Engine stumbling
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 295
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Engine stumbling
Can I get some help and ideas on this bike? Got a 2000 FXD 16,000 miles. By all accounts good bike, not abused. Been running it for a few weeks getting some miles on it, running good gas through it. Ran some Seafoam through it. It was puking oil all over in the air box. I cleaned it up and installed some breather bolts and eliminated that issue.
Bike has screaming eagle mufflers, and looks like on receipts they used a 48L jet.
It sputters and carb farts, at times at low speeds and rolling on throttle. Some times it is very bad, some times it seems gone, sometimes it happens a couple of times on a ride. Cold weather seems to make it worse, but not solely a cold weather only problem.
What is my best starting points for trying to find the cause of this issue? Intake gaskets, wrong jets, air leak somewhere?
Bike has screaming eagle mufflers, and looks like on receipts they used a 48L jet.
It sputters and carb farts, at times at low speeds and rolling on throttle. Some times it is very bad, some times it seems gone, sometimes it happens a couple of times on a ride. Cold weather seems to make it worse, but not solely a cold weather only problem.
What is my best starting points for trying to find the cause of this issue? Intake gaskets, wrong jets, air leak somewhere?
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 851
Likes: 1
From: Indiana
I would start by eliminating all air leaks. Look at intake manifold, exhaust ports, and cylinder base gaskets. You can use a carb cleaner spray while bike is running to see if there are any changes in engine idle. Check all the basics. Is battery testing good under a load test? Are spark plugs readable,not fouled? Do spark plug wires test good? Good coil? If you have ruled all of theses causes out, the last thing I would check is the crank position sensor to make sure that it is not faulty. Is your carb a stock CV carb? If it is, look on the underneath side with a mirror to see if someone has removed the air/fuel ratio mixture screw plug. The carb is plugged at the factory for EPA regs. but can be removed for adjustment. Start adjustment at 1 1/2 turns counter clockwise and start from there.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
Two possibilities: it is not properly tuned and never was; or it has a problem such as an air leak, or bad float level, or some other thing that has made it go out of tune.
Where to start? Back to two possibilities! Find a local indy to diagnose the problem and put it right. He should be able to put his finger on the problem pretty quick and may be able to fix it in very short time.
Otherwise work your way through all the possibilities. I would start by checking the exhaust for leaks and replacing the header seals if necessary, then move onto the inlet/carb gaskets, taking care when fitting new seals/gaskets to get them fitted right and just so. Strip and clean the carb, paying attention to clearing jets and setting float level correct.
These are the sort of problems that either we mere owners are able to find and sort easily, or never get our heads round. That is what dealers and indies are out there for! Don't wrestle with this octopus on your own for too long.
Where to start? Back to two possibilities! Find a local indy to diagnose the problem and put it right. He should be able to put his finger on the problem pretty quick and may be able to fix it in very short time.
Otherwise work your way through all the possibilities. I would start by checking the exhaust for leaks and replacing the header seals if necessary, then move onto the inlet/carb gaskets, taking care when fitting new seals/gaskets to get them fitted right and just so. Strip and clean the carb, paying attention to clearing jets and setting float level correct.
These are the sort of problems that either we mere owners are able to find and sort easily, or never get our heads round. That is what dealers and indies are out there for! Don't wrestle with this octopus on your own for too long.
Last edited by grbrown; Nov 5, 2012 at 11:29 AM.
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