evo won't idle when cold

[dogface]

Hi: New here and new to EVO's!! I just bought a 95 fatboy with the following mods: S&S Super E, Andrews EV27, Vance & Hines Big Shots. No other engine mods that I'm aware of. The (perceived ??) problem seems to be that when cold, the engine won't stay running without the enrichener on. Even after the oil tank gets hot to the touch, if I turn off the enrichener it dies. I was able to ride it about a mile (30 deg.and no lisc.plate yet) and at the end of the ride, it did idle, without the enrichener, although a little rough. We now have 2 ft. of snow, so I won't be able to mess with it for a day or two, so I thought maybe some one here could point me in the right direction. I haven't messed with the carb adj"s. yet. Thanks for any words of wisdom!!!

[shovelmike]

If that engine is still 80 cu. in. the Super G is too big of a venturi for it. For fuel to be drawn out of the float bowl, through the jets ind into the air stream passing through depends on the air reaching a required velocity to develop the needed vacuum.
My suggestion is to change it back to a more appropriate size carburetor such as the Keihin with which it was originally equipped. If you can't easily locate one, go with Mikuni or other carb with 38-40 mm. venturi.

[evoKENevo]

Seems like I'm just following Shovel around all the topics today and agreeing with him but (uhh yeah) what he said

[dogface]

Hey Guys, thanks for the quick response. I just took a drive out to where the bike is stored and double checked the size of the carb. I just got the bike Wed. and didn't have my reading glasses with me (it's hell to be old)when I looked at the carb, anyway it is an "E" not G. From what I've read on the S&S site, I believe the E is the proper carb for a 1340, but I'll listen to your opinions on that, in the mean time I'll try to edit my original post, so as to not waste anyone else's time. Thanks again.

[evoKENevo]

I don't have much experience with S&S carbs but the E is what most guys around here are running on bikes like yours. So you should be good with that. Kinda wish you would'nt have edited/corrected your first post on this thread though...'cuz now it makes things look like Shovel and I can't read

Meanwhile you say you have'nt made any carb adjust'mts. So you may just need to diddle with your idle mix a bit for now...and again when the weather gets warmer and the air's less dense.

Oh,and,your ignition timing should be on the money before making any carb adjust'mts etc. Have you checked that ?

[dogface]

No I haven't checked the timing, or anything else yet. I got a service manual last night, and haven't had a chance to go thru it yet. I've been away from bikes for about 15 years now, and not real confident about tearing into things till I re-educate myself. The last bike that I was really experienced with was a shovelhead superglide, but that was in the 70's so I've forgotten alot. I'll get my s--t together soon, but til then, I may be asking some pretty basic questions. I appreciate how quick you guys are to answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shovelmike]

The Super E is still a little big to be optimal for the engine. They are very popular and widely used. One of our very experienced members here, Frisco Rigid, has some posts on this forum regarding plug checks and other procedure to get jetting right where you need it. Use the search feature to find them. Let us know how it goes.

[evoKENevo]

Welcome aboard,dog. You fit the profile of a lot of us here and I'm sure you'll fit right in. Now that you have a shop manual (factory I hope) for your bike I'm going to suggest you start with the trouble shooting section...and bet it all comes back to you in no time.

Yeah and BTW in case you were'nt aware/sure of it...the EV-27 is a great all around cam for your bike.

[dogface]

Thanks for the welcome EVO, and yes it's factory manual!!

Ill do the search, Shovel, and probably look inside the carb tomorrow! By the way, I've lurked on this site for a couple months trying to decide if I wanted another Shovelhead or an EVO and while lurking I read a number of your posts.Each time, I was struck by the picture of your granddaughter and the caption explaining her situation. I'm sorry to hear of her problem, but you are one lucky man, to have such a beautiful grandaughter.

Actually, when properly tuned a Super E will work just fine on motors as small as an 883 or as big as 100ci.

With the motor fully warmed up, adjust the idle air bleed screw and then the idle speed screw. You want it to idle between 900-1,000 rpm.

If you can't get it to idle smoothly with the air bleed, the first thing to check for is an intake leak, followed by an incorrect intermediate jet size.

To check for an intake leak, with the motor running, spray WD40 around the intake seals, being careful not to spray into the air cleaner, which will give you a false reading. If there's any change in idle speed you need to replace the two manifold-to-head seals and/or the carb-to-manifold o-ring.

For an 80-inch Evo the intermediate jet should be a 28 but no larger than a 29.5.

Finally, the enricher should be used only when absolutely necessary, and then only to start the motor. Overuse of the enricher can foul plugs, which will definitely cause the motor to run poorly.

In temperatures above 70º you shouldn't need the enricher at all, just a couple of squirts from the accelerator pump is usually sufficient for startup.