Well first off late August 06 i spied a HD for sale and i didn't know squat about any HD so Ii bought it, (now I know a lot of parts for a 79 fit only a 79)and it wouldn't stay charged had a mech.take it and look at it (since I was stuck at work and wouldn't start)anyway it was a puffer,and i could move the swing arm side to side a good 1/8th inch at least so I brought it into the basement and proceeded to replace a "few" things ,new swing arm bearings,chain front & rear sprockets, rebuilt both wheel hubs, neck bearings,new jugs,forged weisco 10to1,pistons, rings,primary chain,set of andrews cams, lifters and pushrods, S&S super E ,new paint both fenders and bigger tank (porkster) progressive shocks, took longer than I thought,finished Aug 07, ran OK parked for winter ... Now I finally got it started again (after a new battery) plugs were black and sootie? (wrong plugs the parts store gave me plugs for a 78)wouldn't idle,? idles nice now, but I can take my hand and cover the end of the rear pipe and the pressure won't push my hand away and isn't very hot it gets hotter if I give it a little throttle, the front one is extremely hot ,I was told to back off on the lifters some and I did but still the same. didn't want to loosen to much can turn pushrods without them binding,ANY IDEAS? I'd appriciate any suggestions. i have a thought but will it run if the cams for the rear cyl. are one tooth out ? which I'm practically 1000% sure I did it correctly Ill post pic later thanks
Last edited by GUIDO-79XL; 04-24-2008 at 10:04 PM.
Hey, Guido. Welcome to the forum. I'll see what I can do here. It sounds like you have the lifters adjusted correctly in accordance with the factory shop manual. (You do have one, right?)
Many well intentioned people will mis-advise not being accustomed to the fact that those old Ironheads run solid lifters.
My personal experience as a long time owner is that, on start-up, the rear cylinder is a little slower to take hold. Nature of the beast I think.
It is very possible to be one tooth off on that rear cam. It might be best to re-check rather that drive yourself nuts wondering and missing out on a lot of riding.
Even with the stock Keihin carb my Ironhead doesn't burn the plugs as clean as the Shovel or Twin-Cam.....Always a little sooty. It is bound to be touchier yet with your bike because that Super E is really a little too big of a venturi for that size engine. It can't maintain sufficient air velocity through the venturi to uniformly mix the fuel and air.
Make sure you haven't got any vacuum leaks at manifold connections..experiment with smaller jets to get it a little closer to ideal.
Hang in there. You'll have fun with that bike once you get it sorted out. Ride safe and God Bless. Sincerely: Shovelmike.
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Guido, do a compression check and also check spark using a spark tester. You just rebuilt this so comp. should be very close if not check those cams. the spark is to rule out a bad wire and I am assuming this is a stock ignition(dual fire)
I don't think you should back-off on the lifters at all..
Solids require a firm finger spin at lowest point on cam when Cold..
I agree with Mike about checks for vacuum leaks..
Also as Mike sugg'd that Super E is waay too big for your 61" motor..
Consider getting a stock Keihin or a 38mm Bendix.. Hey Mike-- they have 38mm CV's don't they..
Be sure of timing before you start messing with carb adjustments..
What pipes are you running, Not straights I hope.. Straights will prevent good tuning and performance..
About that rear pipe and pressure at idle-- I have the same thing with my 93" shovel, deep-breathing 80", the 120" and the 127",, um, and every other motor I've had.. Like Mike said, it's the nature of the beast..
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On that one, Frisco, it's a 36mm. non-cv carb. The 38mm. is on the big twins. Incidentally, I never use the choke, just 3-4 twists of the throttle to let the accelerator pump to prime the engine. First notch on the choke knob is just fast idle, I'll give it that for a minute or two. Closing the choke butterfly tends to flood the old Ironhead and it takes a lot of cranking to clear it out.
But,, aren't there 38mm CV's-- and if there are, why can't he, if he wanted to, fit one up to his '79.?
I'm sure he can fit up a regular 38mm..
It would run much better than with the E..
Perhaps he'll check in soon..
Oh yes, Frisco, he could go with a 38mm CV carb on that 79. Either CV or regular butterfly 38 would carburate better than the E.
Are ya still hanging in there Guido? Did you get the Ironhead sorted out?
Help My 79 
Ill post pic later thanks 
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