How many had their throttle plate shaft break?

[les]

I just had my vacation ruined by my HP Inc. throttle plate shaft snapping right where one of the bolts thread into.  It was luck that the bolt did not get sucked into the engine.  HP Inc says that this also happens on the H-D systems, such as the Delphi.  They now use a thicker shaft and a bearing to support the shaft.

How many out there have had this shaft fracture?

[Billy]

I've seen it a couple times on Delphi TBs.

[f-x-d-w-g]

  Left me stranded on the Long Island Expressway on a Saturday afternoon 350 miles from home.

A tool maker at work fabbed me a new half shaft from a grade 8 bolt and made it all work nice.  He couldn't completely replace the shaft since the bell crank for the cables is crimped or spin riveted to the shaft.  He used 4 screws through the throttle plate to secure everything.

I bought a takeoff TB from Mike52 and kept it in the basement for 2 years as a spare.  Before my recent 9K+ mile trip, I put on the takeoff unit just to be sure.

[r440]

Happened to me a month ago,HP fixed it for free,sent it out on a monday had it back on thursday,great service and people to deal with,the new one has a much easier action to it,they have upgraded the bearings in the T/B

[thealaskan©]

Man these new FI TC's... I have no idea what an HP is.......... Twin Cam for (pictures) for dummies?

[Sc00ter]

Man these new FI TC's... I have no idea what an HP is.......... Twin Cam for (pictures) for dummies?

HP = http://www.horsepowerinc.net/products/

[fxstdavew]

Anyone seen them before they totally fail, where on the shaft would you look for inspection? Any indication there was a problem before it happened?

[Clintster]

Mine has been in service since 03 and many miles.  I wonder was their a period of manufacture that was affected?

[tdrglide]

I had a factory one break on an 03 after about 40,000mi. Replaced it with a used take-off and a year later it broke too. I don't blip the throttle, I don't know why it broke. Now I'm using HPI throttle body. 10,000mi so far so good, but I check it for cracks every so often.

[les]

This is insane.  Has design and engineering gone downhill so far that a throttle body now becomes of high risk as an item that not only wears out but can destroy your engine in the process?  Not surprised that the American business is struggling.  Sad.

[Ratfade]

Had one break on my '00 eglide.

[88-fxr]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Harley Davidson, where "Shoddy R&D is our middle name" and "Denial is the best policy"!

[DblackmanC]

H-D ??
Most of what I'm seeing is HP, Inc. on modified engines!
Plus I don't see many people yelling??

[les]

When I went to HP Inc they had as many Delphi's on the shelf as they did their units.  My advice is that if you have a Delphi or HP Inc...be afraid.

[HV]

This reminds me of the " All HD Cranks are Twisting !!"  Ive yet to see ONE thats twisted.... and we have not seen ANY throttle shafts break .....


09 D 407s Cupping is another matter... 

[les]

I guess when I went to HP Inc and saw them on the shelf I must have been dreaming.  Thanks for setting me straight.

[hotroadking]

.....
09 D 407s Cupping is another matter... 

Yep I have that Issue need to get it sorted...

[fxstdavew]

Thanks HV.

[les]

Anyone seen them before they totally fail, where on the shaft would you look for inspection? Any indication there was a problem before it happened?

The warning sign I got right before it happened is that the throttle would appear to give a second or so burst of fuel when you let off the throttle.  It's as if the throttle would stick for a second or so after letting off.  If you experience this I would stop running the bike immediatly.  It was magic that the screw did not drop out and get sucked in.  In other words, if one of the bolts comes loose it will make the throttle plate sticky.

[Airglider]

Stock shaft, on an 04 Ultra w/ 50k,while doing a data run at WOT. Lost power but was able to limp it home. Thought it was a TPS shift (TCFI IID). Shaft broke at the left screw. Found it while checking TPS values. Got lucky nothing got sucked into the engine.

AG

[f-x-d-w-g]

I replied earlier (post 3) and have a few memories to add...

A few weeks before the throttle shaft broke, I noticed that the bike would not idle normally.  I now attribute this to the shaft being slightly twisted before breaking such that the TPS did not match the angle of the throttle plate.  The shaft broke at the left screw hole (as seen looking into the bore) and the screw was retained in the plate.

The tool maker who repaired the TB for me said that it looked like the left bearing was not pressed straight into the TB.  This would cause a continuous side load on the shaft and it stands to reason that the shaft would break at the weakest point - the screw hole closest to the bearing.

[LilEvilAmy]

We've seen a couple.  They look like this ...


[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[les]

Whew!  Maybe I'm not dreaming or hallucinating.  One of the things I was shown was that there was a redesign to the shaft where the shaft had a slot cut in the middle of it to have the throttle plate slide into then bolted, instead of just bolting to the side of the flat.  It was explained that this still did not offer the solution as it still had problems.  Apparently, it requires a larger shaft.

Is there anyone out there that can confirm that this slotted shaft is a redesign from H-D on the Delphi?

Again, the point of why I started this thread (I'm sure it's been discussed before and I've not paid attention) is that I never even considered this part of the engine as being something to monitor.  Cam chain tensioners, mainshaft race, shifter shaft seal, stator...all of those...yes.  But if this throttle plate shaft is something that needs oversight and attention and it can cause a bolt to be sucked into the engine (causing very bad things to happen) then if I can get just one more guy out there to avoid what I went through last weekend then I'll be happy about that.  This situation distroyed a weeks vacation that was planned for five months.  I did everything I knew...completely rebuilt engine, new transmission, new tires and wheel bearings...to avoid having a breakdown.  I just wish I would have been aware of the throttle plate shaft issue, which I now believe is not fiction but rather fact.

[texaskatfish]

*RACES out to Garage to HUG Gracie's carb*

[les]

I heard those words in my head as I was stuck five hours from home.  "I bet a carb would not have this problem."  However, I've since heard of this happeing with carbs on cars too, so I'm not sure about the extent of this problem.  I'm trying to get educated.