She seemed to be running strong once I dialed in the carb. The other day I went to start her up and there was white smoke coming from around the ignition module. Once it got warm enough to close the choke the smoke seemed to go away. So hopped on and went to take it a round the block but shortly after leaving the driveway it sputtered and then died. Ever since then it will start up after sitting for a while and then dies before it even reaches operating temp and won't start again unless I let it sit. When trying to turn over it backfires and spits a lot of fuel out of the carburetor. I'm leaning towards a bad ignition module but not sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Or possibly the carburetor is just clogged up somewhere. Going to take off the carburetor today and make sure it's clean and functioning properly. By the way, I realize this isn't really the right thread to post engine/starting issues. I just figured this was as good a place as any to find someone who is knowledgeable about classic Harley's.

 

Raul, welcome to HDF from the UK. Let's go back to the white smoke. Did that start before you started the engine, or afterwards? I suggest you remove the ignition module first and check that out. If it has over-heated and is no longer operating properly it could be causing the misfiring problem. Leave the carb alone until we have a better handle on the smoke.

What brand is that module? Check their website to see if you can find instructions on checking it for correct function.

 

Greetings. Thanks for the welcome and also the input. The bike was running good and then all of a sudden when I went to start it up I noticed the smoke so not sure if it came before or after the engine started. Now when I was out there a couple days ago it wouldn't start at all. Just getting a backfire and still spitting out of the carburetor. Im pretty sure it's a dyna s ignition module.

 

Dyna has a great website, which it is well worth taking a look around. Also remove your module to inspect it. The backfire may simply be that the electronics are still awake, but not functioning correctly any more. If it caused the smoke there may be visible damage. If so don't shed any tears, give it a decent burial and buy a fresh one! The Dyna website has useful info under the Support tag, which may help more, including identify what you have. If the unit has no identity on it, that's another good reason to replace it.

 

Thanks man, I'll give it a look. There's also a loud disturbing noise coming from the primary case when trying to start. It turns over a few times and then makes a loud clank, like maybe the starting gear is disengaging at the wrong time. Seems to happen more often when the battery is drained. Not sure if this is a related problem or if maybe it's normal for that to happen when the batteries almost dead.

 

My first Harley was a new '74, but kickstart - so I never had that problem. Starting it by foot however was a lottery!

 

It's got a kick starter too which usually worked until it started having this problem. Turns out the rotor piece inside the cover on the right side of the motor is dyna s but the module is blue streak. Guess I'm going to replace it with dyna s to start with.

 

Dyna makes a module that fits inside the points cover IIRC, which could tidy things up, with no external module to get in the way. Check their website!