Sputter, Choke, Cough - Help
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Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 192
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From: Sacramento, CA
Sputter, Choke, Cough - Help
Maybe this doesn't belong here and a mod will move it, although it is fairly "general". I bought my 03 Deuce and it had a hypercharger on it.... seemed to be a Stage 1, has a 2 into 1 SuperTrapp, and well, I will never know. So, it ran great, never a problem, but I hated the Hypercharger, so I found a Deal on a Mach2 Black and Chrome Air cleaner and jumped on it....... immediately could tell the difference and since it's a good ole carb, I saw lots of backfire happening at decel, and even when I shut the bike off I'd get a big "flame" backfire.....so, I messed with the air/fuel screw (richness) until it seemed to run great.... still decel popping, but never big backfires.... it ran great for 3 weeks....... now.... recently on a ride along the freeway I noticed that I couldn't go past 70mph before it started choking (feeling like it was running out of fuel). I'd get sputtering, backfire if I hit the gas, and really couldn't go past 70mph. .... Now, it seems even a little worse.... at slow speeds, if I want to "pass" and hit the throttle, I get sputter.... and when I shut off the bike, it wasn't a "backfire" as much as a big amount of "air' (like blowing air) came out the tail pipe...........
So, what should I check first??? Help!!!If I'm too rich, have I ruined my spark plugs?? Am I too lean, and there's too much air (if soo, why did it run great for a few weeks) I ran Regular (89 octane) on accident for the last tank, whould that do it? ..... What should I do?
So, what should I check first??? Help!!!If I'm too rich, have I ruined my spark plugs?? Am I too lean, and there's too much air (if soo, why did it run great for a few weeks) I ran Regular (89 octane) on accident for the last tank, whould that do it? ..... What should I do?
You can find pictures on the internet of what spark plugs will look like in all conditions...Rich, lean and so on. Looking at the pictures and comparing to your plugs will do you better than an explanation from me. If I have had a bike in the past that was running rich, I would be able to smell the exhaust pretty bad. Pulling the plugs and comparing will tell you a lot. Personally if you don't know how to adjust the carb after determining rich/lean conditions, I would take it to a shop. Not saying you can't figure it out, but I know I have F'd up a carb before, because I didn't know what the screws did that I was turning.
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Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2014
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From: Sacramento, CA
I'll second that, when I pulled the hypercharger and went to the Mach2 it was amazing the difference. It ran great for a month..... when I "throttle" it at 65mph though, it literaly chokes all the way out, no firing, feels like it's going to die until I lay off the throttle.
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Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 192
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From: Sacramento, CA
How would I know if water was in the fuel? It doesn't look bad in the tank.... would a clog in the petcock do it too??
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Dirt in the petcock or a clogged fuel filter it might cause that. Not sure about water in the tank? Drain it out and start with fresh.
If you can rule out dirt or crap in the system it could be a jetting problem.
If you can rule out dirt or crap in the system it could be a jetting problem.
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Joined: Mar 2015
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From: UK, Kent
It sounds like a jetting problem, especially as it does it worst when you give it a fistful of gas.
When this has happened to me in the past and I'm trying to diagnose it, the first thing I do is run some carb/fuel injector cleaner additive through with a fresh tank of good gas.
Take it for a nice long ride if you can, get it good and hot for a long time.
If this doesn't help and blow some crud out the system, take a look at things like your mixture screws and also check to see if there's an air intake leak.
Your symptoms suggest a bad air/fuel mixture at certain loads. Sometimes too much air or too much fuel at certain revs and loads doesn't make that much of a noticeable difference.
Whilst your bike is warmed up and idling steadily, spray some carb cleaner at the intake manifold seals (where they go into the heads, in-between the V). If the idle increases or you hear the bike stumble, chances are you've got a leak. This could cause your bogging down issue.
Likewise, if you're getting too much fuel because of a mixture problem, you won't be getting complete combustion and that'll cause bogging down too!
These things have helped me in the past, so I hope they help you! Good luck, mate.
When this has happened to me in the past and I'm trying to diagnose it, the first thing I do is run some carb/fuel injector cleaner additive through with a fresh tank of good gas.
Take it for a nice long ride if you can, get it good and hot for a long time.
If this doesn't help and blow some crud out the system, take a look at things like your mixture screws and also check to see if there's an air intake leak.
Your symptoms suggest a bad air/fuel mixture at certain loads. Sometimes too much air or too much fuel at certain revs and loads doesn't make that much of a noticeable difference.
Whilst your bike is warmed up and idling steadily, spray some carb cleaner at the intake manifold seals (where they go into the heads, in-between the V). If the idle increases or you hear the bike stumble, chances are you've got a leak. This could cause your bogging down issue.
Likewise, if you're getting too much fuel because of a mixture problem, you won't be getting complete combustion and that'll cause bogging down too!
These things have helped me in the past, so I hope they help you! Good luck, mate.