Got a problem with your stock H-D that your local dealer can’t fix? Well, put away that hammer, grab a pen, and let our resident pro get you back on the road! That’s right, frustrated ones. You can now get your perplexing problem answered with a simple snail mail or e-mail to
AIM.
Another day, another batch of Hogline questions. Starting us out this month is Paul Puleo and his 2008 Street Glide that has annoying clicking issues. No worries, Paul, we’ll tell you how to make everything click right. Next is Harry Rombold and a sad tale about his ’98 Fat Boy’s lighting problem. Lighten up, Harry, all is well. Peter Vitale follows with more lighting snafus, this time on a 2007 Road King Classic. At the bottom of the batting order is Corban asking a cam question about his 2002 Heritage, and Chris Arch aboard his 1984 FLHTC ending it with a start … starting that is.
Anyone wishing to submit a question to our H-D expert should send in as much info about the problem and bike as possible, which definitely includes the bike’s year, model, and mileage, to:
Hog Helpline, c/o
American Iron Magazine
1010 Summer Street-Third Floor
Stamford, CT 06905
or e-mail it to
ChrisM@AmericanIronMag.com. Ready for the disclaimer? Unfortunately, we can’t answer all of the questions that we receive or respond directly to the submitter, owing to volume. Select questions will be answered only through this monthly column.
Q:Since new, my 2008 Street Glide has made an annoying click when I apply the front brake. A couple of different dealers have checked it over, removing pads, as well as the pin and anti-rattle clip, and said the noise is
normal, stating it’s just the pad shifting in the caliper. These are the dual Brembo brakes. Am I stuck with what I’ve got? According to the dealers, unless I’ve got a safety issue, it will be a no-go on getting the calipers replaced under warranty from the Motor Company.
Paul Puleo
Via Internet
A:Try popping the cover off the back of the calipers. This grille just snaps on and has occasionally caused some clicking and rattling issues since the Brembos came out on the V-Rods in 2006. If the noise goes away without the covers installed, a little dab of silicone sealant will glue them on and stop the rattle. Another cause of the click may be a sticky piston. When you first apply the brake, or under light braking, if one piston hangs up a bit, the pad won’t have as much pressure on it as the others. This pad could move around and rattle or click against its mounting bosses while the others are being held more firmly. Have a friend use light pressure on the lever while you try to wiggle each pad with a small screwdriver. If one pad moves easily, bring it back to the dealer and tell them what you found.
Q:I have a 1998 Fat Boy with the H-D halogen passing lamp kit. For some reason, one bulb, always the right, goes south prematurely. All precautions in handling the bulb are taken, but it makes no difference. This last bulb lasted no more then 10 operating hours. After 10 years of this, I am about to lose my mind. Connections seem to be good, but vibration is hard at work here. Could an intermittent bad ground be the culprit?
Harry Rombold
Warrington, PA
A:A bad ground is the first thing I would look for, Harry. Vibration is the next. You’re on the right track. Does a stock sealed beam unit do the same? Maybe those halogens are not the way to go. Also, the hot side connection may look good, but comes loose when it starts to vibrate. Look for discolored or blued connectors on the bulb terminals. You could try the older-style lamp with screws on the terminals. How about the top engine mount? Looseness or misalignment will cause more vibration. What’s the voltage regulator output? If the voltage gets too high, the filaments will get too hot and burn out quicker. I’ve actually had a number of customers with the same problem, and, after exhausting all other possibilities, they went back to the original style of lamps.
Q:I have a 2007 Road King Classic, FLHRC, with 10,000 miles, and all recommended service by the dealer. When riding in hot weather or heavy traffic (hot conditions) the neutral and security lights come on in all gears. Also, the clutch must be disengaged to start the engine in neutral. The bike runs well; however, this exposes a problem the dealer can’t seem to solve. Please help!
Peter Vitale
Via Internet
A:Did your dealer change the neutral lamp switch? The early 2007 six-speeds had some faulty neutral switches. You’ll need to get switch part #33926-06B. The starter relay is controlled by the TSSM, and it needs proper input from the neutral switch. That’s why the security lamp comes on and you need to pull in the clutch to start. The dealership technician should have been able to read the fault code directing him to the neutral switch.
Q:In regard to Brian Bever’s letter in the February issue concerning cam tensioners, I have a 2002 Heritage with 26,000 miles. The tensioners were showing wear, so I had them replaced, plus I upgraded to 203 cams. I kept the original cams and was quite disturbed that the shiny surface was starting to wear off both the rear cam lobes, though the front lobes looked okay. The local dealer said this was normal. I called the Motor Company and was told the same thing. I feel this isn’t normal, and I think it might be an oiling issue. I feel that the rear lobes might not be getting sufficient oil. I’m a senior adult and ride easy, mostly highway miles, and change my oil and filter at 2,500-3,000 mile intervals. I run SYN3 and premium H-D filters. I’ve read of this happening , and was wondering how many others might be having this same problem.
Corban
South Dakota
A:Actually, Corban, the wear you see on the cams is normal. I questioned the guys at the Factory when I first saw it in the first Twin Cam we took apart, and they assured me it was okay. Since then, every engine we’ve had apart looked the same. Bikes with lower miles than yours, and many bikes with more miles, had the same type of wear pattern. If you hadn’t changed them, those cams would have lasted considerable additional miles with no problems. You’re doing the right thing with your service intervals. Keep it up, and that engine will last well beyond the point that you want to trade it in!
Q:I have a 1984 FLHTC that I just brought, and the trouble I’m having is that the bike starts up easily and runs for only a few minutes (sometimes more, or if I ride, it will go about one mile and stall out). When I try to restart it, it won’t start up again unless I hit the kill button, or turn the key switch to Accessories. I found this out by taking off the rear spark wire, putting in another spark plug, and grounding it to the block with no spark until I hit the key switch. The dealer said it was a bad key switch, so I checked under the tachometer, and wiggled some of the wires around. Now the bike doesn’t stall, but every couple of minutes the tachometer goes wild and the bike runs rough.
Chris Arch
Monroe, NY
A:The first thing that comes to mind, Chris, is the ground strap under the transmission. Look for a flat, braided strap cable that attaches to the transmission housing and the frame. This is the main ground cable from the engine assembly to the frame. Since the engine is rubber-mounted and the battery grounds to the frame, this strap needs to be connected securely to ensure a good ground path for the spark plugs. I’ve seen a loose connection on the ground strap cause the same issues you’re describing, while still allowing the bike to start. If that connection is good, look to the wires you were wiggling up top. Wiggle one at a time with the engine running to isolate a possible loose connection. Look closely at the connector blocks for terminals that look burned. The old, unsealed connectors on your bike are good for getting corroded and loose. Also look closely at the ignition module grounds. It could be the switch, too. A 25-year-old ignition switch could have a lot of wear and corrosion. Voltage drop testing should verify the condition of the switch. You could also try running a jumper wire from the positive battery terminal to the white wire terminal on the coil. This will bypass any back wiring and power the ignition directly. If the bike runs good, you’ll have to dig deep into the wiring. If it still runs bad, you probably have a bad sensor or ignition module.
AIM 
July09-CLICKS, LIGHTS, CAMS, AND MORE 
Linear Mode
