When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Engine Mechanical TopicsDiscussion for motor builds, cams, head work, stripped bolts and other engine related issues. The good and the bad. If it goes round and around or up and down, post it here.
need to address the need for smacking your machine around. if the ign circuit has too bad of a voltage drop, the coil output will be severely reduce and you will have issues. off idle sometimes links back to a accel pump issue, especially cold. a cold engine needs a richer mix for starting. white plug do not necessarily indicate lean since unleaded fuel does not leave that much deposits. plug wire old? do a ohm/wiggle test. as mr. dan said, cheap enough and preventive maintenance is never a waste. all of this free flowing stuff should not effect starting since the throttle is basically closed.
I have the same problem with my softail if I let it sit for more than 3 weeks. My opinion is that the bike is wet sumping oil into the cam chest.
what I do is unplug the spark plug wires, crank it for a few seconds, stop, crank for a few seconds, put the plug wires back on, engage the choke and start it up. All that oil is weighing down on the crank causing the smoke.
The Dyna's don't really wet sump from sitting. The oil tank is below the transmission. The oil tank sits low enough that gravity will not pull oil past the check ball. YD
Finally going to be getting around to doing a compression test and leak down test. A few questions pre-work....
Ive read that spraying oil into spark plug holes can help tell is rings are beat. What would happen during these 2 tests to indicate bad valve, seal, spring related? And...is there any other info I can get from doing these 2 particular tests.
(And someone asked about the spark plug wires a post or 2 previously) I have brand new SE plug wires and a new coil as well
After sitting for long periods of time, the oil bag will drain into the crankcase.
If the the breather is plumbed into the air cleaner......that would be a good bet that would be the culprit.
Scott
So did compression test. And I got tick under 120 in the front and about 125 For the rear. I Attached pic of front plug, but both looked same. Front was a tad more shiny but I couldnt tell if it was wet and then dried up over the last 2 months the bike has been sitting. Definitely wasnt wet to the touch. So I button everything up, pop some new plugs in and it fired up. Did notice another problem. The lights going off and bike going dead when I hit the start was a result of something ground related. I have a new battery, and a brand new battery cable. I wiggle the negative cable and bike lights come back on. Hit start they go off again. Had it running for a min and see a little mist of smoke. It was negative cable melting the battery terminal. Last year I replaced the regulator and coil. Could the actual ground to the frame be causing this?
I attached a youtube of bike running to see if anyone hears anything my noob ears dont
So did compression test. And I got tick under 120 in the front and about 125 For the rear. I Attached pic of front plug, but both looked same. Front was a tad more shiny but I couldnt tell if it was wet and then dried up over the last 2 months the bike has been sitting. Definitely wasnt wet to the touch. So I button everything up, pop some new plugs in and it fired up. Did notice another problem. The lights going off and bike going dead when I hit the start was a result of something ground related. I have a new battery, and a brand new battery cable. I wiggle the negative cable and bike lights come back on. Hit start they go off again. Had it running for a min and see a little mist of smoke. It was negative cable melting the battery terminal. Last year I replaced the regulator and coil. Could the actual ground to the frame be causing this?
I attached a youtube of bike running to see if anyone hears anything my noob ears dont
So did compression test. And I got tick under 120 in the front and about 125 For the rear. I Attached pic of front plug, but both looked same. Front was a tad more shiny but I couldnt tell if it was wet and then dried up over the last 2 months the bike has been sitting. Definitely wasnt wet to the touch. So I button everything up, pop some new plugs in and it fired up. Did notice another problem. The lights going off and bike going dead when I hit the start was a result of something ground related. I have a new battery, and a brand new battery cable. I wiggle the negative cable and bike lights come back on. Hit start they go off again. Had it running for a min and see a little mist of smoke. It was negative cable melting the battery terminal. Last year I replaced the regulator and coil. Could the actual ground to the frame be causing this?
I attached a youtube of bike running to see if anyone hears anything my noob ears dont
Yes Cliff. The negative uses as much volts and amp load as the positive. Loose, corroded connections will get hot.
I remember you replaced the positive cable. The negative connections / cables are as important as the positive connections. I won't get in the weeds on how to check resistance of a cable, but take it loose at the frame and clean the connection point there (cable end and frame contact spot). If that doesn't improve everything, just replace that cable also. Cables can corrode and break down inside the insulation where you can't see it. Double check all the other connections you've had apart recently for clean and tight.
Forget the plugs for now. Anytime you cold start one (using the choke/enricher) the plugs will look just like that, even if you just put new ones in. You have to ride at least 20-30 miles in most any weather for the plugs to get hot enough to "self-clean" like they're designed to. Also, even a low mileage, perfectly healthy bike will do what yours is doing if all it ever gets is started and run a few minutes with out riding, getting it up to operating temperature. You might have few more little things going on but best advice is (for anyone) - if you don't have time and weather to ride one at least 20 - 30 miles - don't start it.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
