Coil issues?

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Jul 7, 2018 | 12:11 PM

#11

wyotana

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From: Cheyenne, WY

Quick Update
Double checked battery terminals, no corrosion, everything is tight. The ignition switch wires are good, no corrosion, nothing loose. As far as I could see there were no exposed or pinched wires under the seat or tank.

I decided since the coils were out of spec, I'd replace them. If they are not the cause of this issue I figured I'd rather replace them now when they are out of spec than to run into an issue when they fail.

So that leaves me with the Crank Position Sensor. Does anyone have a good way to test it, or if it's a weak magnet do you just have to replace it and hope it was the problem?

Thanks everyone!

Jul 7, 2018 | 02:03 PM

#12

Huggerbugger

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From: San Diego

I had a collapsed fuel line.

Jul 7, 2018 | 02:19 PM

#13

wyotana

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From: Cheyenne, WY

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huggerbugger

I had a collapsed fuel line.

I actually pulled the fuel line off when I drained the fuel and looked through it to see if there were any blockages, no issues with the fuel line.

Jul 7, 2018 | 03:44 PM

#14

Tileman2692

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From: Cape Coral Fl

Had that problem with my sporty... pull a plug and check the color of the spark if it orange, it's your coil

Jul 7, 2018 | 04:34 PM

#15

wyotana

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From: Cheyenne, WY

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tileman2692

Had that problem with my sporty... pull a plug and check the color of the spark if it orange, it's your coil

Pulled the plugs and the spark is blue, worth a try though. Thanks

Update
I found a way to test the crank position sensor and got 3.5 Vac, from what I can find that seems about right. Also from what I've found, that test doesn't always give you the correct answer....essentially if it reads bad its bad, if it reads good it might be bad. Can anyone verify this? Starting to pull my hair out trying to figure out what is going on with this thing.

Another update,
It's officially NOT the coil, put the new one on, took it for a ride and same issue. I ran it hard to try and get it to get hot (seems like that's when it happens). I was able to get it home over a much longer distance by running at a very low rpm keeping the engine a little cooler. So I can officially rule out fuel, battery/connections, ignition switch, and coils. My next attempt will be to replace the Crank Position Sensor, as it appears that's a common problem on the older twin cams. More updates to come, if anyone has any suggestions in the meantime please let me know. Will be installing the new sensor tonight, test and updates to follow tomorrow morning.

Last edited by ChickinOnaChain; Aug 6, 2018 at 09:40 PM. Reason: Multiple posts

Jul 17, 2018 | 08:30 PM

#16

Huggerbugger

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From: San Diego

Please do keep us posted. Just replaced my TPS and injectors. No difference. Crank sensor is next.

Jul 17, 2018 | 08:33 PM

#17

misfitJason

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From: Florida

Here is my guess

1. I am pretty sure your bike doesn't use a voes but if it does I would test it

2. Check the little rubber red gasket on your map sensor

3. Are you certain it's not starving for Fuel when in operation? Petcock is a vacuum operated petcock. And it uses a diaphragm. Check that

Jul 18, 2018 | 08:29 AM

#18

wyotana

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From: Cheyenne, WY

Quote:

Originally Posted by misfitJason

Correct, it does not have a voes, and when I pulled the petcock and lines to drain the fuel I also pulled the vacuum hose and checked it. When I checked the Jets in the carb I also checked the diaphragm and it was in good shape as well.

I will definitely check the map sensor if the crank position sensor does not fix it, thanks!

Tested things out this morning and here's the update:

Rode the same route I took yesterday, high rpm's low speeds to try and get it to run hot just like yesterday. No issues. My brother and I then proceeded to ride very similarly around town, stop and go traffic making sure it got nice and warm to try and see if the heat would cause it to die again. No issues. And it was also about 5 - 10 degrees warmer today. I'd say yesterday i made it about 5 minutes in town riding hard before it died. Made it about an hour and half today without a hitch. I'm not ready to say it has been 100% fixed and dealt with yet, but as of right now, it sure seems as though the crank position sensor was the issue.

As I put some more miles on in the next few days I'll make sure to post if it dies again, or if I have ridden far enough without issue to confidently say problem solved.

Thanks again for all the input guys.

Well after 1300 miles in 3 days, I think I can confidently say it was the crank position sensor. Thanks again for all the help!

Last edited by ChickinOnaChain; Aug 6, 2018 at 09:40 PM. Reason: Multiple posts