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When you start your bike is it cranking a lot more than before? I currently have a similar issue, but only when my tank is low on fuel. I can hear the spray. Havent had a chance to get into the tank yet to replace the lines, but I will soon.
Thats a whole other LONG story. Just had cam and gear drive put in. Heads and intake polished. and of course dyno'd. when i picked it up months ago the thing was PERFECT. evey flaw was fixed. The ridiculous high idle seemed lower (or at least sounds lower). the high gearing was fixed(even though nothing to do with gears was changed). the cam install made my breakout perfect!!!! 100 true HP. Everything was fine. But i haven't had much time to ride. Two weeks ago i took it out and everything was different all of a sudden. the idle was a little higher(or at least sounded higher and not as smooth). a little harder to start(not much. One to three more cranks but still harder). and i can't hold a constant low rpm speed. Cruising down a long road in traffic i can't keep my throttle barley turned to maintain the constant slow traffic speed. and i could before. So i'm thinking it's something little or weird like a in tank fuel leak. It has to be. everything else is perfect. especially the tune. because when i picked it up and when i rode a bunch of times it was amazing. Now not so much and i have that dead spot at low rpm.
it's like a vacuum line is off or something. But there are none. Or nothing i can see is disconnected or off.
Last edited by wedgemoose; Jun 28, 2016 at 03:48 PM.
Wedgemoose, I've never looked in my tank, but yeah, I'd imagine you would see it. These pumps put out a lot of pressure and volume, and isn't throttled back at idle. It runs at a constant speed and pressure. They have to put out enough to cover the motor at full load and RPM with a healthy amount of overage. So at idle, they will be discharging 98% of the full output.
Thats a whole other LONG story. Just had cam and gear drive put in. Heads and intake polished. and of course dyno'd. when i picked it up months ago the thing was PERFECT. evey flaw was fixed. The ridiculous high idle seemed lower (or at least sounds lower). the high gearing was fixed(even though nothing to do with gears was changed). the cam install made my breakout perfect!!!! 100 true HP. Everything was fine. But i haven't had much time to ride. Two weeks ago i took it out and everything was different all of a sudden. the idle was a little higher(or at least sounded higher and not as smooth). a little harder to start(not much. One to three more cranks but still harder). and i can't hold a constant low rpm speed. Cruising down a long road in traffic i can't keep my throttle barley turned to maintain the constant slow traffic speed. and i could before. So i'm thinking it's something little or weird like a in tank fuel leak. It has to be. everything else is perfect. especially the tune. because when i picked it up and when i rode a bunch of times it was amazing. Now not so much and i have that dead spot at low rpm.
it's like a vacuum line is off or something. But there are none. Or nothing i can see is disconnected or off.
Sounds like issue with fuel pressure. And with the spraying in the tank, it sounds even more like hole in the fuel line. If its even more evident when the fuel in the tank gets lower then I believe your issue is in there.
Below is a photo I dug up and I put a circle around the pressure bypass port. It is directly underneath the main discharge port that exits the tank and supplies the nozzles. So it would discharge to the rear of the tank. The pump itself resides on the left side of the tank. The plastic flex lines from the pump to filter/regulator, and the main discharge could be the source of your problem. Sounds like it would be a good idear to pop off the pump plate and see.
There should be 55-62 psi. If the pressure is below 55 psi but close you may need a new fuel filter. Below 45 psi you may have a hole in the line or the regulator is leaking or worst case the pump is failing. There is also a fuel sock at the end of the fuel pump that should be changed when changing fuel filters. I have also swapped out to the gates submersible fuel line and it is a lot better than the corrigated ptfe fuel line. Just make sure the clamps are fuel line specific when using that fuel hose cause the line swells under pressure and standard worm gear clamps cut into causing leaks
There should be 55-62 psi. If the pressure is below 55 psi but close you may need a new fuel filter. Below 45 psi you may have a hole in the line or the regulator is leaking or worst case the pump is failing. There is also a fuel sock at the end of the fuel pump that should be changed when changing fuel filters. I have also swapped out to the gates submersible fuel line and it is a lot better than the corrigated ptfe fuel line. Just make sure the clamps are fuel line specific when using that fuel hose cause the line swells under pressure and standard worm gear clamps cut into causing leaks
Good info. I changed all that stuff out when I had my sheet metal painted over the winter. I wish I'd thought to use the Gates hose you mentioned.
Ptfe fuel line is not terrible and actually performs quite well if left alone. Problem is when it ages it becomes brittle so vibrations, friction, and moving it can cause holes. Car manufacturers have been using this fuel line for years with little problems as long as it is not disturbed. The issue with Harley is they used a vary thin version of this hose and the angles in the tank often times make contact with the fuel hose causing leaks when it becomes brittle
Well men, now we now. Like Mike said, it does spray. I saw it with my own two eyes for hours!!!! it sprays out like a hose. Meaning if you lift the plate to inspect and hit the run button OR Start the motor you will have gas all over your floor in seconds. Both ways!!
Hit the "RUN" button and it sprays like a hose till the pump primes
START the motor and it sprays NON-STOP like a hose!!!!
So anyone looking in the future for an answer here it is. Yes they spray in the tank. Yes you should be able to see it in the fill hole because of the massive amount it sprays.
Mike, my spray nozzle is different than your pic. Mine is a "V" shaped hood that shoots it down to the bottom of the tank. You can see it through the hole because of the spray hitting all the other components in the tank and because it is coming fast and at a decent amount of flow.
Last edited by wedgemoose; Jun 29, 2016 at 10:12 AM.
Sounds like issue with fuel pressure. And with the spraying in the tank, it sounds even more like hole in the fuel line. If its even more evident when the fuel in the tank gets lower then I believe your issue is in there.
I wish is was this easy. But it's not a leak in the tank. All my hoses and everything else are perfect. I have to bring it back to my dyno guy and not ride on this beautiful 4 day weekend we have coming up!!!! Just my luck
first this he is going to do though is a fuel pressure test. who know maybe i missed it. Hard to see a leak when the fuel pump sprays out like a waterfall and goes everywhere. Not a great setup Harley
Getting a fuel pressure check will confirm the fuel system is working properly. Harley uses a deadhead regulated fuel system which means fuel pressure is regulated before the fuel injectors. This eliminates the need for the return fuel line. This setup has its draw backs because it runs fuel pumps harder which shortens the life of the pump. And it also causes the fuel pressure to move around a lot more
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