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.
With the leaves changing color, and the riding season getting cooler, let’s give thanks for a new round of questions and answers about your cherished rides. Craig Volstromer gets us started with a sad story about the malfunctioning tach on his 1999 Electra Glide. Next, Anthony adds a tale of woe about a stalling and stumbling 2007 FXSTDI. And William Simmons closes the gig telling us about his 2005 Electra Glide Classic that just isn’t clicking.
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, Stamford, CT 06905, or e-mail it to
ChrisM@AmericanIronMag.com. Ready for the disclaimer? Unfortunately, we can’t answer all 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:In 2001, I bought a used 1999 Electra Glide Classic with 3,000 miles, and other than general service, I’ve not had a great deal of problems. In 2003, with 10,000 miles on the clock, the bike lost oil pressure, which the dealership attributed to the cam bearing support and bearing recall (since I have a first year Twin Cam). I got all-new cam side guts, including a new oil pump, all paid for by H-D. I would have missed Harley’s 100th in Milwaukee if a friend had not let me borrow his other bike to ride there, since my bike was in the shop being fixed! Fast forward to 2007. With 16,000 miles showing, I decided to add the H-D Stage II big-bore kit, Feuling cam bearing support plate, Feuling super pump, Feuling lifters, Andrews 37G gear drive cams, Vance & Hines 4" oval mufflers, and a Power Commander. I was never convinced the oil pressure was sufficient since I had to have it fixed four years earlier, when adjustable pushrods were also installed, so I never took it on any long trips, and I took the opportunity to replace everything all at once, since I was upgrading anyway. My H-D-certified mechanic friend who did the work did a great job. The map he installed makes the bike run great, and it sounds really nice.
Now the problem: when I took the bike out of winter storage in the spring of 2008, the first time I started it, I noticed that the tach didn’t register, so the engine light came on. I shut it down, restarted it, and the same thing occurred. On the third try, everything worked fine, with no issues. Later the same year, I noticed that every once in awhile, the tach would drop to 1000 rpm, stay awhile, then go back to normal. This last month, I got the bike out of storage, started it expecting the same thing, but now I have no tach, and the engine light stays on. The bike runs the same as always, just with no tach reading, the engine light remaining lit.
I found a replacement tach, and that didn’t do anything, so I went back to the original unit. Every once in awhile, the tach will blip to about 1000 rpm, but that’s it, only a blip. I’ve checked the wiring plugs to make sure they’re all connected, and have added a little dielectric grease for good measure. I’ve also checked/traced the wires from the tach, as far as I can to where the harness loop goes behind the side cover, over the swingarm, and appears to go into the main computer under the battery. I have good continuity in the wires I can check, so I’m pretty sure the wires are okay, at least that far. I’ve read a few online postings about crankshaft position sensors going bad, with the bike functioning fairly normally. Does the tach reading come off the crank sensor? Do you think that by replacing this sensor, I could get my tach back? Is there anything else I could try or look for, before I have to take it to the dealer? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Craig Volstromer
Via Internet
A:You mentioned you had a map installed, and the computer is under the battery, while you also have a Power Commander installed. If the connectors for the PC are mounted under the battery box, they’ll get water in them! The water corrodes the pins in the connectors and causes shorts and poor connections. This will also cause the check engine lamp to come on, and can cause crank position faults. Take those connectors apart and make sure they are dry and clean. Disconnect the battery first, as there are hot wires in the connectors.
Q:I have a 2007 FXSTDI with about 20,000 miles on it. On my last ride I was sitting at a red light and everything was fine. As the light turned green and I rolled on the throttle, the bike began hesitating as if I were trying to take off in third gear. A quick check revealed that I was in first gear. I tried again to roll on, and it stumbled and started to run extremely rough, then suddenly stalled and would not restart. When I turned the ignition off and back on I didn’t hear the fuel pump cycle. I then removed my seat and checked some fuses. I found that the fuse labeled ECM had blown, so I replaced it with one of the spares. I then turned on my ignition and everything seemed to be fine. Upon starting the bike, it ran for about 5 to 7 seconds and again blew the ECM fuse. Any idea what is causing this?
Anthony
Via Internet
A:The ECM fuse powers the ECM and the system relay. The blue/gray wire coming from the fuse may be shorted to ground somewhere along its path to the ECM. Look closely at the system relay and ECM connectors for dirt and corrosion. The #86 terminal on the relay uses a ground in the ECM to close the relay, so the power wire could be shorted to ground across the dirty terminals. Try changing the relay and look closely at the blue/gray wire coming off the fuse. You may have to remove the battery and lift the fuse panel up to see the wire. Look for rubs in the insulation or tight spots in the wiring bundle where the power wire could be grounding. Worst case is the ECM itself is bad and shorting internally.
Q:I have a stock ’05 Electra Glide Classic with just over 39,000 miles. Sometimes when I go to crank it up, there’s a delay after I hit the start button. Then it fires up. Yesterday I went to start it, and all it did was click. I tried a few times, then gave up and drove to work. I came home and tried again, and it fired right up. I don’t understand where the intermittent problem could be. I thought maybe the start button, but it caused a click. The battery is not an issue. Could it be the starter?
William Simmons
Via Internet
A:You say it’s not a battery problem, William, but that’s where I’d start. Double-check the battery with a load test just to be sure. Then check the connections. Look closely at the ground cable at the starter bolt. Pull the bolt out and clean the threads, and make sure all the paint is cleaned off the starter housing and the exhaust bracket. That said, you could have a bad starter. Next time the condition occurs, try jumping power to the solenoid terminal. The connection under the rubber boot on the starter is the positive battery cable. With a short piece of wire, connect that terminal to the small terminal with the green wire. The starter should turn. If it does, the problem is in the wiring or relay coming to the starter. If it doesn’t, the problem is in the starter or solenoid. In that case, with 39,000 miles, I would replace the starter.
Nov. 09 - hog Helpline - A TACH, A STUMBLE, AND A CLICK 
Linear Mode
