Help! '87 turns over but wont fire

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Mar 25, 2010 | 03:29 PM

ffjoey

Thread Starter

2nd Gear

Joined: Dec 2009

Posts: 6

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Help! '87 turns over but wont fire

Hello everyone. I have an '87 Softail that I am having trouble with. Everything was going well, then one morning after it ran fine the previous day it would turn over and backfire every few times but would not start. Finally it did start but I had to keep the revs up to keep it running. After about 7 miles of trying to get home it died at a red light and refused to start again. Just turn over and over but no fire. I looked in the carb and it is getting fuel. I replaced the stock ignition with a Dyna S. Picked it up from the shop rode home and now it turns over and wont start again. I called the shop and they said my ignition switch on the dash is bad. Does this sound right? Something sounds off about it to me.

Mar 25, 2010 | 04:01 PM

Dr.Hess

Seasoned HDF Member

Joined: Aug 2007

Posts: 8,201

Likes: 3,089

From: NW AR

No spark? Could be an ignition switch, but that's a pretty simple check and should have been caught by the shop when they put the new ignition in and is usually not thermally related. Did they replace the pickup in the cone? Also, I think the 87 was a solid mounted motor, but the wire between the cone and the frame on rubber mount bikes tends to break inside the insulation and give those symptons. Regardless, if it isn't running, it's easy to diagnose. If it is running fine now, and only does it sometimes, that's a whole lot harder.

Mar 25, 2010 | 04:37 PM

t150vej

HDF Community Team

Joined: Dec 2005

Posts: 5,428

Likes: 2,628

From: NC USA

Could be the switch, but with the backfire and having to keep up the revs and now it's dead... I'd say it's a bad coil. And it may even ohm out good and still be bad... or was it replaced with the Dyna S conversion?

Last edited by t150vej; Mar 25, 2010 at 04:40 PM.

Mar 25, 2010 | 06:29 PM

sqdealgeorge

Road Warrior

Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 1,854

Likes: 20

From: Eagle River WI

Just have to add this Dyna S is a great system All Dyna systems 2000 /2000i are great

Mar 25, 2010 | 11:38 PM

ffjoey

Thread Starter

2nd Gear

Joined: Dec 2009

Posts: 6

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The coil was not replaced and that was the problem. Not sure why it was not replaced like I ASKED them to do but it is fixed now. Thank you all

Apr 5, 2010 | 06:53 AM

M&D88FXSTC

Intermediate

Joined: Apr 2010

Posts: 47

Likes: 0

From: Central Ohio

1st thing Id do is check the plugs. once a bike plug fouls its pretty much done. I left the choke on lil too long (learning curve lol) on my 88 softtail & it did same thing. new plugs & problem solved. be worth a check....cheap fix

Apr 9, 2010 | 11:58 PM

just black

1st Gear

Joined: Apr 2010

Posts: 5

Likes: 0

try disconnect battery, pull plugs and bring to TDC. reconnect battery,put plugs back in and try to start. should reset the module. you may not be firing at right time. This happened to me when monkeying around. need more info ask cause its to late to type much- good luck