runnin hot!
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runnin hot!
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 and repeated the pop /stutt,nother short cool down and all was fine till home,plugs are black sooty,not wet looking,front seems to be burning better then rear,pipes are blueing bad,almost purple then to gold........ need some advice cause i do'nt want to hurt the bike and this is all new to me,i get many differant opinoins to the problem from running lean too needs rejetted too thats the way it is! what ya all think? btw i/ve putt approx. 400miles on the bike with the last 150 is is when i started to notice the problem
Last edited by 1stsporty; Jun 16, 2009 at 06:14 AM.
First thing is to check for intake and exhaust leaks. After we are confident that this is OK we can check various carb characteristics. Do this first. Here are my notes on that procedure ...
Intake And Exhaust Leaks Tests
You absolutely cannot get a good tuneup if there are intake leaks or exhaust leaks.
1. Check for Intake Leaks
With the engine idling spray WD-40 or propane gas around the carb/intake/cylinder head joints. WD-40 is said to work well because it has very fine spray droplets. Propane is by far the best choice because it leaves no mess, and is most easily sucked in thru leaks. Be careful to not allow any of either to get sucked in thru the A/C as this will invalidate the results.
Any change in engine RPM is a leak which must be fixed.
EDIT: Experience is that this procedure will identify larger intake leaks, but it may miss very small leaks that also must be fixed. And that propane is definetly the better choice. Spray lots at various parts of the joints.
2. Check for Exhaust Leaks
Pour about 1/2 ounce of oil into each cylinder thru the spark plug holes. Run the engine at idle. You will get lots of smoke for about 5 minutes.
All smoke should come from the ends of the exhaust pipes/mufflers. Any other is a leak which must be fixed.
Intake And Exhaust Leaks Tests
You absolutely cannot get a good tuneup if there are intake leaks or exhaust leaks.
1. Check for Intake Leaks
With the engine idling spray WD-40 or propane gas around the carb/intake/cylinder head joints. WD-40 is said to work well because it has very fine spray droplets. Propane is by far the best choice because it leaves no mess, and is most easily sucked in thru leaks. Be careful to not allow any of either to get sucked in thru the A/C as this will invalidate the results.
Any change in engine RPM is a leak which must be fixed.
EDIT: Experience is that this procedure will identify larger intake leaks, but it may miss very small leaks that also must be fixed. And that propane is definetly the better choice. Spray lots at various parts of the joints.
2. Check for Exhaust Leaks
Pour about 1/2 ounce of oil into each cylinder thru the spark plug holes. Run the engine at idle. You will get lots of smoke for about 5 minutes.
All smoke should come from the ends of the exhaust pipes/mufflers. Any other is a leak which must be fixed.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Heart of Dixie
Sounds like it's running too rich, not too lean. Sooty black plugs and gold pipes indicate too much gas (or not enough air). Is the choke staying fully open while you ride? Is the air filter clean? Do the plugs need replacing? A weak spark could lead to poor combustion, too.
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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!
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,427
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From: Heart of Dixie
Sorry, didn't notice you had an S&S carb. It has an enrichener, which adds gas to the mixture. A choke takes away air, but both result in a richer mixture. It's turning off completely and not vibrating back on, is it? How about a carb support bracket - do you have one? Timing could be off, too, as you say. What symptoms make you say it's runnning hot? Is it pinging, or do you have an oil temp gauge you're looking at? The rebuild should be broken in by now, so I doubt it's a piston/ring size problem. Ironheads run pretty hot, especially in the Summer, but I don't have any other guesses about the cutting out problem.
Last edited by 83XLX; Jun 17, 2009 at 11:47 AM. Reason: spelling
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with a digital thermometer with laser, front jug was as high as 356* now thats after shutting it down and walking into the garage and getting the gauge,what should it be at while cruising?i was told 290*
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Sorry, didn't notice you had an S&S carb. It has an enrichener, which adds gas to the mixture. A choke takes away air, but both result in a richer mixture. It's turning off completely and not vibrating back on, is it? How about a carb support bracket - do you have one? Timing could be off, too, as you say. What symptoms make you say it's runnning hot? Is it pinging, or do you have an oil temp gauge you're looking at? The rebuild should be broken in by now, so I doubt it's a piston/ring size problem. Ironheads run pretty hot, especially in the Summer, but I don't have any other guesses about the cutting out problem.