REPRINT FROM OLD HTT: STURGIS ROAD PROBLEM

[ClassicRider2002]

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A REPRINT TOPIC FROM "OLD" HTT

I have saved many great topical discussions as "links" over the years and would hate to see these lost, so I am reprinting this TOPIC here, which may "perhaps" help some.

TOPIC:  STURGIS ROAD PROBLEM  08-10-05


From: ClassicRider2002  (Original Message) Sent: 8/10/2005 11:01 AM       Message 1 of 39 in Discussion   

Yesterday was riding my 2002 RKC (fuel injected) everything was working fine....going down the highway between 70 mph and sometimes hitting the occassional 90 mph when passing...bike was running very strong and had been for several days....(Sturgis Trip) was about 60 miles from home....when all of a sudden the bike started to miss and cough when put under load....and if I let up on the throttle it would run smooth....after about 7 miles of this (maintaining a speed of 65 so for about 8 or 9 minutes) I decided something was amiss....it wasn't necessarily getting worse just continuing so I thought perhaps I should pull over and check it out.....I had just refilled the bike with gas about 60 miles previous.....up until this point the bike had been running smooth with no problems or hiccups....

After pulling off I decided to check the plugs out on the highway and so I pulled them and they looked perfect, but looking for anything that might be causing my "symptoms" I said what the heck might as well change the plugs to make sure....so while they were out I poped some new ones in.....

When this began (and prior to changing the plugs) while the bike wasn't under load or while running at idle it was running smooth...after the plugs were changed the bike did not change characteristics it would still run smooth at idle but when going into second gear or under load the bike would cut out and miss...as if it were running only one one cylinder......or being "starved for fuel".

(Now I have a Power Commander)...but because my bike was loaded down with "stuff" I didn't bother to try undoing the power commander and running the bike through the STOCK Electronic Module....Also I was NOT getting any black smoke...and because the plugs were not fouled I decided to "limp" home.....so for the next 40 miles I rode the bike....and when I would hit a slight upgrade requiring more of a load it would miss and cough as if it were running on one cylinder.....and running out of gas....it never wanted to actually die nor did it die but it was running extremely rough.....and it would really miss and sputter but when that slight upgrade turned to a slight down hill or if I let up on the throttle and there was no load being placed on the bike it would not show the symptoms and it would run smooth....but those symptoms would return quickly when again put under load....

Then all of a sudden after about 20 miles of these symptoms without any notice....it simply started running perfect again.....no misses or anything, when the bike was under load it also ran perfect...and for about 10 miles I couldn't get it to replicate what it had been doing since it happened.....it ran smooth as silk...I took it up to 90 miles an hour and it just didn't matter it ran like glass again.....smooth......under load or at a slight idle when releasing the throttle......I thought great it must have been some fuel and I ran it out.....but with 10 miles left to go before arriving at home it came right back....without any specific reason leading up to it....and then once again it stopped doing it only this time much shorter....and then began again....and so I decided to drive it directly to my indy's shop.....to see what he thought......and will be leaving it there for the next week until they can get to it........

While at least initially looking at it he has thought perhaps it could be one of three possibililites the power commander, or perhaps he said it might be spark plug wires, or perhaps a fuel injector......the bike has 15,000 miles on it....the power commander was put on when the bike had approx 8,000 miles on it and there are "newer" spark plug wires.....which are the Sumax Spark Plug Wires Taylor Pro Motorcycle Wires also put on at approximately the same time....

So can any one else offer up some ideas.....or thoughts?

The bike ran completely fine going up to Sturgis (about 1,100 mile trip in total) and up until 60 miles back.....running in all sorts of different senerios......

So my questions are these.....out on the road what would you have all done......(noting that I did check the spark plugs and they looked great) would you have ridden it back home? What else would you have done out on the road?

I immediately thought that it might be my coil...but unlike my FXR2 where I had a coil wire issue....this one on my classic seems to be a "plug and play" with no wires being available to come "loose"........but it sure acted like a coil....the interesting thing was that there was no black smoke or no "fouled" plugs.....

It shows me I still have so much to learn....it's a rather helpless feeling when you stare at a bike and you don't know what's causing a problem but you know something is.....that's why I am bringing it here to see what you all would have done.....in my circumstance as well as what you might attrtibute to the problem....fortunately it was still daylight fortunately it wasn't raining......I certainly love the ride of this bike......last summer it went on a 4,200 mile trip without a problem.....

Part of my question is when do you decide when you shouldn't continue down the road for fear of hurting your engine?

I am determined to know all three of my bikes very well....maybe I won't understand other bikes problems but I want to know my three in and out....even if it's the end of me....so here is a "problem" I hope to learn about and another reason I am bringing it to you all here......

I put up with all week from a buddy who rides a metric cruiser about HD's breaking down....we all know the jokes....and of course mine breaks down....and to tell you the truth it's frustrating know what I mean?

I would appreciate any feed back or input....to help with my knowledge base and perhaps to guide the indy mechanic as well.....

Thanks bunches!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,

"Classic"

[ClassicRider2002]

From: springer95 Sent: 8/10/2005 11:33 AM                                                     Message 2 of 39 in Discussion
my first inclination would be the gas... May have water and or contaminants. Since it started right after you got gas. Fouling an injector...I had the simular  problem on my carbed bike at Laconia .. I pulled the pet"potty mouth!" off the tank and was pleasantly surprised by about a 6 oz of water at the bottom of the drain pail.. 


From: A. Pendejo Sent: 8/10/2005 11:33 AM                                                     Message 3 of 39 in Discussion
Intank fuel line, remove the canopy and check for pinhole leaks.


Sent: 8/10/2005 11:45 AM                                                                                      Message 4 of 39 in Discussion
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.


From: springer95 Sent: 8/10/2005 11:54 AM                                                     Message 5 of 39 in Discussion
The fuel line will make the engine cut out  but usaully wont  clear untill u put more gas in the tank.. When the fuel is above the hole everythin is fine below it and it starts to suck air..

As 2002 stated "Then all of a sudden after about 20 miles of these symptoms without any notice....it simply started running perfect again.....no misses or anything, when the bike was under load it also ran perfect...and for about 10 miles I couldn't get it to replicate what it had been doing since it happened.....it ran smooth as silk..."

I would check the fuel first then make sure no fuel lines worked loose and are close to the engine causing vapor lock. Was it extremly hot ? maybe the engine was running hot and the management system kicked in, My OLs FI Fatboy has done this but its usually  around town sitting in traffic..only one that does at times even though we ride with several that have FI. Guess some are more sensitive to heat than others.

Also keep in mind that some gas stations will add an Alcohol dry gas if water is found in the tanks and will cause the gas to vapor lock at lower temps..
 

From: ClassicRider2002 Sent: 8/10/2005 12:07 PM                            Message 6 of 39 in Discussion
I should have noted that i was with 2 other bikes....who both put in the same fuel as I did...the carb bike and I shared the same nozel....mine was filled first however....put in about 3.5 gallons...one was fuel injected and the other one was a carb.....but these two bikes did not exhibit the problems at all......

Also to be clear I went 60 miles after this refueling with a full tank occurred before any problems...which for me is just under a third of tank that was used......

And on this day it was about 77 degrees and overcast.......not real hot at all.....and I would think this problem was weather unrelated.....the bike was in much hotter weather days previously.....Thank you for your responses so far........

Regards,

"Classic"
    

From: RespectedTompat Sent: 8/10/2005 12:22 PM                                                Message 7 of 39 in Discussion
EFI bikes need the stock OEM plug wires only! Might not be your problem, but I would fix this anyway.


From: Puhb1 Sent: 8/10/2005 12:46 PM                                                               Message 8 of 39 in Discussion
I don't discount any of the other suggestions, bu also another possibility may be a pinched injector wire where they plug into the injector near the wire ties.


From: low_rider1979 Sent: 8/10/2005 1:25 PM                                                        Message 9 of 39 in Discussion
is your gas tank sealed? I had sealant particles floating around, especially after I filled it.  I also had a similar experience, took the tank off and flushed and plucked all the loose sealant out that appeared.  Not saying this is the problem, but one more thing you can eliminate?


From: rchiu74 Sent: 8/10/2005 1:33 PM                                                                Message 10 of 39 in Discussion
That sounds just like what happened to me last week.  I had the exact same problem, and just got my bike from the shop.  What the tech said was the wiring for the front injector was pinched or about to give out from the vibration of the engine(he showed me the little sucker, the wire coating was fine but the copper inside snapped from engine vibrating, that's why it would work sometimes but sometimes it won't).  Actually I think harley said something on their board about this, that the front injector wire is too close to the frame and under load causes it to pinch and fray to the point it would break.
   

Sent: 8/10/2005 2:16 PM                                                                                          Message 11 of 39 in Discussion
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
 

From: MeBucko Sent: 8/10/2005 2:29 PM                                                              Message 12 of 39 in Discussion
Give the bike a good "going over" and do the touchy feely check. Touch every wire, every connector and every contact for a loose connection. The road vibration may have caused a ground connection to vibrate a bit loose, causing your symtoms. Just as it came, the engine/road vibration may have "sealed" it back togeather as well.  I do this method every time I wash my bike, and check for loose nuts and bolts as well.


From: fltri Sent: 8/10/2005 2:43 PM                                                                   Message 13 of 39 in Discussion
Like mentioned earlier the 2 biggest chinks in the systems come from:
1) Breaking/Broken injector wire
2) Fuel line worn thru in the tank - works fine with full tank because the hole/holes are covered.
Hope this gets you back on the road again soon, Bob


From: Ricinflorida Sent: 8/10/2005 3:29 PM                                                           Message 14 of 39 in Discussion
I would consider going back to Harley Plug wires. The SE's are around $13.00. Some have reported problems with aftermarket wires.

The last bike I messed with that had a problem like yours turned out to be one of the injector wires on the outside it looked fine,but the copper wire inside had clearly broken away. I would like to tell you I found it and quickly repaired it. But to be honest a friend came in that really enjoys playin with the electrics told him what it was doing and in few he had it figured out. I'm not certain what he did but he checked the continunity of each wire and found one that was bad. Once he located it he spliced a short piece of wire in, taped the solder conections and covered it with a shot piece of heat shrink tubing and the problem was solved.

Of course as some have stated it could be the fuel line as well. If it is small hands makes replacing it easier. But the other things might be easier to check first.

Ric


From: ΞFasterĚđ» Sent: 8/10/2005 3:42 PM                                                           Message 15 of 39 in Discussion
I have sure heard of a multitude of folks with that same injector wire problem. I'd surely have to check that first, after hearing of it some darn many times (if I had those symptoms).


From: fltri Sent: 8/10/2005 4:02 PM                                                                     Message 16 of 39 in Discussion
One thing to think of:
If it were the wire it shouldn't be sensitive to fuel level. So if you know that the bike will run good with a full tank look there first.  If it is the wire it will not be predictable.
Hope this helps, Bob

[ClassicRider2002]

   

From: ezbagr Sent: 8/10/2005 4:09 PM                                                  Message 17 of 39 in Discussion
I had the same problem that you are describing earlier this year-turned out that I had
a plugged fuel filter. Sometimes it would ru ok and then other times it would cutout-
if you kept opening the throttle more as it was doing this it would get worse-if you
closed the throttle and then stated opening back up it seemed to help clear it  up.


From: deucehi Sent: 8/10/2005 4:16 PM                                                      Message 18 of 39 in Discussion
Check the hot engine sensor, located on back of  first cylinder by the horn. My '02 Deuce missed then ran fine at high speed, next week started right up would run for about half mile and stall, wouldn't start, have to wait for ten minutes then would start but die if you tried to roll the throttle. Took it in for service, they cleared it of trouble code "no contact w/ignition", tech did test ride said it was ok, $170 repair bill. I picked it up & drove off, 1  mile later bikes stalls and won't start, now I'am PO. Get it back to dealer,  running red lights so as not chancing it stalling again. Tech clears same trouble code, reloads the ECM, starts the bike-runs ok, tech takes bike of  lift and gets ready for test run-bike wont start. I tell em keep the bike and figure out whats wrong. Dealer calls & says they have to change the ECM, 5 days later I pick up the bike everything OK. They changed the hot engine sensor only. Dealer charges for part only no additional labor.
   

From: 708RevJim1 Sent: 8/10/2005 5:54 PM                                                 Message 19 of 39 in Discussion
I had similar problem with the Taylor Plug wires on a trip last year. On the way home from North Carolina I stopped in a Harley Davidson dealership and put on the Scream'n Eagle wires. To this day no more problems. I don't believe the Taylor wires are very good.
Just me 2 cents. Rev Jim................. 


From: ClassicRider2002 Sent: 8/10/2005 6:19 PM                     Message 20 of 39 in Discussion
There sure does sound to be a consistant theme here....I am taking notes....and will highlight all of these items being listed and present them to the indy mechanic.....also I am going to go out and purchase some screamin eagle plugs...hey Rev Jim what was the part number of the ones you purchased last summer?

Thanks everyone.....I hope you will keep the comments coming.....at least this arms me with some things for the indy to quickly check.....I know he was sratchin his head....I am surprised no one has spoken to a completely bad fuel injector.....as being the culprit yet.....but perhaps the wiring leading to the fuel injector seems to be a theme...that or the fuel tank.....if a fuel injector "fouls" is it history?  How much are fuel injectors?  If it were to have caused the fuel injector to foul would you put another OEM one in?

If you were going to break this down.....it has to be either electrical, or fuel....right?

I personally appreciate all of your inputs.....

No one has said whether they would have continued to ride the bike.....or if in the circumstances that were offered as personal experiences whether you were forced to make such a decision.....I am still curious about how to make such a decision....when you are out on the road.....I suppose if I would have kept going and it would have eventually "died" then I would have my answer....but the wierd thing is that it got better for about 10 miles.....and of course no black smoke or fouled plugs......

Still reading all input....and formalizing what to learn from this....

Regards,

"Classic"


From: ΞFasterĚđ» Sent: 8/10/2005 6:25 PM                                                Message 21 of 39 in Discussion
       From: 708RevJim1 Sent: 8/10/2005 6:54 PM
       I had similar problem with the Taylor Plug wires on a trip last year.

That would be a fairly inexpensive thing to switch. I have heard before, about the  HD ECM's being fussy about spark plug wires (triggering codes and such). Kept me from getting some pretty ones for sure.
   

From: 708RevJim1 Sent: 8/10/2005 6:38 PM                                    Message 22 of 39 in Discussion
Sorry Classic, But I do not have the part number for the wires. Bought them in Winchester, VA. (great people to deal with) on my way home to Massachusetts.
Rev Jim.............
And by the way. I would have done the same thing you did and ride the bike home. The worst thing that could have happened was the bike would have died and you would have been walking home.


From: fltri Sent: 8/10/2005 9:50 PM                                                         Message 23 of 39 in Discussion
"also I am going to go out and purchase some screamin eagle plugs"
Please save your money and simply put the stock plugs back in. The Delphi ECM expects to see voltage reture from the stock plugs.
I know the screamin' Eagle pluge are sure a draw thru the MOCO's marketing, but I have seen NOTHING POSITIVE on the dyno and actually seen 1-2 hp loss with the "FORKED TONGUE" spark plugs.
The spark will jump to only one of the "tines" at a time that leaves whatever other "tine" as an obstruction to the flame front.
Just $.02 - Bob


From: Cold.Rider Sent: 8/11/2005 4:52 AM                                                  Message 24 of 39 in Discussion
Good money says it's the front injector wire/connector.  Easy to change out. Most good HD Tech's have been keeping a couple of these in their tool boxes for the 02 bikes.  Classic symptoms.

     

From: Larrym Sent: 8/11/2005 3:06 PM                                                      Message 25 of 39 in Discussion
I'll throw another vote for the injector wire, I'm getting similar probelms with my '02 FLHRI and so far if I reach in and adjust the wire a bit the problem goes awy for a while. Next rainy weekend I will be pulling the tank and fixing it.
     

From: Panmankb Sent: 8/11/2005 4:25 PM                                              Message 26 of 39 in Discussion
UHHH, sorry, guess who SE buys their plug wires?? Ya got it, Taylor and Mallory. The SE plugs are bought from Champion. SE manufactures nothing but heads, the rest comes from the aftermarket under a license agreement. SE just ups the price 30+% and waits for the sheep.


From: ClassicRider2002 Sent: 8/19/2005 10:36 AM                   Message 27 of 39 in Discussion
Hello All.....

Update Time:

Thank you all for your input thus far.......my bike has been at the shop since I began this discussion so I thought I would provide an update....perhaps this will be interesting to some for background and for others to actually still offer your suggestions....

The offered input has been EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you...

When I dropped the bike at the shop originally they told me it would be a week before they could get to it....no problem with that....so I waited until Tuesday afternoon (August 16th) to make a quick call.....nothing was done yet....went in Wednesday (August 17th) 5:00pm to check on status....and when I walked in the mechanic told me bike was fixed....I had only asked that the problem be diagnosed not actually "fixed" and for them to call me so that I could participate in any decisions on how to fix it.....so when I was told this I went hmmm...."yep, we fixed it"  we regapped to your plugs they were gapped at 25k and 41k....(if you remember from my original post I mentioned out on the road that I replaced the spark plugs and regapped them out on the road about 65 miles from "home" trying to see if that would help....) so when I was told this I knew it hadn't fixed the problem....I took it out for a test ride....and sure enough after going through the warm up process and then riding the bike....it ran perfectly for about 2 miles and then it all came back....I turned around immediately road back to the shop  and politely informed them that the "regapping" of the plugs was not the issue.....so then they did several more checks....they put a pressure gauge to make sure I didn't have a "fuel line" pin hole leak in the correated plastic fuel line tubing that is inside the tank....and that checked out fine....so that's not it....then they put new spark plug wires temporarily on it that did not change it.....so it's not that either, then they tried to put a "temporary" coil on the bike....but didn't have a right one to check it with...they were going to perhaps pull one off another bike so that I didn't have to go to HD purchase one and find out that possibly was not the reason either....so I am in a wait and see mode right now...I thought I might jump back into the shop this afternoon and check on it again....

SO the list has potentially narrowed to:
1) coil
2) problem with wire leading to fuel injector
3) fouled fuel injector or injectors
4) bad fuel injector or injectors
5) perhaps I will take some contact cleaner and clean out all of my plug ins.....just to make sure that no plug ins have any condensation or corrosion.....

the "injectors" is my term not theirs....it probably could only be one of them since the bike seems to be running fine on "one" cylinder.

So far they don't even know which cylinder it is that is causing the problem....

Ok anyone with additional guidance?

Regards,

"Classic"

From: DropDodger Sent: 8/19/2005 10:48 AM                                            Message 28 of 39 in Discussion
This may sound stupid, but I've been bitten before. I've tried to stick to the very simplest thing first. Has anyone dumped out the gas and put in fresh gas? I know it may not be logical or match well to your symptoms, but stranger things have happened.
     

From: fastultradave Sent: 8/19/2005 11:02 AM                                        Message 29 of 39 in Discussion
As Cold Rider stated earlier, the front injector harness is a problem on that yaer/model. I believe it is due to how the harness is tie-wrapped too tight which causes the wires to break. This would be consistent with all your problems. Unfortunately not all indys are up to speed on efi.  FUD


From: ClassicRider2002 Sent: 8/19/2005 11:04 AM          Message 30 of 39 in Discussion
I don't think your question/comment is stupid at all.....but two other bikes were filled with the same gas mine was at the very same moment....one of them was a carb and other was also fuel injected.....they had no problems....

But I will bring that up to the mechanic again this afternoon....

Thanks 

Regards,

"Classic"


From: ROADKINGKIM Sent: 8/19/2005 12:13 PM                                         Message 31 of 39 in Discussion
Has anyone checked inside the fuel tank for debris, (tank inside coating flackingoff or crap in the fuel that is floating around and every now and then gets picked up by the fuel pump and cuts down on the fuel flow.) Thats where I'd start. Check inj. wire for impluse.. hope you find it. Kim

[ClassicRider2002]

   

From: DropDodger Sent: 8/19/2005 12:34 PM    Message 32 of 39 in Discussion
That's a good thought about debris in the tank or something like that. The symptom turning up after riding a little while could be something settling against the fuel filter, a fuel vent problem maybe? Just another thought...


From: Dakota Sent: 8/19/2005 2:48 PM   Message 33 of 39 in Discussion
I had a problem with my 03RK running rough. Turned out that the DFO on it had a component that moisture affected. I had power washed it to clean a mess from a leaking oil filter and must have got the DFO a little wet somehow. But when I dried it with a hair dryer, it started running fine again.
But I really think some of the other suggestions sound more like your problem. And I'd start with the broken injector wire.
Although debris in the tank can plug a filter/intake and then drop off when you shut it off, only to reblock it when it's started back up.


From: ultrafxr Sent: 8/19/2005 3:45 PM   Message 34 of 39 in Discussion
Similar problem on my '99 Ultra coming thru Chicago on Labor Day returning from the 100th.  Turned out to be the Power Commander - the cable from the Power Commander to the ECM was chafed and several very bare wires were making contact with the frame and shorting out.   


From: ClassicRider2002 Sent: 8/26/2005 11:59 PM   Message 35 of 39 in Discussion
Hello everyone.....

Well 13 business days later from taking my RKC in and here we are.....Friday evening.....I just got my bike back from my indy mechanic....I put 52 miles on the bike so it appears we satisfactorily found the problem.....Just to quickly recap what the indy did.....
1) bad gas was considered but nothing was done to confirm or deny this possiblity
2)  checked the fuel line that runs inside the tank for leaks by pressurizing it and no leaks were present or found.
3)  checked the spark plugs .....not fouled running ok...If you read my initial post I mention changing them out when I was out on the road wondering if it could be them....but apparently my buddy and I didn't gap them completely well enough as one of them was gapped at 25k instead of 41k.
4) The indy shop regapped the spark plugs thinking intially that this was my problem so I took it out for a ride and after doing so within 2 miles after warm up the engine returned to missing....
5)  checked spark plug wires by putting on a new set temporarily and did not make a difference still was missing....and basically running on one cylinder
6)  there was some chat about checking the Power Commander but that was not done either
7)  there was some chat also about checking the wiring connector to the front fuel injector.....
8 ) some chat about the fuel injector itself as well.

which now left perhaps either a fouled injector, or injectors, or a damaged injector, or perhaps a wiring problem as was suggested earlier that a front fuel injector wire/connector might be having a problem.....

If you read my entire first post you will recall that after this problem presented itself while riding home from Sturgis in which I was still about 67 miles away from home...and after having traveled approximately 270 miles on a cool summer day of around 77 degrees.

Once the problem/symptom developed I rode another  40 miles then at which point the problem/symptoms then left as quickly as they arrived.....for about 14 miles in which it ran once again perfectly.....and then as quickly as it left it returned.....perhaps speaking to some sort of "electrical" type of problem....

The key to this problem was indeed heat related when the bike was warmed up and as it first happened while the bike was running it didn't seem to be fuel....

The next effort by the indy mechanic was to replace the coil......PRESTO!!!!

So I thought I would let everyone know with this update it seems to have been the coil....the indy put an original HD replacement coil in....and at least around here they didn't have any in stock so it perhaps seems that it's not a "customary" problem. In fact for my indy dealer it's the first coil for a 2000 or so later bike that he has had to replace.   So hopefully that bit of news fairs well for me that this was a "wierd" or
"unnormal" occurance and thus not something that others will expect to see happening......

I know that  in posts #10, #24, and post #29 there was some specific mentioning about the wiring harness being too tight and causing the breaking of some wires after awhile on 2002 bikes I discussed this with my independent mechanic who was a tech at one time with HD and he informed me that this problem was specifically involving the soft tails and not the touring bikes...which mine is.....so I thought I would mention that here.....and perhaps someone here has better information than what my indy provided me or what others have here.....

All I know is that you guys really were helpful to me here.....I felt like after I communicated the problem to you all you gave me a road map to begin checking for solutions to...SO I THANK EACH and EVERYONE who participated!!!!!!!  I learned a great deal through this process.....

By the way the bill was $203.00 which included $100.00 for labor and approximately $96.00 for the HD coil....I felt like they treated me fair....I mean when you are "chasing" a problem and having to throw things at the bike to see what the problem is it can be fairly time consuming......it certainly had everyone stumped for awhile....at least I don't feel so foolish....I originally wondered if it could have been the coil early on.....With the help of this tech board and some experiences now at least I am learning some stuff....

So thank you to you all!!!!!

Regards,

"Classic"


From: DLD Sent: 8/27/2005 6:24 AM   Message 36 of 39 in Discussion
Classic:

That's great you found the problem and got it fixed, however, your Indy is incorrect about the injector wire problem.  It definetly is a problem on touring bikes, not just softails.  I chased the problem for quite a while before a wire on the front injector finally broke completely and I was down to one cylinder.  Spliced in a new injector plug and everything was fine.   


From: ClassicRider2002 Sent: 8/27/2005 9:52 AM   Message 37 of 39 in Discussion
Thanks DLD.....appreciate that input...and I will keep an eye on this and put this in my memory banks in case I have other future problems....

I suppose the only question on my mind now is.....can a "broken wire" as we are talking about be "over compensated" with a new coil for awhile....<~~~I suppose this is a question still left in my mind...meaning is it possible at all to have put a bandaid (the bandaid being the purchasing and installation of a new coil) over perhaps a "still" existing problem "potentially" of having in fact a "broken wire".....At some point as I gain more and more miles which seperates me from this experience it only makes sense that indeed my problem would have been isolated to the actual coil....if nothing else shows itself again.

The reason I ask all of this is that there was such a strong "leaning" towards the "broken wire" theory leading to an injector which might cause this problem but that determination one way or another was never really "investigated"  so....it still is in the back of my mind....

At what point does anyone or everyone feel if it were indeed a "broken wire" would it possibly take to show itself again...or do you think I would have already experienced it during my 52 mile ride yesterday?.....Essentially I am asking if a NEW COIL can over compensate for the potential of a "broken wire" leading to an injector problem and masking itself with the problems/symptoms I experienced?....If that is even possible.....or if it's basically remote.....I am preparing to take another trip in September and I just would like to have an idea about everyone/anyone's thoughts on the matter...

Also DLD one last point on what the indy was trying to share with me perhaps I wasn't quite clear or perhaps I feel it's better to not misquote what he was sharing with me just in case, but I think someone earlier was saying that HD had an official "posted" problem about this particular failure regarding the fact that the wire ties were too tight causing problems with the wiring connectors leading to the front injector connector....I believe my indy mechanic was speaking to that which would have been an HD official "posted" problem.  I once again perhaps I am wrong and would welcome such clarification!!!!! Once again thank you for your input!!!!!!

Regards,

"Classic"


From: DLD Sent: 8/27/2005 8:39 PM   Message 38 of 39 in Discussion
It's hard to determine just when you might experience more problems (if you do in fact have a bad wire).  I think I aggravated my problem because I installed a DFO with the harness this past spring so I was pulling on the injector plug and moving the wires around to get everything situated under the tank. When the front cylinder started missing, I was unhooking the DFO to make sure that wasn't the problem and moving the wires even more.  Eventually, I could see the insulation just didn't look quite right and when cut back, I could see the wire was broken.  You might try using a small stick to wiggle the wires around where they go into the injector plug just to see if your bike misses at all. 

Good luck...


From: HV® Sent: 8/27/2005 9:20 PM   Message 39 of 39 in Discussion
Just as a note..I have had a 03 Road glide and a 04 RK with broken IAT sensor wires lately...also had a 02 FLH with a broken injector wire..all rite at the connector...BUT they all showed up as codes on the DT... either current or Historic....