meeting the design needs. The oil jets require oil pressure to open and may not get the needed pressure all the time. The bottom line is the oil pump needs help. This is where the Feuling "Super Pump" comes in. The specifications are 40% more flow on the feed side and 60% more flow on the return side.
During the initial tear down, we found that the chain tensioner shoes were worn out of tolerance at 20k miles! So, the SE 203 motorcycle cam was changed out for a TW37G and S&S gear set. There are several advantages to gears and very little downside. The advantages are free horsepower, durability and extremely accurate timing. The stock setup cam timing can vary as much as 10º according to some experts. We could feel and see the slop during tear down and assembly. In our opinion it should have been gear drive in the first place. Hypoid gears and properly sized and pitched gears would be no noisier than a so-called silent chain drive. The down side of the gear drive is gear lash. S&S has no control over the quality of the cam plate casting. As a result some gear sets whine or make a ticking sound. S&S has developed a series of under and oversized gears and are working on the procedure to measure the gears in the field. They are also looking into a method of determining the spacing of the cam plate so the customer can specify the proper gear set.
After installing all the nice new motorcycle parts we had to chuckle that only stock item left was the Pinion shaft. We primed the pump by pumping oil into the oil filter housing holes and then filling the filter. We still had the cam cover off and the pushrods and tappet blocks out. I was going to get oil pressure BEFORE I assembled this thing again! We spun the motorcycle engine over and we had 20 PSI almost instantly! After buttoning up the top end, we fired it up and at idle oil pressure was at 42 PSI. Blipping the throttle would peg the 80-PSI test gauge.
We were due to leave for the annual Bike Talk run that Friday and had to hustle to get some break in mileage on the fresh top end and cams. We checked the motorcycle oil pressure several times and it dropped no lower than the 40 PSI hot. After some test rides, oil pressure was holding steady so we proceeded with the break in and annual Bike Talk ride.
While we were working on this problem a customer contacted us asking if we knew of a problem with motorcycle oil pressure! He had the same oil pressure problem and priming problem with a new oil pump motorcycle part. We filled the customer in and he purchased a Feuling pump and Delkron cam plate. His oil pump primed immediately and he is in HOG heaven. Coincidentally, he found that his tensioner shoes were not worn at all. He had been told that Harley Davidson changed materials in the 2000-year production probably in the late 2k and 2001 models. I could not dig up any information on this other than this is what he was told.
The bottom line here is to keep and eye on your motorcycles oil pressure. Listen for unusual sounds and increased heat. The only indication we had was the oil pressure light coming on at idle. Running much longer would have pretty much cooked the motor. |
| Basic carburetor tuning tips | | Keep in mind that motorcycle carburetion is a compromise and is never perfect.
The Basics: Basic circuits.
Enrichener circuit: Aids in cold starting and warm-up.
Accelerator Pump: Aids in starting and off idle transition.
Idle & Low Speed circuit: Controls idle, and helps transition to Midrange.
Midrange circuit: Controls steady throttle and light acceleration.
High speed circuit: controls hard acceleration and wide-open throttle.
All circuits’ overlap, but each one has a primary function.
Idle (throttle closed): controlled by slow speed jet and mixture screw.
Midrange (steady throttle and light acceleration): controlled by needle.
High Speed (Wide Open Throttle): controlled by main jet.
Tuning: Base Line Tune each circuit for it’s primary function.
Idle & Low Speed circuit, control 100% of idle and about 25% of right off idle low speed. The primary function of this circuit is the Idle. There is nothing else controlling fuel here.
Wide-open throttle hard acceleration, when the slide/needle is all the way up the main jet is your primary controller of the fuel.
The needle controls fuel for everything in-between. The needle starts to fuel right off idle with light throttle. As soon as you start to open the throttle air velocity increases under the slide, and fuel starts coming from around the needle, even before the slide lifts. Bottom line.
Set the idle jet and fuel mixture screw for the best idle.
Set main jet for best wide-open throttle.
Set the needle for steady (cruise) and light throttle.
Tuning: Ride-ability Problems
When you experience motorcycle ride-ability problems that are jetting* related, try to duplicate the problem in all of the gears, and under different temperatures (engine and/or air). Remember that air temp can vary greatly from morning to afternoon, and it can take up 20 miles of riding for the bike to reach operating temperature.
Decide which circuit needs adjusted.
Idle or idle and light throttle: Slow speed jet/mixture screw.
Steady throttle and/or light acceleration: Needle.
Wide open throttle hard acceleration: Main jet.
Decide if you are rich or lean.
Worse hot: Symptom of rich.
Worse cold: Symptom of lean.
Worse in higher gears: Symptom of rich.
Worse in lower gears: Symptom of lean.
Make your adjustment, and then try to duplicate the problem again.
It is important to only make one adjust at a time.
Instead of changing the main jet it may be easier to test rich or lean first, by removing the air filter if you think it is too rich or duct taping ¼- ½ the air filter surface area if you think it’s too lean.
Note: Doing the above test may cause a problem in a different throttle area, ignore this and focus on the problem area you are working on. *Do not confuse other motorcycle problems, including carburetion problems with jetting! |
| Carburetor and EFI tuning using the Plug Chop method | | Our most common question about carburetor and Fuel Injection is "How do I know if my jetting is correct? A typical question might go; " I just added a new motorcycle exhaust system to my bike. Do I need to change the jetting? My exhaust color seems to be fine." Or, "I don't have access to a Dyno, how do I tell if my jetting is correct?" Long before Dynamometers became common, we used to do jetting using the "plug chop" method. We will discuss it and some general jetting rules here.
From the factory, your motorcycle came with standardized EPA mandated lean jetting and restrictive intake and exhaust. In some locales, this jetting is so lean it must be changed to prevent damage to the engine. The standard jetting has varied over the models of carburetors and model years.
All of the motorcycle part information below is based on your engine intake system being properly sealed and no other problems exist. An intake leak will throw spark plug readings way off. One of the most common problems is the off idle "pop" and backfire at slow engine speeds. This is usually caused by the idle mixture being excessively lean and is easily corrected by correct jetting and / or the use of a jet kit. The ignition timing needs to be correct and the ignition system must be functioning correctly. A weak or poor spark will drastically alter your plug readings.
We like to do our jetting in two stages. First, we need to get the idle and low speed jetting correct and then we work on the high speed or main jetting.
In our example, we will discuss the Keihin CV used since 1989 on Sportsters and 1990 on Big Twins. The adjustments may differ for S&S "E", HSR Mikuni and others such as the Quick Silver from Edelbrock.
Before you start, have a collection of fresh unused plugs gapped and ready to use. We will need at least three new sets for this test. We use Champion plugs for plug chops. You can get them at local motorcycle parts stores for far less than the OEM plugs. EVO Big Twin use RN12YC. EVO XL and TC88 use the RA8HC.
On the CV, adjust the idle mixture while idling. Closing the idle mixture screw slowly should cause the idle to become rough. Slowly turn the screw out until the engine again idles smoothly. Add approximately 1/8 to ¼ turn more. If closing the screw makes no difference in idle speed or smoothness, you will have to use the next smaller pilot jet. Until the 2000 model year, most Big Twins have a #42 as the stock pilot jet. 2000 models use a #45 stock. In some cases, depending on the bike setup and altitude, a #45 may actually be too large. Drag Specialties provides a #44 pilot jet, which works very well under most conditions. If you have to turn the screw out more than 3 turns, consider increasing jet size to the next larger pilot. A Creative Cycle Products idle mixture needle (CP005) comes in handy here as it allows you to adjust the mixture without tools.
After setting the idle speed and idle mixture correctly, change to a fresh set of plugs. We highly recommend using some anti seize on the threads to prevent galling. After installing the plugs, you want to ride around at part throttle gently accelerating but keeping below ½ throttle. You want to stay on the low speed circuit as much as possible. After about one mile, pull in the clutch and kill the engine. Remove the sparkplugs. Look at the insulator from the tip down as far as you can see. We are not concerned with the grounding tip or the base of the plug. We are looking for an off white, eggshell to a light Navajo like color. Note: If you are getting what looks to be a tan color, you are running rich. Tan is not possible since there is no lead in the fuel and that is where the tannish color came from. The brown to chocolate brownish colors are indications of being rich.
The rear plug should read slightly richer than the front and you want to jet off of the front cylinder readings. The reason for the difference is inherent in the design of the 45° V-Twin and the intake. If you are reading to rich, you may need to lean out the pilot jet or close the screw slightly. If you are reading very white or no color at all you will need to open the idle mixture more or go up one size. If the plug reading is good, we are set to do the main jetting.
To do the main jet you need a place where you can accelerate at wide-open throttle through at least third gear, preferably fourth gear safely.
The procedure is simple. After riding to the location, change to a fresh set of plugs. Start the engine and immediately accelerate at wide-open throttle as described above. Do not idle or use motorcycle part throttle. After accelerating, pull in the clutch; hit the kill switch and coast to a stop. Remove the plugs and examine as before.
If the plugs are reading very white of no indication at all, you are lean and need to go up one size on your main jet. If you are reading a tan or darker, you will need to go down at least one size depending on how dark the plug reads.
You will need to repeat this procedure until the plug readings are correct. This is why we suggest using inexpensive plugs. You can change back to the more expensive ones later.
Fine tuning: When you are getting close on the main jet you can fine tune with the needle if yours has a clip raising the clip lowers the needle and leans out the mixture. Lowering the clip richens the mixture. If your carburetor is not equipped with a clip, thin washers can be used to do fine tuning if needed.
After getting your plugs reading right, your jetting is spot on and you will be producing the most power and getting the most mileage for your setup. |
| Charging system trouble shooting tips | | Harley Davidson's can strand you with a dead battery at the worst times. Older Harley's had a warning light that came on when the generator stopped working, but with the advent of alternators (in 1970 on big twins motorcycles and 1985 on Sportsters) you won't know if your charging system is working until the lights go dim and the starter doesn't turn. With a simple multimeter available from any Radio Shack you can troubleshoot your alternator system and most likely repair the problem yourself.
The first thing to check if you suspect a charging problem is the battery and the wires attached to it. If the wires are loose, make sure to tighten them up. If you see any corrosion, disconnect them and clean them off with a wire brush before re-attaching. Check each cell on the motorcycle battery to make sure the electrolyte is covering the plates, if not, carefully add distilled water until the fluid reaches the "top" line on the side of the battery. If your battery is less than fully charged, use a low amperage charger (1 to 3 amps) and charge it until the indicator says it's full. If it doesn't take a full charge, replace it with a new one.
When your wires are clean and secure and the battery fully charged, you can get started checking the system. Perform the following checks:
Battery: Turn ohmeter to the DC Volts setting that can read 12V or more. With your motorcycle off, read from Positive to Negative making sure the Red is +, Black is -- If battery is good you should get about 12.5 to 13.5 volts
Charging: Using same multimeter range, start the motorcycle and run RPM's up to above idle.Voltage should increase to several volts above initial reading, usually to about 14.7 V Voltage should not go much higher than 14.7 V. If voltage goes alot higher when you rev the engine, you could be overcharging due to a voltage reg problem. If voltage doesn't change, your motorcycle is not charging.
Stator: If your motorcycle is not charging, you need to check the stator. Locate the plug for the stator on the front of the engine block. Switch the multimeter to OHMS range on the lowest setting, usually 10 ohms. With the motorcycle off, read between the 2 pins or holes in the block. These should show continuity. If your meter is accurate you could read 1 to 3 ohms, but cheaper meters will not be that accurate. As long there is continuity it passes this test.
Now change the setting on the multimeter to the highest OHM range like 100K. Touch one probe to a pin or hole in the engine, the other to the engine case or a metal bolt on the engine. The meter should not move. Try the other pin the same way and it also shouldn't move. If you get any reading the stator is shorted and must be replaced. This requires special tools and you should consider taking it to a shop. If you get no movement on the meter, it's not shorted out so you need to check for output.
To check for output, change multimeter to AC Volts setting over 100 Volts. With the alternator plug disconnected, start the bike. Use the probes (not polarity sensitive) to read between the pins or holes in the engine block. You should read about 20V per 1000 rpm's. At idle expect about 25V, as you rev the engine it will increase to 60 or 70 Volts. If it does your stator is OK, if you get no output the stator is bad and you will need to replace it or take it to a shop.
Voltage Regulator: If your stator is not shorted to ground and has the proper output, your regulator is most likely the culprit. If your stator checks out OK but battery voltage doesn't increase when the motorcycle is running, the regulator isn't doing it's job and needs to be replaced. It's an easy swap, just make sure you bring the old one with you to make sure they give you the correct unit. If the battery voltage goes too high when you rev the motorcycle the regulator isn't limiting the voltage and again it needs replacement.
Kuryakyn came out with a neat product recently called the LED Battery Gauge which clamps to the handlebars and uses red and green LED lamps to tell you the state of your charging system. This is available for Harley-Davidson and Metric Cruisers. They also have a product called The Informer LED Fuel/Battery Gauge that looks like a gas cap but used LED lamps to indicate fuel level and charging system condition.
One last note, I do not recommend checking the charging system by disconnecting the positive lead of the battery while the bike is running. There is a good chance you will fry the electronic regulator or ignition doing this.
Direct Parts, Inc. ™ carries a full line of electrical motorcycle repair parts for Harley Davidsons including ACCEL, Drag, and CCI. If you need to replace your regulator you can upgrade to a polished or chrome one. Stators can also be upgraded to higher output models. Ask your Direct salesman for a recommendation for your motorcycle. |
| Power Commander manual Tuning tips | | When you are on a trip or are tuning and want to make changes to the PC and do not have a dyno available you can still make accurate changes in the tables.
Place a strip of masking tape along the inside of the switch housing close to the throttle.
Place a small strip of tape along the throttle next to the other strip.
Hook up you PC to a lap top or desk top and load the software.
Set the percent of throttle to 0 (idle).
Make a mark on the tape on the switch housing indicating 0 and a pointer on the throttle aligned with it.
Open the throttle marking the housing at 10% intervals. The pointer you made on the throttle is the reference mark.
Check your settings and shut the ignition off.
If you have a tach, you are all set.
Go for a ride and note where you are having pinging or hesitation etc. Make a mental note of the throttle and the RPM setting where the problem is. Then, adjust the fuel and if needed the timing of the cell range for that RPM and throttle position.
You can also increase mileage by noting the cruise throttle position and RPM and lean it out until you stumble, ping etc and then raise it back up.
Don't forget to make a copy of the map before starting and for each revision. |
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