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.
Timing is set at the advance mark on the flywheel. You should hear the spark when manually turning the mechanical advance unit just as it hits its stop. (Ignition power on)
The enrichment lever should more accurately be called the plug fouling lever. Clean or replace plugs.
Like Max stated, turn up engine idle speed until it will run without the enricher. Once warm, set idle mixture.
If the only way you are running it is with the enricher on the plugs will look like that.
On initial start, can you slowly turn off the enricher and increase the throttle to see if the motor can keep an idle say a 1500? If so you need to adjust the idle stop. Also turn off the accelerator pump first.. If it still seems to be running on the rear cylinder only, recheck the pushrod adjustment. They maybe too tight on the front. Did you do anything inside the cam case?
So I was able to do that with the throttle and as soon as I let go she sputtered and died. I'll do those adjustments. As far as pushrods these are the original ones and the original stock cam, and yes Hot Rod barked at me for not upgrading but my friend was way over budget.
I rebuilt the whole motor and had the work done as stated above. Funny you mention the pushrods because I have a small oil leak at the top of the intake pushrod on the front cylinder. How would I know they're too tight? Remove pushrod covers then TDC front cylinder and spin them correct?
Gotta run car for emission test, be back in an hour.
Ok I'm back. Sorry for delay got caught up with wife shopping and dinner. Anyway I got started about an hour ago and put the front cylinder at TDC to check the front push rods and neither would spin so I removed the rocker box all together very slowly as to not warp the box. Now it's got me thinking again that could the Cometic .030 gasket cause the pushrods to not spin with a tighter clearance?
When I put the pushrods in during assembly and buttoned the rocker box up all the pushrods would spin, I know because I checked. Now I'm concerned the rear could possibly be tight as well. Before I go any further what do you guys think??
Ok I'm back. Sorry for delay got caught up with wife shopping and dinner. Anyway I got started about an hour ago and put the front cylinder at TDC to check the front push rods and neither would spin so I removed the rocker box all together very slowly as to not warp the box. Now it's got me thinking again that could the Cometic .030 gasket cause the pushrods to not spin with a tighter clearance?
When I put the pushrods in during assembly and buttoned the rocker box up all the pushrods would spin, I know because I checked. Now I'm concerned the rear could possibly be tight as well. Before I go any further what do you guys think??
Thanks JBarr for the timing info.
Ride safe!
You RnRed the pushrods though the rocker cover, did nothing else and now they spin free? I take it they are non adjustable?
Ok, I was thinking about this situation and I think I could have royally screwed up. When I put the flywheel and cases back together I wonder if I got the rods swapped, front to rear and rear to front, hence why on TDC the rear pushrods spin with ease??
Disregard, that's not it, whew!
OH BOY!
Ride safe!
Last edited by nutsandbolts5212; Feb 27, 2023 at 09:12 PM.
With spark plugs the colour you want to see is a light tan on the base of the porcelain. The front and rear plugs are always going to look a bit different, as by design the rear cylinder runs a bit richer, so it will be slightly darker. If you can get a light grey, with modern fuels you are doing good. Plug colour is really tough to get right in this day and age.
With respect to the timing. Put the engine on TDC, front cylinder and then take the primary chain inspection plate off and put a white mark on the stator cover and directly opposite put a white mark on the primary chain adjuster. Now you can use these marks to adjust the timing with the engine running. Easier to see, but you will get a bit of oil thrown out. Now using a timing light that you can pre set the advance on, start the engine and watch the marks. Adjust the ignition pickup ( under the cone ) as needed. Rev it up to make sure you have the right max advance.
Note: I can't comment for sure on the Dyna S, as what I'm going to say applies to the Dyna 2000. The 2000 replaces both the pickup and the module, and places everything under the cone, eliminating the module under the right side cover. With the Dyna 2000 the max advance is 30 degrees. The stock HD set up uses 20 degrees as it works differently. Also you have to set the VOES, and right ignition curve on the set up you have.
I had another after market module that worked with the stock HD pickup but I never could get it to run right so I just replaced everything.
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.