Alright I'm the new guy joined cause I need help. Building a custom bike have a 1340 evo big twin on it. It's a new motor Ultima cases s and s e carb Andrews cam. Using points. Can't get the bike started. It back fires out the carb. In setting timing I adjust poibta gap on the fat lube on right side to 17 then bring it to tdc after I see the intake open so compression cycle. Fat lube of cam is holding points open no matter what way I turn the plate. I tired holding mechanical advance all the way then setting them still not running. Help.

 

You need to set the correct gap on the points. Are they riding on the plastic cam in the center. Why are you running points anyway? Especially on an ultima an electronic ignition makes much more sense.

 

I might be a litrle tight on the gap I've tried it wider with no change. I went with points cause they are cheap and easy to wire up. I normally fix stuff building from scratch has been a bit more of a challenge. Things like buying parts everyone wants to know make and model and I'm more like that Johnny cash song it's got 75 shovel tanks and a softail oil tank the pipes are welded up Electra glide header with an automotive grade glass pack. Anyhow electronic ignition is just a fancy way to break the ground to calaspe a magnetic field discharging a spark. The arm of the points is running on the odd shaped cam. They don't open and close if you turn the engine over. However If the engine is at tdc no matter where you rotate the timing plate it doesn't close the points. I'm wondering if the cam isn't pressed on the gear correctly so even with the timing marks lined up it's out of time. I might just go buy an electronic ignition and see if that fixes it. I just hate throwing parts at a problem without knowing if that's going to fix it.

 

this is from the pre 1978 1/2 service manual when HD was still using points. Maybe it will help:


Looks like the pages are out of order .... the last page should be first.

 

Electronic is really the way to go for reliability. Points are a lot of maitenance and they aren't as effective at producing spark as an electronic unit. Your going to be checking them every 1k and they will give you trouble on the road so bring tools and an extra set of points. Old stuff I get it, but my chevy has an electronic ignition, the points were just too annoying in a daily driver.

 

Alright so when I'm at tdc the wide lobe is holding the points open not the narrow lobe as the directions say should be holding them open. The narrow lobe would be on the oposite side. If I remove the mechanical advance weights the keyway it wider on is between the 6 and 7 o'clock pisition. Is this correct? I'm wondering if the gear is pressed on the cam in the wrong place. I hate to replace a cam if that not the issue but I hate replacing the ignition if that's not the problem.

 

Did it run before you took it apart? If the cam gear was in the wrong position in the cam it wouldnt run without valve clearance issues. Do you have any points expeirience with cars? Also are you using a lot to swap to points?

 

Make sure you are putting the breaker cam correctly into the advance assembly. It is common to get it 180 degree out. It will fit both ways, but only one is correct.

 

Never had it running. It's a new motor. New Ultima cases new harley crank new reman harley heads. New Andrews cam. New s and a carb. It's all new. I've worked with points before it's not my first rodeo by any means. But boy am I getting flustered. Something has to be put together wrong. I'm really suspect of the cam. I can't think of anything else that could be wrong. I juat hate switching out new parts if I'm not sure.

 

It doesn't appear you can put the advance weights in 180 off. I thought of that to. Cam has a notch on one side that a pin in the advance rides in. The cam piece then has a flat spot on one side so you can't put it in backwards.