'88 Softail Problems
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 232
Likes: 54
From: Bedford Indiana
'88 Softail Problems
'88FXSTC
Started as just an occasional miss like a loose wire barely shorting once in a while. Over the course a month and thousand miles, in the past week it's progressed to I'm afraid to drive it down the drive way.
Starts cold, warms up but starts missing, ready to run and under load it starts to miss out, back fire, cut in and out like the ignition is on and off and back fires like you turned it off and back on while running.
Checked battery, charged it up, finally just changed it out for new one any way. No change at any stage so I returned the battery and put the old one in. The test said it was good as well any way. Tighten connections really well. No change. I misted the plug wires with water and a spray bottle and didn't get any spark jumping and I even felt along the wire from the plug to the ignition and never got lit up even a little. I think the wires are good or at least not leaking.
Put timing light on and when it misses, the plug does not fire. When it dies, there is no spark. Same with both cylinders.
Still it acts like it's running out of gas or a stopped filter, bad distributor cap on a car acts this way.
I put new plugs in a month ago and they are gapped correctly.
Today I drained all fuel. Pulled the line off and drained the tank dry. Fuel flows freely at the petcock for sure. Refilled with fresh, premium fuel. No difference. I even nursed it along to drain all fuel from the carb before hooking it up and refilling the tank.
I've got an independent mechanic handy. He's suppose to be good. I just feel like a putz not figuring this out for myself but I'm about to give up and take it in.
History, I don't think this bike was ridden much before me. Had 9K miles on it when I got it a month or so ago. I've put about 3K on it since, changed all the fluids and the plugs right away.
Started as just an occasional miss like a loose wire barely shorting once in a while. Over the course a month and thousand miles, in the past week it's progressed to I'm afraid to drive it down the drive way.
Starts cold, warms up but starts missing, ready to run and under load it starts to miss out, back fire, cut in and out like the ignition is on and off and back fires like you turned it off and back on while running.
Checked battery, charged it up, finally just changed it out for new one any way. No change at any stage so I returned the battery and put the old one in. The test said it was good as well any way. Tighten connections really well. No change. I misted the plug wires with water and a spray bottle and didn't get any spark jumping and I even felt along the wire from the plug to the ignition and never got lit up even a little. I think the wires are good or at least not leaking.
Put timing light on and when it misses, the plug does not fire. When it dies, there is no spark. Same with both cylinders.
Still it acts like it's running out of gas or a stopped filter, bad distributor cap on a car acts this way.
I put new plugs in a month ago and they are gapped correctly.
Today I drained all fuel. Pulled the line off and drained the tank dry. Fuel flows freely at the petcock for sure. Refilled with fresh, premium fuel. No difference. I even nursed it along to drain all fuel from the carb before hooking it up and refilling the tank.
I've got an independent mechanic handy. He's suppose to be good. I just feel like a putz not figuring this out for myself but I'm about to give up and take it in.
History, I don't think this bike was ridden much before me. Had 9K miles on it when I got it a month or so ago. I've put about 3K on it since, changed all the fluids and the plugs right away.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
By coincidence I live near the original Bedford, in the UK! I also had similar sounding running problems a few years ago. Most likely candidate is the ignition system pickup, although it is difficult to test to confirm that. Also check your VOES, to check the air pipe to it is intact and the VOES itself is working correctly.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 232
Likes: 54
From: Bedford Indiana
Got it in the shop now. As long as it's taking him to figure it out, I don't feel so bad giving up myself.
So far replaced the original cracked rubber manifold with newer aluminum. Still quits. It might sit there and run 5 minutes or 30 seconds before it quits and he's chasing down potential shorts, loose connections, and stuff such as that as possibilities.
What ever it is, I just want the dam thing fixed right so I don't have to worry if every mile I'm riding is a mile I'll have to walk some where.
So far replaced the original cracked rubber manifold with newer aluminum. Still quits. It might sit there and run 5 minutes or 30 seconds before it quits and he's chasing down potential shorts, loose connections, and stuff such as that as possibilities.
What ever it is, I just want the dam thing fixed right so I don't have to worry if every mile I'm riding is a mile I'll have to walk some where.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 232
Likes: 54
From: Bedford Indiana
Bad ignition module and cracked rubber intake manifold. Bad on the road running better than it ever has before. Cost me $600 for him to trouble shoot and fix it. Seems a little steep but I'd have never figured it out on my own.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 232
Likes: 54
From: Bedford Indiana
Yes, after googling what the parts would have cost me to order from the low price internet source, I'm pretty happy with the cost to just let some one else fix it.
I think I've found a pretty good independent mechanic. I'll be taking my problems to him from now on unless I can figure it out pretty quick myself.
I think I've found a pretty good independent mechanic. I'll be taking my problems to him from now on unless I can figure it out pretty quick myself.
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From: Bedford UK
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 232
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From: Bedford Indiana
I really like that guy who fixed it and his shop. He is REALLY in the middle of no where. Literally every direction you look from his shop all you can see is corn and the road past his shop.
He's been there for years and years I learned. Figure you can't last long out there if you are not good. He works on all brands and sizes motorcycles but seems to prefer HD and Triumph. I couldn't believe the INVENTORY he had packed in there. Jackets and all types of apparel, parts, boots, helmets, motorcycles. He had at least a little bit of just about everything as far as I could tell and he took the time to give me a little lesson on jackets and all the ones he has plus what to look for in older ones and yard sale and antique store finds in leather jackets even though I told him up front I didn't want to buy one right now on top of the repair bill.
Old stuff is kind of a hobby of mine, thus the new to me 1988 motorcycle.
He's been there for years and years I learned. Figure you can't last long out there if you are not good. He works on all brands and sizes motorcycles but seems to prefer HD and Triumph. I couldn't believe the INVENTORY he had packed in there. Jackets and all types of apparel, parts, boots, helmets, motorcycles. He had at least a little bit of just about everything as far as I could tell and he took the time to give me a little lesson on jackets and all the ones he has plus what to look for in older ones and yard sale and antique store finds in leather jackets even though I told him up front I didn't want to buy one right now on top of the repair bill.
Old stuff is kind of a hobby of mine, thus the new to me 1988 motorcycle.
Last edited by Jack Ryan; Nov 8, 2013 at 05:06 PM.
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