I just recently got my XLCH running again. Also cleaned out tank and coat and rebuilt carb (Bendix) Was running fine but now I am having some hard start issues. Whne I get the bike to kick over, it seems to run rich and then stops after 5 to 10 seconds. Just dies. I am able to throttle the engine until it dies but then it just dies. Anyone have any ideas?

 

When the carb was rebuilt, were all the passages blown out with compressed air? Sounds like dirt or crud lodged somewhere. I remember the Bendix carbs being almost as miserable as the Tillotsons on the earlier sportys.

 

beign an older sporty owner myself i would recomend swaping your bendix out for a 89+ CV carb,if you can afford it go to an S&S but it sounds like its not gettign enough fuel or theres an intake leak.

check out www.xlforum.net they have alot of ironhead guru's there. if yer still stumped shoot me a pm some time in a couple of days and i will try and help ya figure it out

 

Nothing like an ironhead and that lovely Bendix carb. It's actually better than it's forerunner, the tillotsen. My advice and hints:

Did you clean out the petcock real good and put in a new gas filter?

Is the choke wire hooked up correctly (opens and closes all the way)?

You didn't drop the bb that keeps the choke plate open did you? If it isn't in there, the plate will slowly close and kill the engine, making it run rich as crap for a few seconds before shutting down.

Did you do a real careful job of rebuilding the carb? Keep it all clean and blown out? I do carb rebuilds like a brain surgeon would.

Is the accelerator pump working correctly? When you pump the throttle does it squirt fuel down the intake and does it go back up when you let off the throttle? I have more trouble with that stupid pump than any other part of the carb.

Could be your intake O-rings are not seated properly. Thats one of those tricky trial and error things. It's most noticeable during idle. Idles low when cold then fast when hot or simply idles all over the place. I don't think that is the problem in this case but you never know.

Try all the above. If you still have problems, repost your question down in the "ironhead" section of this forum. Guys down there have already forgotten more than I will ever know about ironheads and I've known 'em for 30 years.

Carl
75 xlh

I'll say a prayer for your right leg.

 

The Bendix carb had a leather cup on the accel. pump. Take it out and rub some oil on it, does work, I know, done it on the side of the road a few times when she was overfuelling. Just a thought. cole