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General Topics/Tech TipsDiscussion on break in periods, rider comfort, seats and pad suggestions. Tech tips as they become available will be posted here.
Could very well be a tuning issue , did the bike start fine at any time when it was cold before , without any issues , or is this the first time it's been cold , since the modifications were done ? Could be onto something here .
Nope mods were done pre delivery back in 2016. No mods since. Coming from NYC this cold is nothing, 40 and I still have my fall gloves on!
Simply put , the tps sends information to the ecm , which will then tell the injectors how much fuel needs to be delivered . The more you crank the throttle ( TGS ) opening the butterfly , the more fuel the injectors will deliver .
You can also check and clean the temp sensor as well , it never hurts to clean up all your connections , I use a spray contact cleaner to clean up corrosion , then a thin coat of dielectric grease on the connector itself ( not the pins ) to prevent moisture from entering .
In most cases , you would have an error code come up , if the sensor is truly faulty , but I have seen some that were just corroded and not sending correct information to the ecm .
Usually , you would see signs of a faulty sensor , by the way the bike idles and runs when your out riding .
There is a way you can test your tps , if you have a multimeter you can test the tps and look for dead spots in the throttle range . You had mentioned that when your bike is warmed up , it runs fine and you have no issues ( no error codes ) , so I would rule that out , but it never hurts to still check the connections and possibly do a test .
I'm also wondering if you might have an issue with your temp sensor , no way of really testing it , that I know of , but it does play a part in the fueling system . Checking the connection and cleaning that up wouldn't hurt either . The part is not $$$ so may be worth changing to see if your cold start is improved .
Simply put , the tps sends information to the ecm , which will then tell the injectors how much fuel needs to be delivered . The more you crank the throttle ( TGS ) opening the butterfly , the more fuel the injectors will deliver . couldnt find the tps in the manual but I did find the throttle control actuator. Unfortunately it says to refer to the electrical diagnostic manual.
You can also check and clean the temp sensor as well , it never hurts to clean up all your connections , I use a spray contact cleaner to clean up corrosion , then a thin coat of dielectric grease on the connector itself ( not the pins ) to prevent moisture from entering . When I get a day off I plan on putting a 2x4 under the tank to raise it and grease all connections going to the induction manual.
In most cases , you would have an error code come up , if the sensor is truly faulty , but I have seen some that were just corroded and not sending correct information to the ecm .
Usually , you would see signs of a faulty sensor , by the way the bike idles and runs when your out riding . my filter has been real wet as of recent. But it is a Harley burst air cleaner for my 58mm and I haven't found a rain cover for it.
There is a way you can test your tps , if you have a multimeter you can test the tps and look for dead spots in the throttle range . You had mentioned that when your bike is warmed up , it runs fine and you have no issues ( no error codes ) , so I would rule that out , but it never hurts to still check the connections and possibly do a test .
I'm also wondering if you might have an issue with your temp sensor , no way of really testing it , that I know of , but it does play a part in the fueling system . Checking the connection and cleaning that up wouldn't hurt either . The part is not $$$ so may be worth changing to see if your cold start is improved .
I was leaning toward replacing the temperature manifold absolute pressure sensor as it's the only sensor that seems to be replaceable on the intake. What ever happened to the iat, tps, map, and what ever other sensors I can't seem to recall?
Honestly I was hoping for someone to have the same problem to say oh fix this or that. One time I had a funky idle on a vrod. Looked thru the manual and all roads lead to replacing the intake air temperature sensor and it worked like a charm.
Your very knowledgeable and I appreciate your input. After I send this post I'm going to order a tmap sensor online I found for like 70 bucks. Thank you again.
Appreciate the compliment , most of the guys I ride with do their own maintenance and work , so it's not uncommon for us to sit for hours and talk bikes . We are constantly helping each other out when needed . Just doing my best to extend the service ...
Update time!
so i ordered a new tmap sensor after conversation on this thread.
Seat, tank raised with a bottle of tile cleaner cuz i live in an aparapartment.
that connector was a little hard. You have to pull the yellow thing back before disconnecting. Took my dumbass about 20 min to figure that out.
When i took out the old tmap sensor it was crusted. So replacing it wasn't the worse idea.
Went to start after torque things down and it started right up. I'll keep y'all updated if anything changes.
Hell yeah. I didn't notice this until i changed the tmap but I was feeling way more vibration like my tires weren't balanced then i do now. 90mph with little to no vibration. According to the service manual, it looks like Harley got rid of most of the sensors and it seems like tmap and crank sensor are the only two left. I would suggest people to change both if they are having drivability issues
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