Just go buy a set of new plugs. You have nothing to lose but $10!

the plug has to be grounded for the spark to jump. Make sure you lay the threads against the motor for the spark to occurr.

 

Actually I leave pickup trucks ($5,000 ones but still) parked for a full year without turning over, parked outside yet, and have no problem with anything other than maybe the battery dying over winter if I don`t keep it charged. Never had a problem with spark or fuel. And yes that`s an EFI engine too. I knew I may have fuel problems, but not spark, which is what I find odd.

As I said to someone else, there may be condensed water in there, but there was very little 8 month old gas, now diluted at least in the tank with half tank of fresh stuff. But yes the portion down in the injectors and filters may be old, from the very little I know about these things being so new to them. I`ve rebuilt snowmobile motors and clutches and had the top end off a four stroke dirt bike, and adjust valves etc. but nothing to do with a Harley. Anyway it has 98% fresh gas but I`ll add some stuff to it, injector cleaner and isopropyl (I understand methanol harms rubber o-rings so better to get the more $ isopropyl alcohol), maybe even draining everying. But again I suspect I should only do that if I get spark and it still doesn`t go so that may be putting the cart before the horse.

As for the fuel pump, that`s a good tip, I`ll open the cap to listen. However every time I turn the bar button to `start` I can hear something whirring away a couple seconds before I crank the started, and assumed that must be the fuel pump charging up pressure for the EFI, so not sure I need to open the cap.

Actually I was going to do an oil change right away if it started so I could get the oil up to operating temp to drain fully. I have Harley full synthetic oil (or semi - I forget, but not mineral anyway, even though I really hummed and hawed about the extra cost, my engine pinged in hot weather so a dealer recommended synthetic oil to lower operating temps and an oil cooler that I haven`t gotten yet, as well as the obvious running of premium....when in cooler weather again, like 20 C, it does not ping anymore so that seems to say something). But yes I`m definately doing an oil change. I was thinking I should do it before storage, but then I figured there`d be condensation over winter ruining my expensive $13/L oil so didn`t, and hope water and contaminants in the oil over winter haven`t created any corrosion or deposits. Speaking of that, do you think any shellac or whatever in the EFI system can be removed simply by adding a good dose of injection system cleaner? I know that seems obvious it would, or it wouldn`t be called that, but maybe they don`t work very well for serious varnish problems which requires disassembly and soaking as with snowmobile carbs.

I`ll be sure to heed your advice and any others I`ve obtained from the rest of you fine gentlemen so I don`t have to go through this again next year. I forgot how long it is between riding seasons up here! Plus took my snowmobile and dirt bike reliability too much for granted, when I may just have been lucky there, and I just had to push my luck. As for spark....yes I know first hand you don`t need compression to get a spark. I`ve been jolted before when holding the cap and cranking to check for spark. It really wakes you up and leaves little doubt in your mind whether you have spark or not.

Thanks a lot everyone for all your amazingly fast help on this.

 

I would for sure but all stores are closed today! I just have a bad feeling it won`t be so simple, but rather an ignition coil or something, because they worked perfect when I parked it. I know fuel can deteriorate over 8 months.....but a spark plug? It just doesn`t make sense to me, and suspect its too much of a coincidence that BOTH would go at the same time, and the very next time its started in the spring no less. The probability against that happening would be like winning the lottery. Same goes for the coil(s) working the last few revolutions of the engine in the fall, but failing like everything eventually fails but on the first few revolutions in the spring! Barring varmints targetting my engine`s ignition system of course. But surely cold weather alone even over 8 months or 4 years shoudln`t hurt a spark plug or it`s wiring. Fuel system yes, but not the plugs, which will always be a mystery to me.

When I did it, I pushed the plugs into the caps securely, and put the threads or the grounding electrode on the fins from what I recall. I`ll try again though to be sure.

 

Got the seat off and access to top of battery to charge it (it`s nearly dead....somehow in the hour between tries, it scrounges up more power from somewhere which doesn`t makes sense, since it was pretty much done a couple hours ago and I tried again and there was for sure more juice than the last time). Anyway while there, I figured I better ensure the plugs were grounded properly and re-cranked. Nothing but at one point I got a good spark a few times in the lead cylinder`s plug but it never came back even though I mimmicked the contact with the threads/fins. I`m thinking there`s a possibility there`s no spark presently due to very low cranking speed? It did it near the start, like 2 or 3 pretty healthy flashes, then no more after cranking got weary. The rear one didn`t fire once even though I was grounding it identically. BUT I had to say I did get a bit of spark on the one, even though only for a short period and a few arcs before going dead.

Anyway I`m charging it now, but need to know if this battery is 6v or 12v so I don`t hook it up on the wrong setting, and it doesn`t say anything on top of the battery. I`ll google it and hope I find it....I really wish the previous owner had the foresight to have an owner`s manual. That`s just stupid not having one of those at least, so I have to go buy one I guess, though for the price of these they should come with the bike but this could have been the Harley dealer`s personal bike and he didn`t give it to the guy I bought it from. I also added fuel injector cleaner (Quaker State) into the half tank of new gas, and isopropyl according to the directions. That`ll sit in there softening, cleaning and dewatering things until the batteries fully charged and the new plugs are in....if after charging a spark check proves at least 1 plug is shot.

 

12 volt negative ground and yes if the battery is low it will use most of the energy to turn the engine over ...you need to deep charge the battery over night on 2 amps also remove and clean the terminals and make sure they are tight when re-installed...sounds like the battery is actually pretty good if it has turned the bike over all this time you have been trying it without charging it in between efforts ...if you saw spark with a low battery charge it up to full and it should start witha fresh set of plugs .... no crappy tire store near you? I know they will be closed today Canada day but you should be able to get a set of plugs there to morrow

 

its a 12 volt system. and you want to charge it on the lowest amperage setting. it may take longer to charge, but it'll be better for the battery.

*edit* oldwilly is a faster typist than i am

 

Got it on a CTech (borrowed it) charger that BMW recommends so it`ll be much better than the Motomaster car unit that trickle charges at 2A while this is 0.8A. Plus this one won`t over-charge but baby the battery which is apparently important. I`ll leave it overnight if necessary, depends on when the light goes green or whatever, and get the new plugs. Home Hardware might have them, or NAPA, since we don`t have Canadian Tire, since tomorrow`s Saturday. I`m getting a little more optimistic anyway, given I have a decent charger on it and have the fuel injection cleaner and isopropyl soaking in there overnight. I just hope its not something more serious. Anyway, at 0.8 A it may take quite a bit longer than at 2 A but that`s okay, maybe it`ll still be topped up by morning. I`ll also consider cleaning the terminals while its all exposed and tighten her up good.

Oh and I never found any signs of varmints which is good.

 

I`ve done a bunch of searches and came to the conclusion the spark plug gap should be .038-.043 so I`ll go .04 (that spec was for a 2007 Ultra Glide Classic 96 ci and my 08 is a Glide Classic 96 ci).

Spark plug type to buy if I have a choice....the ones I have are in the bike now so I forget the number but they didn`t say Champion but Harley (though likely are made by Champion). I`m not getting fancy with Iridium or SplitFire, but with no Harley shop it`ll be Champion or NGK. RockyMountain sells Champion RA8HC and NGK DCPR7E, not sure if those are the stock heat range or not. I say that because one post said he pinged like I do when the hotter plugs were in, and when he put stock heat range Champion ones in that were cooler, it stopped the pinging. I don`t know if NGK is any better than Champion, but since Harley plugs are likely re-badged Champions, and buddy with the pinging issue found stock heat range Champions solved his pinging problem (NGK`s may too but hey), I`ll try to get the Champions.

Heading out to buy them now, battery is still charging probably because it`s only .8 A trickle, and soon it`ll all come together to see if my trip will be a go or if I`m in for a lot of stress in the next few days if this is more serious.

 

Well there`s good news and bad (confusing/illogical/frustrating) news - First the good news: The battery is fully charged, and after 2 minutes of panic when it wouldn`t so much as engage the starter due to being in first gear, I clicked it into Neutral and it cranked. I also initially got a few powerful sparks out of the old plugs, but lost it, and after much repositioning of the plugs on different metal objects and parts of the plug, never got any more despite several repositioning/cranking episodes. So I put in my new 0.04 gapped Champions (with never-seize on threads even) into the caps and again got a few initial sparks but then nothing at all no matter what I did afterward. Correction - once I put the rear plug on the head bolt and got a spark or two but lost it again. On a couple occasions I noticed fuel coming out the spark plug hole to the point I was worried any spark I did get would ignite it and set everything up in flames including me, so I have fuel at least.

Now the good news: I was just about to give up when ironically I remembered someone suggesting they won`t spark if not installed due to no compression. That theory was soundly debunked, but I thought maybe with threads fully engaged I`d know for sure I had proper contact/grounding and it just might work. With nothing to lose I torqued them in and tried. To my utter dismay it started very quickly without much or any throttle if I recall, ran a bit, so was getting spark NOW but after maybe 10 seconds it died. Unfazed at this early point and highly optimistic, I tried re-starting without throttle but nothing, no sign of life, so I gradually increased it up to WOT while cranking and finally it roared to life with some initial roughness that quickly went away! I couldn`t believe it and I was smiling for the entire time it was running, smoothly yet, but I kept the throttle open a bit to make sure I didn`t lose what I`d gained too quickly, trying to warm it up a bit before letting go. However as I went down from 2000 to 1500 and near 1000 rpm I started thinking it doesn`t sound like it wants to continue without the throttle. I ran it at higher idle a bit more and thought I`d try it since its no good having a bike that doesn`t idle. Sure enough it stalled even when gradually removing throttle (I didn`t chop it). I tried cranking with no throttle again and nothing, so WOT and it got up running again but the same issue happened.

Like I said it has 98% fresh gas in there, and it did run at high idle on what was in the inj system (not sure how much running it takes to get what`s in the lines through....or if that matters in the current situation or is causing any of this), and I added half a bottle of inj system cleaner plus isopropyl left overnight. Why in hell would it have no spark at all when tested with plugs outside the engine but properly set in caps and grounded, yet start and run when plugs are installed in the heads??? Why does it high idle with some throttle, but won`t idle anymore when it always did up until storage? Is it possible the spark is intermittent and usually absent when the electronic (no cable) throttle is closed or near closed, which is why when testing spark with no throttle of course, I get no spark, yet starts WITH throttle with plugs installed and then only continues to run with some throttle at certain rpm`s over say 1000 rpm? Seems unlikely but I have no idea how that electronic throttle works and all I know is I have no throttle when testing and get no spark, and it only starts and runs WITH some throttle. I could test this of course by removing plugs and testing for spark with the throttle open and then closed I suppose. Anyway the spark thing is the most baffling/illogical, but what can cure the idle thing, and how would that be caused by poor (no) storage procedure, which I can assure you I`ll do from now on? Are these symptoms of bad fuel in the inj system lines (not in the tank - that`s fresh and should be all diluted with the tiny bit of bad stuff in the tank) or a clogged fuel filter?

This is my last day off before Tuesday so hopefully something can be done. It`s still early morning here so I have all day - but time flies. Also if it IS a fuel filter (that worked fine in the spring again, so maybe they can be varnished over somehow) there`s no dealer to buy one unless there`s generic types at NAPA Harley specifies that can work. I`m going to try running it at high idle for maybe 10 minutes to burn the fuel in the lines to see if that helps but otherwise I`m starting to lose hope. And now it`s raining outside....argggg! Yes I`m working on it outside due to aforementioned extremely crowded garage. Now that I found it does in fact start so long as I`m on the throttle and runs with throttle only, I could get it in there if I make room but I think the rain`ll stop soon and its nicer working out of the confines of that nasty place.

 

I can confirm that they will NOT fire with the plugs out of the heads...The crank sensor will not let it fire in a no compression condition.