99 so i have a 99 heritage classic with the 80 inch evo thats 100% stock, and sometimes the speedometer and odometer will go out (they always go out together) and come back on and go back off pretty erratically, and usually it doesnt happen under 55mph but it has before at lower speeds, but i took it onto the interstate where the speed limit was a posted 75mph, and once i got above 73 mph it was off the whole time until i lowered my speed below 73mph and it would come back on. it obviously didnt record any of the miles during that time. and i have read somewhere on here that it could be the cam positioning sensor ignition plate thing, and i do have the tan goo leaking out of that and my replacement part on the way, but does anyone know anything about this problem? the bike has 33k on it and i just dont know if this is a common problem for these motors or if it is in fact the part i have coming or if its something totally different, but it is a problem that requires fixing in the near future due to the fact that i cannot afford a ticket. haha. thank you for any and all help.

 

The sentence structure, lack of paragraphs and spacing makes reading difficult.
Probably on a smart phone device.
After reading it 3 times it seems like:
You have a 1999 Harley Davidson Heritage.
Bike has 33,000 miles.
All stock.
The stock speedometer and odometer will go out together.
The odometer will not record the missed miles when it goes out.
We would need to take a guess if back light on speedometer stays ON.
You have the tan sealant goo leaking from CAM position sensor.
From a distance and based on information available:
Consider checking a few items.
1-Speed sensor that has built up some metal pieces on it.
Consider unbolting speed sensor and wiping with a rag.
2-The Cam position sensor requires replacement but that would cause more of a starting problem. I would replace anyways.
3- Place bike in neutral and start bike while it sits on a stand and using a rubber mallet start hitting hard metal parts in order to introduce a vibration.
Hard parts=Handlebar ends, axle bolts, shock bolts
Observe if bike wants to shut down due to those vibrations.
Reason: trying to identify a loose wire causing bad contact.
4-In 1999 i believe you had a plug and play speedometer. Back of speedometer has a multi **** Delphi plug..A loose plug or bad contact could cause a problem too.

 

Adding to im's excellent comments...

The tan goo / cam position sensor failure is not related to the speedometer/odometer problem. But it does need fixing anyway.

Your speedometer system starts with a Hall effect sensor bolted to the top of the trans. It counts pulses as a gear's teeth pass under it. Those pulses are sent to the speedometer, where the internal computer converts pulses over a period of time into road speed and miles traveled.

The intermittent failure you are seeing could be anywhere along that sequence. Sounds like what is happening is that the signal going to the speedometer is cutting out. I'd start with where im pointed you and pull the sensor and make sure the business end (down inside the trans) is clean. If that doesn't solve it, then you need to chase the signal wire from the trans to the speedo, making sure all connections are good, and ensuring that there are no breaks/rubs in the wire.

 

Thank you both for the input! Im going to start with checking out the sensor in the transmission.
I just didn't know if this was a tell- tale type of problem that happened alot with these motor/trans. Or not.

 

I would take a look at your charging system disconnect the regulator at the stator make sure you're not going over 36 volt AC at 2000 RPM and then I would also check your DC voltage output. Make sure that's within parameters outlined in your manual cuz if you're over volting I think it will shut down your speedometer. And as always check wiring for poor connections...

 

If you're looking for overcharging the first place I would look is how much DC is being fed into the battery while the bike is running.

 

Well I took out the speedometer sensor and it did have metal shavings on it, cleaned it and put it back in.
took a close look at my voltage regulator and the back of it is melted! Soooooo I obviously need to change that as well, and plan to do so asap. And am also going to change all of the oils. And then after the voltage regulator is changed and the cam position sensor, if the problem persists I'll go from there but I have a feeling the voltage regulator is the problem.

 

An over voltage situation can destroy a speedometer too.

 

ok so i tested my stator output with the voltage regulator disconnected and i had my volt meter set to dc 200v
i revved the bike probably 2/3's of the way since i have no tach i just have to guess, and my stator output was over 50 on my meter, hard telling how high it would have went had i taken the rpms higher. is this too high? should i set my volt meter different? either way, it does work, and when i install the new regulator i think that it will fix my speedometer problem. any info would help on the stator output though...thanks guys

 

The first test you should have done was across your battery posts with the bike running and your meter set to 20v DC.