Help please
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4th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, Oh
Help please
I recently purchased a 1995 sportster and have made a few minor modifications. One of them was installling a larger pilot jet (46 I believe) and main jet (175). I went the easy way and just pulled the bottom off the carb. I am not an amazing mechanic by any means, but I thought I could handle this. After I put it all back together, it seemed to run decent. I probably still needed to adjust the idle mixer better. The next day I went to start it and it just didn't want to go. Eventually it did start, but kept bogging down and died. This happened a couple times.....until my battery died. I only messed with the bottom of the carb. Does anyone have any advice for me? Your help would be GREATLY appreciated.
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4th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, Oh
I originally changed the jets because I had drag pipes on it....also because it's an 883 with the 1200 conversion and the jets were never changed (which apparently they suggest). Even before the drag pipes it would do the infamous spit out of the filter every once in a while, and sometimes it backfired during startup. I heard nothing but horror stories when people try to have everything set correctly with drag pipes, so I put the stock exhaust back on it (with the baffles partially gutted, but with torque cones in an attempt to compensate). It would start for a minute, with the choke out and at one point I could give it gas and it seemed fine, then it would die. I did mess with the idle mixture, but I followed the directions I was given. I don't know if there is something in the bottom of the carb I could have unintentionally touched. I'm confused with the whole thing. I suppose my best bet is to take it to a bike shop and have them look it over and put it on the dyno, but I was hoping I could at least ride it there instead of hauling it. I'm having a hard time troubleshooting this one.
Banned
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,647
Likes: 2
From: Fairmont, Wv
It does sound like an air fuel mixture problem but I would not mess with the mixture screws till you got it running. I would go back to where it was before you got it and was running. There are things in the bottom of the carb, floats and needle valve are very important. How is the air cleaner? what type of air cleaner? is it a stage 1? If you give it more fuel, you got to give it more air. we need to know more
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 172
Likes: 2
Won't Idle
It sounds like it could be fuel starvation. I believe 95 was the first year for the vacuum petcock. Does yours have a vacuum petcock? (There will be a small vacuum hose coming off the back of the petcock.) If you still have the vacuum petcock, check the condition of the small vacuum hose. If it is cracked or brittle, replace it. If it is soft and mushy, replace it. If it has gas inside it, then the vacuum diaphram is leaking and the diaphram needs to be replaced.
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 2
From: Indianapolis
It sounds like it could be fuel starvation. I believe 95 was the first year for the vacuum petcock. Does yours have a vacuum petcock? (There will be a small vacuum hose coming off the back of the petcock.) If you still have the vacuum petcock, check the condition of the small vacuum hose. If it is cracked or brittle, replace it. If it is soft and mushy, replace it. If it has gas inside it, then the vacuum diaphram is leaking and the diaphram needs to be replaced.
Replacing the jets is a pretty straightforward job. As long as you didn't mess with the float height adjustment. I'd look at things that were disturbed during the job. the bike is going on 15yrs so any and all rubber parts are suspect.....
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,109
Likes: 37
From: Boise Idaho
You did put 1 size to large idle jet in it's suppose to be a 45 not a 46. Being that the bike is a 95 you might want to pull the carb and disassemble it and clean the entire carb make certian your intake gaskets are ok and make certian that vacuum petcock is working, also pop in a new set of plugs and set the idle mixture screw out 2.5 turns.
Thread Starter
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4th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, Oh
Thanks for all the messages. It does have a vacuum petcock. The hose seemed fine and it appears as though it is getting gas to the carb. After this happened the first time, I put the old jets back in and I had gas in the carb that needed to be drained. But maybe the hose is just bad enough to where it's not giving enough fuel. I purchased a stage 1 kit, and I thought the pilot was going to be 45, but the number on it says 46. It has a K&N filter on it. I haven't messed with it at all, so maybe cleaning it could be a good idea. I must have touched the float or something to make it do this. And it does sound like it's not getting enough fuel. I just can't figure out why it would work the night I did it and then the next day it wouldn't. I appreciate all the responses. I am worried I may just mess it up more if I go in the carb. I was trying to save money by doing it myself, guess that didn't work out.