Missing on long runs
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 132
From: Deep South, Louisiana
Missing on long runs
I have a buddy who I am posting for. He has a 2002 Electra Glide, fuel injection, true duals, gear driven cams. This bike will run just fine all year. Then when he takes a long run at about the 6 hour mark or 350 miles it will begins to run rough, missing, sputtering, bucking. This has been to different Harley Dealers while on these cross country trips when this begins to try to fix it. They have changed 3 Power Commanders, 1 ECM, pulled the tank claiming trash, changed fuel filters, changed battery, Tank Fuel lines, claimed water in fuel, cleaned injectors, he had the voltage regulator and stator changed last year, battery cables checked several times. This is all I can remember.
He rides this bike all year and it runs fine. He can ride tis bike all day locally and stay on bike making stops through out the day and go 300 miles a day doing this and runs fine. But when making a long cross country run only stopping to fuel up this is when the problems begin. This last run they first claimed the Power Commander, then that the ECM was fried when they pulled the Power Commander. The next day they pulled the tank and cleaned tank and injectors. Gave him the bike back and it ran good. 300 miles on the way home it began acting up agin and he barely made it home. Oil level is good and does not change. When he got home he parked it and the next day went run it and was still running bad, barely running. Parked it for a week with out touching it. He did not put it on a charger since last week. Started it today and bike runs perfect for the time he was riding it and will most probable continue to run good until the next long road trip. This has been going on for approx 5 years and no one can find the problem. Open to any suggestions?
Thanks
Yes I believe it starts when tank is low and just after refueling
He rides this bike all year and it runs fine. He can ride tis bike all day locally and stay on bike making stops through out the day and go 300 miles a day doing this and runs fine. But when making a long cross country run only stopping to fuel up this is when the problems begin. This last run they first claimed the Power Commander, then that the ECM was fried when they pulled the Power Commander. The next day they pulled the tank and cleaned tank and injectors. Gave him the bike back and it ran good. 300 miles on the way home it began acting up agin and he barely made it home. Oil level is good and does not change. When he got home he parked it and the next day went run it and was still running bad, barely running. Parked it for a week with out touching it. He did not put it on a charger since last week. Started it today and bike runs perfect for the time he was riding it and will most probable continue to run good until the next long road trip. This has been going on for approx 5 years and no one can find the problem. Open to any suggestions?
Thanks
Yes I believe it starts when tank is low and just after refueling
Last edited by K Melancon; Sep 30, 2014 at 05:54 AM.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 132
From: Deep South, Louisiana
He was told that from the last independent he found, but it's a good bike until he takes a long all day run. May have to start making that all day run into two days. LOL
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 12
From: North Texas
Not knowing what all has been done to the bike its hard to say. However, I had done some work on mine a few years ago and re-routed the fuel line. Come to find out, I got it too close to the header and on longer runs it was vapor locking. That was something I thought was non-existent anymore but as soon as I re-routed my fuel line again I had no further issues
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,991
Likes: 9
From: washington
i saw this ost yesterday and have thought on it some, the thing i would do is start looking into the fuel... the idea of vapor lock is not out of the question, another thing is could there be some type debris in the line causing a blockage after a period of time (long run) because of pressures from heat?...
i would really like to know what the answer is
i would really like to know what the answer is
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 741
Likes: 11
From: West Central WI
First off, check for possible vacuum leaks, better yet just replace the old seals, while there check the injector wires for breakage at the pin inside the plug, may also want to try a tps.
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It certainly sounds like something electrical is failing after it gets hot. Normally, I'd suspect ignition coil, but that gets as hot as it's going to get long before the 300 mile mark.
For some reason, I want to guess (and it is of course JUST a guess) fuel pump. I wonder if running non-stop gets it warm enough so that once the fuel level gets really low one more time it heats up enough that it starts to act up. If it always does it around 300 miles, I think I'd have to light out on the freeway and gas up every 75 miles until I hit 225 miles and then gas up every 50 miles just to see if keeping the pump submerged in fuel would make any difference.
Again, that's nothing more than a guess. Maybe the best place to start would be by asking him if it does it only after the fuel level gets low during an extended run. I wish I could of more help (or any help for that matter). Do please update this whenever you get it figured out. It's definitely intriguing.
For some reason, I want to guess (and it is of course JUST a guess) fuel pump. I wonder if running non-stop gets it warm enough so that once the fuel level gets really low one more time it heats up enough that it starts to act up. If it always does it around 300 miles, I think I'd have to light out on the freeway and gas up every 75 miles until I hit 225 miles and then gas up every 50 miles just to see if keeping the pump submerged in fuel would make any difference.
Again, that's nothing more than a guess. Maybe the best place to start would be by asking him if it does it only after the fuel level gets low during an extended run. I wish I could of more help (or any help for that matter). Do please update this whenever you get it figured out. It's definitely intriguing.
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From: Somewhere SW
It certainly sounds like something electrical is failing after it gets hot. Normally, I'd suspect ignition coil, but that gets as hot as it's going to get long before the 300 mile mark.
For some reason, I want to guess (and it is of course JUST a guess) fuel pump. I wonder if running non-stop gets it warm enough so that once the fuel level gets really low one more time it heats up enough that it starts to act up. If it always does it around 300 miles, I think I'd have to light out on the freeway and gas up every 75 miles until I hit 225 miles and then gas up every 50 miles just to see if keeping the pump submerged in fuel would make any difference.
Again, that's nothing more than a guess. Maybe the best place to start would be by asking him if it does it only after the fuel level gets low during an extended run. I wish I could of more help (or any help for that matter). Do please update this whenever you get it figured out. It's definitely intriguing.
For some reason, I want to guess (and it is of course JUST a guess) fuel pump. I wonder if running non-stop gets it warm enough so that once the fuel level gets really low one more time it heats up enough that it starts to act up. If it always does it around 300 miles, I think I'd have to light out on the freeway and gas up every 75 miles until I hit 225 miles and then gas up every 50 miles just to see if keeping the pump submerged in fuel would make any difference.
Again, that's nothing more than a guess. Maybe the best place to start would be by asking him if it does it only after the fuel level gets low during an extended run. I wish I could of more help (or any help for that matter). Do please update this whenever you get it figured out. It's definitely intriguing.
Riding 350 miles and assuming he gets about 160-200 miles to the tank the fuel pump is constantly running the whole time (except one fuel stop).
When he hits the 300 mark the fuel level is getting low and the pump's been working for a good 5-6 hours or so minus one short break.
This would be a place to look.
Last edited by JustDave13; Sep 29, 2014 at 04:56 PM.