Hi all,

Before I ask advice this is my first Harley so please allow for any stupid questions.

I bought a 1990 Electra Glide Ultra, 44k miles. The clutch was badly adjusted and slipping, not sure why but there was no slack in the clutch cable. I have set this to about 2mm of slack and this seems to have got rid of most of the slipping except in top gear. Whats the opinion new clutch or the current plates are glazed? maybe just a bit of time to bed back in or am i clutching (no pun intended) at straws.

Second question, how difficult should it be to start the big twins? from cold it to forever and didn't like to idle, lots of misfire at low RPM. To add to this starting from luke warm although better still farts and bangs until a good few minutes have passed. Even small twists of throttle can cause the bike to misfire and stop any ideas?

Lastly, I have what sounds like a cam chain rattle when riding. From what i understand Harleys are push rod so no cam chain, am I looking at engine or possibly some body work rattle.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards
J

 

Did you adjust the clutch or just adjust the cable? You need to pull the cover off the primary and do the clutch adjust that's on the basket. While you are in there, check the primary chain adjustment, that is probably your chain scraping sound. At the clutch lever, you need about 1/8" play or little over 3mm.
If the bike has been sitting a while, take the jets out of the carb and clean the varnish out of them. When cold starting, pump the trottle 3 or 4 times, pull the enricher and crank it with the trottle closed until it starts. If it doesnt start, open the trottle a little and try again. If it stills runs rough or coughs and spits you may need to adjust the air/fuel ratio on the carb or even change the jet sizes.
If you don't have a service manual, get one.

 

Thanks for the advice, i only adjusted the cable so I will take a look under the clutch cover tomorrow. I will need to take the carb off and check hoses etc, I think the mixture is way off.

Thanks
J

 

On a 90 model, it would be a good idea to replace all the fuel lines, rubber gets brittle over time when exposed to petroleum. Inspect the carb intake rubber boot for dry rot, vacuum lines and plug wire too, 18 years is a long time for rubber.

 

Very helpful, thanks

[IMG]local://upfiles/57222/A6903639E2074AB8AF6DDEACEEFB4F3C.jpg[/IMG]

 

johntheone,

thanks for the pic. i have been thinking about painting my other set of tins and fairing orange. now i know what it will look like. what color orange is that. I was looking at 69 camaro orange.

john, has the bike been sitting for a while or has the previous owner been riding it? If it were me i would first get a factory shop manual. I think the slack in the primary chain is 3/8-5/8 in. If you have never adjusted a HD clutch at the basket, loosen the lock nut while holding the adjuster screw with an allen wrench. i run the adjuster screw untill i feel pressure, stop and lock it down. then adjust the cable. if you know how, disregard my comments.

I always pull the choke out on my 90, twist the throttle 1-2 times and hit the starter. after it starts i leave the choke on for a couple minutes or until it will idle. some say it will foul the plugs to run to long on choke. i have never fouled the plugs on my 90 Ultra.

I would get a new or throughly clean the existing air filter. I can't tell from the pic if it is a hi-flow filter or not.I have changed jets without pulling the carb, but it maybe easiler to just pull the carb. If the carb will idle warm the bike up and run the idle screw up a little and spray some carb cleaner, wd-40 around where the intake mates to the heads to see if you have an intake leak. If the motor speed changes either way , up or down, you probably have an intake leak. If so while you have the carb off go ahead and replace the intake seals and carb seal.

Are the exhaust tight to the heads? That can cause problems also. My header pipes were bad to crack in the Y on the rear and at the point were the rear and the front meet.

If the primary chain is not loose, check the rubber stop on the frame for the jiffy stand. if it moved or gone the stand will tapp against the frame sounding like something major is going to happen. especially sitting at a light or stop sign or just sitting in traffic at idle.

disclaimer:
if any or all of this is in error , just disregard. this is not intended to diagnois, treat or fix any problem related to motor driven cycles.

later.....................

 

For your "rattle" also check your primary chain adjustment. If it's not that kind of rattle (engine noise), check everywhere your exhaust pipes areattached to the frame.There areareas beneath the battery traythat will"sound off" as a rattle when you're roll on the throttle. The muffler hangers (underneath the rear area of the saddlebags are a good place to check also - there are rubber inserts that may be weather hardened, or missing.

Get your fuel system cleaned up. Add an inline fuel filter and check it as you go. If it shows obvious signs of contamination in the filter, you might have minor rusting or dirtinside the tank, or it's just plain dirty - then you would need to removeit and flush it out. Check for leaks around the intake at the jugs and where the carb is bolted to it. Make sure your air filter is clean and oiled properly.

Good luck on bringing this machine back to life. Once you do, you'll love it, even if you leave it in stock condition.
Most of all, get a shop manual !

 

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated I will go over the clutch adjustment tomorrow.

I dont think the previous owner ran the bike that much, not by the way the clutch was slipping! The orange is Ford ST orange, it's a UK color so if needed i can get the color mix details if it will help.

Cheers
J

 

Quick update, the mixture was way out with over 6 turns out. Set this back to 2 turns and she fired up on the choke and idled fantastically. A little spitting back when cold but fine once warmed up, probably richen the mixture slightly. The air cleaner housing is almost fully enclosed with a slot shape opening at the rear, the filter is foam with supporting wire mesh mark HD original so I am assuming this is not a free flow filter. What options are best? Pancake type filter housing and K&N?

Not managed to get to the clutch, the allen key screws seem seized and my allen key is not a perfect fit. I will attempt this tomorrow once i manage to get a decent allen key.

I think the timing is also out, although I haven't checked the engine starts running out of steam at 4k rpm and i am assuming it should still pull strong up to the 5k mark.

Managed to find one of the rattles, the horn bracket was loose.

While at it i found the air ride suspension has been replaced for standard springs and shocks, not sure if this is common?

Thanks to all, really appreciate the advise.

J

 

Not being a fan of Harley's rear air shocks, I'd say you are ahead of the game there. Just replace the filter with HD-0600 K&N, don't bother changing anything else. Running out of steam could very well be a carb issue also. After having sat for so long it may need rebuilt, unless cleaning the jets takes care of it. Good luck.