runnin hot!
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 660
Likes: 0
From: Grayson, GA
my 1st hd and its a 73 xlch,previous owner had new pistons/cams and s&s shorty carb installed,bike basically sat from 2005 till now with out ever being touched,i drained all fluids replaced with new and fired her up sweeeeet! problem is every ride seems she runs hotter an hotter,oil pressure good and carburation seems okay,not hard to start and idles fine after warmup,yesterday climbing a small grade she popped and stuttered and i had to pull over,after a short cool down she fired back up and ran fine for about another 12 miles.
Maybe it sat untouched since 2005 because of this problem??
Did the previous owner install Hi compression pistons? Is it getting proper oil flow?
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,440
Likes: 786
From: Heart of Dixie
You said the plugs looked black and sooty. If it was running too lean they would be from very light tan to white and blistered. Could be a lot of things, though. I'm fishing here, but are the pushrods adjusted correctly? Have you checked the timing and your points/condenser/advance unit? Clutch isn't slipping, is it? How's the compression? If the pistons were replaced with 10:1 forged pistons and they've just started breaking in and sealing correctly, the motor may run too hot without other adjustments. Maybe something's making the motor work harder than it should. Just throwing out ideas - diagnosing problems over the internet is sketchy at best.
Last edited by 83XLX; Jun 17, 2009 at 02:37 PM.
did the intake and exhaust test they seem okay,did find a small oil leak on 1 of the rocker cover button screws(probably a o-ring) changed from 3-4 plugs too 4r5 and took a scoot too the gas station,same thing,hot as hell after only 6 miles! fwiw my carb has not a choke,a enrichner,or are they the same?for lack of tools i'm pretty limited on trouble shooting at the moment but i hate to take it in for service and pay out the nose if i could locate the problem and rectify myself,maybe my timing is to late? do'nt know grasping for straws here! as stated earlier 1st 300 mls okay last 100 started too notice the runnin hot,really do'nt want to mess with s@#t and end up chasing my a$$ later!
As 83XLX asked, how are you determining too hot? If you can get an infra red thermometer [Princess Auto or Harbor Freight] you should look for a reading around 350`F at the front cylinder head, near the spark plugs. If you are checking oil temperature 200`F is not too hot. It is common for the oil tank to get hot enough to burn your leg.
Regardless of how long it takes to resolve this with us, please do not consider taking it to an HD shop. Their technicians are not trained to work on these machines; they charge a lot of money; they may very well make it worse. I am not against HD shops; it is just that what i am saying here is the common experience of many IronHead owners.
Check for oil flow. Look into the tank while the bike is idling. You should see some movement, and the oil should look frothy. There is very little oil pressure in these engines [they do not need much] so you may see only a little movement - but you should see some.
If you do not have a "real" oil temperature gauge you can stick any thermometer that is long enough into the oil tank and get a reading. It should be between 150`F and 225`F approximately. I use an oil cooler to keep mine down below 200`F. I would think that 225`F or higher would be too hot. Some will disagree.
Do you hear pinging when you accelerate from a stop in first gear? How about if you accelerate in 4th gear from too low a speed?
Do you have a timing light?
IMO you cannot trust what the people at the HD dealership say. This is not just my opinion, but the experience of many forum members over several years.
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not hard to start and idles fine after warmup,yesterday climbing a small grade she popped and stuttered and i had to pull over,after a short cool down she fired back up and ran fine for about another 12 miles and repeated the pop /stutt,nother short cool down and all was fine till home
>>
This is a classic symptom of a fuel shortage caused by crud in the fuel system, usually migrating from the tank, clogging up the fuel filter, getting into the carb. It is not sputtering because it is too hot; it is sputtering because the fuel cannot flow fast enough to satisfy the needs of the engine. Waiting a few minutes allows fuel to seep past the clogged filter and then you are good to go for another short while.
not hard to start and idles fine after warmup,yesterday climbing a small grade she popped and stuttered and i had to pull over,after a short cool down she fired back up and ran fine for about another 12 miles and repeated the pop /stutt,nother short cool down and all was fine till home
>>
This is a classic symptom of a fuel shortage caused by crud in the fuel system, usually migrating from the tank, clogging up the fuel filter, getting into the carb. It is not sputtering because it is too hot; it is sputtering because the fuel cannot flow fast enough to satisfy the needs of the engine. Waiting a few minutes allows fuel to seep past the clogged filter and then you are good to go for another short while.
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