1978 fxef coneshovel problems

[Hoghead]

I will check the other things first also like jb said. Payed 300bucks for a new coil and dyna s ignation all is new. I give it 2 prime kicks and then ignition on and choke on bang 1 kick engine is going 2 seconds and stalls en then 10kicks choke no choke e eventually gets going thats not good. Tomorrow will now the compression of my cilinders. Had little time to check on my bike. Im grateful for the answers already im getting. Its a big learning curve for me. I know a little bit did my own maintenance but that is not so hard. Since i did transmission oil on it and had it running last time a big oil spill on the ground hope it was just a bit much about 700ml on it. No leaks while it just sits there.

I wouldn't let the shop off the hook yet... it could be their workmanship or even a faulty unit.

[Tattooo]

Every time my shovel went from 2 kicks to 200 kicks it was the plugs.

Yep that's why I asked how old the plugs are in my first post......

[geof]

Spark plugs changed in the meanwhile to champion instead of orginal harley plugs still same problem. Will check the carb how big the jetting and standard settings but still you need to set it up correct a carb. The mecanic from the garage told me my carb is no good,best replace it with a keihin cv carb and no more problems he said but dont believe him that much anymore..

[geof]

Samhain what do you mean by using it sparingly. So it can be caused by a to big of jet

[Tattooo]

The mecanic from the garage told me my carb is no good,best replace it with a keihin cv carb and no more problems he said but dont believe him that much anymore..

Yep don't believe him anymore...... I don't like S$S carbs either but I don't think the carb is all of your problem....

[Tattooo]

Samhain what do you mean by using it sparingly. So it can be caused by a to big of jet

I believe he was referring to your enrichener.....

[Guest]

Samhain what do you mean by using it sparingly. So it can be caused by a to big of jet

Not to use it too much. If you need choke to start, go ahead. But get it turned off as soon as you can.

I switch over to throttle pretty much as soon as it starts, less than 30 seconds on the stubborn starts days.

the cv is a much better carb, but s&s are proven also, they will work just fine.

[geof]

Thanks guys, just checked the compression..front cilinder 30psi sounds very low and rear cilinder 90psi what is normal psi for shovelhead 1340cc. But never noticed low power it rides good and have power when i give it gass? Pushrods or valve?

[Guest]

Thanks guys, just checked the compression..front cilinder 30psi sounds very low and rear cilinder 90psi what is normal psi for shovelhead 1340cc. But never noticed low power it rides good and have power when i give it gass? Pushrods or valve?

Normal depends on your comp ratio, 90 is fine but they need to be within a couple pounds of each other. They’ll move along on one cylinder. Time for a leak down test.

[Tattooo]

Thanks guys, just checked the compression..front cilinder 30psi sounds very low and rear cilinder 90psi what is normal psi for shovelhead 1340cc. But never noticed low power it rides good and have power when i give it gass? Pushrods or valve?

Yep just as I thought...... Low compression, it looks like it's time for a top end job........

Damn I hate it when I'm right.......

[geof]

Leak down test,how do i do this? And top end is it costly? So its not an easy fix like valves or pushrods,it is the low compression that makes it hard to start also? Thanks for helping a lot im all new to this and will try to do as much as i can without bringing it to a shop. Learning as we go

[Tattooo]

Leak down test,how do i do this? And top end is it costly? So its not an easy fix like valves or pushrods,it is the low compression that makes it hard to start also? Thanks for helping a lot im all new to this and will try to do as much as i can without bringing it to a shop.

Yes low compression will have it hard to start and it will also make a plug look carbon fouled like yours did....

A top end job doesn't have to be expensive unless you start buying things you don't need......... Like making way more horse power than you need etc...... Keep it simple and as stock as you can.....

No you shouldn't need any push rods....

[JBinNC]

First, adjust the valves and do a compression check again. You must hold the throttle wide open when doing the compression test. If you are kicking the motor to test, the final numbers may be lower than if you were to use an electric starter. You need to kick it briskly of course, and look at the gauge reading on the first and second kick, and compare both cylinders. Continue until the reading tops out. The two cylinders should be within 10% of each other on all readings.
If the front cylinder is still low after a valve adjustment, you are going to need to pull at least the front head, so a leak check, while informative, is not really necessary.
I hope that you find that with a valve adjustment, your front and rear numbers will be similar.

Jim

[TriNortchopz]

did you check valve adjustment? If a valve is held open due to to tight clearance would not allow compression to build. Adjust pushrods first.

[geof]

Thanks for the reply’s,but damn so confusing one says you need a top rebuild meaning cilinderheads and valve i think? One other says check pushrods. Better check them first and i did kick it without the throttle open maybe thats why..but it could be like tattoo says need to rebuild. Dont forget im a newbie at this,sorry if am sometimes slow