03 Sporster NO SPARK
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03 Sporster NO SPARK
the reason I am writing this is beacuse it has been an ongoing nightmare for over a month. Now that I have found out, I am hoping that this will at least prevent the same thing from happening with someone else.
It has not been till a series of different help forums and speaking to other bikers that I noticed a pattern that finally gave me the results I needed, not after considerable diress however. The part chase and interchange conversion is almost non existant. (at least for my model)
The first thing to notice is that my Sportster which is a 03 XLH. The ignition system is alot different than other models and years. Where the confusion begins is that so many different names exist for the same part and are used many different ways, and its location that it throws you off instantly. Electronic Ignition, Ignition Modules, Cam or Crank Position Sensors (some it is different units, but mine is integrated with the Ignition Module itself). Some Ignition Modules are internal and some external... I was looking under the seat the whole time when it was in the Cone. Then I was told to look at a Position Sensor only to find its integrated with the module in the cone and my model doesnt have one external.
The next thing that is confusing is, there are many different symptoms, my spark fails when it gets warm and will die anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 minutes. Depending mostly on the heat.. other symptoms that I hear are sputtering and farting, but also some will die but start again if you flick the on/off switch real fast and it at least signals when is going out.... missing and idle problems. Many too numerous to mention.
Testing a Coil is pretty simple but the chances of it going out are pretty slim. In all cases I have experienced, a Coil is either good or bad, there is no in between. Just remember that Ignition Modules, and Position Sensors have a wide variety of symptoms, locations and names that I think its why everything is so difficult to find on it.
I have seen the same Brand Part go from 95 -250+ bucks too... so watch it !
This began when my Bike died/ stalled one day. At it was warm out and the next day it was cooler and I got more miles and it threw me off. Couple days later I drive a long distance into a larger town and all of a sudden the sun came out and I spent half the day making short hops back home.
One of the best investments I have ever made was an inline spark tester. Even though I could see it was Spark, several people still argued and insisted it was Fuel and INtake related. A continuity bulb Tester is excellent for the Coil.
I have not ever been impressed with Chilton, Haynes or CLymer Manuals,,,, I hear the the HD Service Manual is the one to get, but still havent seen one anywhere. This is obviously one of the more complicated tasks and the appropriate manual with correct Pics is going to save you a whole lot of misery. If nothing else, educate yourself on this and locate the parts so you know when you are stuck and know what to do for your particular bike. If you are alone and die, its not a good idea to leave the Bike anywhere alone. All indications suggest that its only a matter of time before this happens.
even though people try and help and some are very close, there is enough diversity in this Model to throw the best off...
last thing is..... the instructions for the new Ignition were way off and opposite diagram from my Bike... it was never clear if I could splice into the existing loom and route the wires the same or just reroute the loom directly to the Coil..... the instructions are lame and wimpy
the Diagram of the Dual Fire Single PLug Coil (there are numerous plug and coil combos) never said which side was Hot or Ground or Front Rear PLug leads or anything... my old Module had 5 leads and the new one only has 2, but when I went to trim the insulation off to resize it, there was a new 3rd one that didnt have an explanation... the company that sold it has not returned any support from their Web Form yet either,,,,
do to the complexity of this issue, I would suggest buying a back up to take with you to replace on the road in the future in case this happens again..... it will way more than make up for itself in down time...
the fix is easy if you only have a correct set of instructions
It has not been till a series of different help forums and speaking to other bikers that I noticed a pattern that finally gave me the results I needed, not after considerable diress however. The part chase and interchange conversion is almost non existant. (at least for my model)
The first thing to notice is that my Sportster which is a 03 XLH. The ignition system is alot different than other models and years. Where the confusion begins is that so many different names exist for the same part and are used many different ways, and its location that it throws you off instantly. Electronic Ignition, Ignition Modules, Cam or Crank Position Sensors (some it is different units, but mine is integrated with the Ignition Module itself). Some Ignition Modules are internal and some external... I was looking under the seat the whole time when it was in the Cone. Then I was told to look at a Position Sensor only to find its integrated with the module in the cone and my model doesnt have one external.
The next thing that is confusing is, there are many different symptoms, my spark fails when it gets warm and will die anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 minutes. Depending mostly on the heat.. other symptoms that I hear are sputtering and farting, but also some will die but start again if you flick the on/off switch real fast and it at least signals when is going out.... missing and idle problems. Many too numerous to mention.
Testing a Coil is pretty simple but the chances of it going out are pretty slim. In all cases I have experienced, a Coil is either good or bad, there is no in between. Just remember that Ignition Modules, and Position Sensors have a wide variety of symptoms, locations and names that I think its why everything is so difficult to find on it.
I have seen the same Brand Part go from 95 -250+ bucks too... so watch it !
This began when my Bike died/ stalled one day. At it was warm out and the next day it was cooler and I got more miles and it threw me off. Couple days later I drive a long distance into a larger town and all of a sudden the sun came out and I spent half the day making short hops back home.
One of the best investments I have ever made was an inline spark tester. Even though I could see it was Spark, several people still argued and insisted it was Fuel and INtake related. A continuity bulb Tester is excellent for the Coil.
I have not ever been impressed with Chilton, Haynes or CLymer Manuals,,,, I hear the the HD Service Manual is the one to get, but still havent seen one anywhere. This is obviously one of the more complicated tasks and the appropriate manual with correct Pics is going to save you a whole lot of misery. If nothing else, educate yourself on this and locate the parts so you know when you are stuck and know what to do for your particular bike. If you are alone and die, its not a good idea to leave the Bike anywhere alone. All indications suggest that its only a matter of time before this happens.
even though people try and help and some are very close, there is enough diversity in this Model to throw the best off...
last thing is..... the instructions for the new Ignition were way off and opposite diagram from my Bike... it was never clear if I could splice into the existing loom and route the wires the same or just reroute the loom directly to the Coil..... the instructions are lame and wimpy
the Diagram of the Dual Fire Single PLug Coil (there are numerous plug and coil combos) never said which side was Hot or Ground or Front Rear PLug leads or anything... my old Module had 5 leads and the new one only has 2, but when I went to trim the insulation off to resize it, there was a new 3rd one that didnt have an explanation... the company that sold it has not returned any support from their Web Form yet either,,,,
do to the complexity of this issue, I would suggest buying a back up to take with you to replace on the road in the future in case this happens again..... it will way more than make up for itself in down time...
the fix is easy if you only have a correct set of instructions
Last edited by Rolling a Stone; Jun 8, 2009 at 10:12 AM.
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