Cold start - running very rough
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
Cold start - running very rough
This has happened to me twice now. I pull the bike out of the shop and start it up, not cold out at all by the way. Bike runs very rough and seems to idle higher than normal. It seems to repeatedly almost cut off and I hear a "sneezing" noise coming from around the air cleaner. The first time it happened, I shut it down and started it back up and it seemed to be fine after that. I tried that yesterday and it didn't seem to help. I rode about 5 minutes down the road to meet a friend for an afternoon ride. Once I get going, it seems to run okay although, when I came to the first stop light, it still seemed to be idling high but the sneezing was gone. When I got to the meeting point, I shut it down, took the seat off, and checked to make sure the fuelpak was working. When I started it back up, it was running just fine.
Any ideas what it could be? I have a feeling this may be one of those things where I take it to the dealer and they can't duplicate it unless maybe I leave it there for a day or so, and even then, only if I'm lucky.
Any ideas what it could be? I have a feeling this may be one of those things where I take it to the dealer and they can't duplicate it unless maybe I leave it there for a day or so, and even then, only if I'm lucky.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,586
Likes: 1
From: Clinton, Ohio
RE: Cold start - running very rough
Did you wash the bike recently and get any water in the open A/C? Mine idles pretty high when I first start it also. We probably are pretty close as far as temps go.
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
RE: Cold start - running very rough
ORIGINAL: BLade1127
Did you wash the bike recently and get any water in the open A/C? Mine idles pretty high when I first start it also. We probably are pretty close as far as temps go.
Did you wash the bike recently and get any water in the open A/C? Mine idles pretty high when I first start it also. We probably are pretty close as far as temps go.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 791
Likes: 1
From: New Hampshire
RE: Cold start - running very rough
Q, Since it seems to be intermittent, next time it does it, shut it down andtake the FP out of the circuit and fire it back up. If it's noticable steady and lower idle, run it like that for a bit - it won't hurt anything for short duration. If the problem never happens again, hook it back up and try it then. I know you've had no issues with your Stage I set-up, but I have heard of FP's breaking down.
...and before all the FP bashers come out of the woodwork, comparitively with the SERT and the PC, the failure rates are about the same for all 3.
...and before all the FP bashers come out of the woodwork, comparitively with the SERT and the PC, the failure rates are about the same for all 3.
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
RE: Cold start - running very rough
ORIGINAL: flynavy
Q, Since it seems to be intermittent, next time it does it, shut it down andtake the FP out of the circuit and fire it back up. If it's noticable steady and lower idle, run it like that for a bit - it won't hurt anything for short duration. If the problem never happens again, hook it back up and try it then. I know you've had no issues with your Stage I set-up, but I have heard of FP's breaking down.
...and before all the FP bashers come out of the woodwork, comparitively with the SERT and the PC, the failure rates are about the same for all 3.
Q, Since it seems to be intermittent, next time it does it, shut it down andtake the FP out of the circuit and fire it back up. If it's noticable steady and lower idle, run it like that for a bit - it won't hurt anything for short duration. If the problem never happens again, hook it back up and try it then. I know you've had no issues with your Stage I set-up, but I have heard of FP's breaking down.
...and before all the FP bashers come out of the woodwork, comparitively with the SERT and the PC, the failure rates are about the same for all 3.
If the symptoms seem water related, I have to fess up and say I got lazy last time I washed the bike and didn't cover the AC. But I was also careful not to spray any water directly into it. That doesn't mean some didn't find its way in there. However, it's been over a week since I washed it and it happened again yesterday.
I'll see what tech support has to say before I try to take that thing out of the loop. You know what a pain it is to get at it.
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
RE: Cold start - running very rough
ORIGINAL: flynavy
Q, Since it seems to be intermittent, next time it does it, shut it down andtake the FP out of the circuit and fire it back up. If it's noticable steady and lower idle, run it like that for a bit - it won't hurt anything for short duration. If the problem never happens again, hook it back up and try it then. I know you've had no issues with your Stage I set-up, but I have heard of FP's breaking down.
...and before all the FP bashers come out of the woodwork, comparitively with the SERT and the PC, the failure rates are about the same for all 3.
Q, Since it seems to be intermittent, next time it does it, shut it down andtake the FP out of the circuit and fire it back up. If it's noticable steady and lower idle, run it like that for a bit - it won't hurt anything for short duration. If the problem never happens again, hook it back up and try it then. I know you've had no issues with your Stage I set-up, but I have heard of FP's breaking down.
...and before all the FP bashers come out of the woodwork, comparitively with the SERT and the PC, the failure rates are about the same for all 3.
I'm not looking forward to digging back in there and doing it but I don't want a sloppy running bike either.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 791
Likes: 1
From: New Hampshire
RE: Cold start - running very rough
One of the things I learned in all my research about the ECM on the 96's was that there is a 15 minute adjustment period the ECU goes through at each and every start-up. It may be very slight, but it's there according to the MoCo engineers. It's sampling air/environmental conditions, fuel, etc.
My thought is your symptons go away after the ECM adjusts to whatever erroneous data (maybe even no data) the FP is sending into it. Certainly the Dyna owner who just removed his FP due to failure from water intrusion should be considered. It all sort of sounds logical to me. Can't hurt to try it....
My thought is your symptons go away after the ECM adjusts to whatever erroneous data (maybe even no data) the FP is sending into it. Certainly the Dyna owner who just removed his FP due to failure from water intrusion should be considered. It all sort of sounds logical to me. Can't hurt to try it....
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
RE: Cold start - running very rough
ORIGINAL: flynavy
One of the things I learned in all my research about the ECM on the 96's was that there is a 15 minute adjustment period the ECU goes through at each and every start-up. It may be very slight, but it's there according to the MoCo engineers. It's sampling air/environmental conditions, fuel, etc.
My thought is your symptons go away after the ECM adjusts to whatever erroneous data (maybe even no data) the FP is sending into it. Certainly the Dyna owner who just removed his FP due to failure from water intrusion should be considered. It all sort of sounds logical to me. Can't hurt to try it....
One of the things I learned in all my research about the ECM on the 96's was that there is a 15 minute adjustment period the ECU goes through at each and every start-up. It may be very slight, but it's there according to the MoCo engineers. It's sampling air/environmental conditions, fuel, etc.
My thought is your symptons go away after the ECM adjusts to whatever erroneous data (maybe even no data) the FP is sending into it. Certainly the Dyna owner who just removed his FP due to failure from water intrusion should be considered. It all sort of sounds logical to me. Can't hurt to try it....
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
The Best and Worst Harley-Davidson Moves of 2025
Verdad Gallardo
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 791
Likes: 1
From: New Hampshire
RE: Cold start - running very rough
Lemme know what you discover, so I know never to get the area around the seat wet...EVER! I just hope the FP isn't bad just because it had a failure. Don't want that to happen to meeeee......[
]
]
Thread Starter
|
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,722
Likes: 7
RE: Cold start - running very rough
After my last conf. call is over with at 3, I'm getting her out and will start her up. If it's doing it again, my first step will be to step back through the FP settings and recalibrate the throttle. If it still does it, I guess I'll break out the tools and take it out of the loop and see what happens, checking for any moisture along the way. Sure would be nice if that ECM connector was exposed enough to do this without taking everything apart again...