[Zenarrow]

Hello new to forum and have already introduced myself.

I recently procured a 2003 100 year anniversary dyna low rider.

Our local Harley service shop was set back as the main mechanic was in an accident.
So any service is put on a back list and the time they are saying once the bike does get there is way way out.

Anyway, with that said. Bike has been sitting for a while when I bought it. It has 10K miles. 1st thing I did was buy new tires and inquire about them going through it. It does start but had trouble idling.

Decided I would attempt any service on it.
I changed all three oils, put in new plugs.
Siphoned out the old gas that was in tank.
But, when buying it last owner and I did start it up and cycled old gas through the bike.

Me and a trusted mechanic friend went through the carb and cleaned it thoroughly, adjusted the throttle cables. Got a lot of gunk out of the carb.

We were able to get it so on the first click of the ignition the bike would start up and idle just right.

So I took it out for a quick spin, and it is sputtering so bad, I barely went 3 blocks and was lucky to get it back to my garage.
Still fires up and idles just fine, but when I give it any throttle sitting it seems to be starving for fuel... like at higher rpms

If I feather it I can get it to do a little better as the rpms climb.

Am trying right now to buy a service manual but in the mean time, I am thinking about Siphoning the gas out once again, tear into the pet-cock valve checking for any thing in there and searching for where the fuel filter is.

Any other suggestions on where to go from here would be greatly appreciated,
Cheers Joe

 

[SCHMIDTY]

What did you do inside the carb when you had it apart ?

 

[Zenarrow]

We took everything apart, took float off, cleaned it made sure it functioning properly, took out the jets and sprayed/cleaned them assuring all the holes in the large jet and smaller ones were clear.

Cleaned off the top plunger. Pretty much gave everything a thorough cleaning. There was some gunk in the bowl, so cleaned everything and put it back together, didn't have new gaskets but the old ones seemed to be in alright shape. They weren't deteriorated

 

[candyman1340]

Did you change the accelerator pump what the carb was apart? Rubber cracks over time.
Did you clean the petcock debris screen? If the screen is obstructed with paint chips ,the tank liner has failed and will continue to block the flow of fuel until the gas tank is cleaned.

 

[SCHMIDTY]

We took everything apart, took float off, cleaned it made sure it functioning properly, took out the jets and sprayed/cleaned them assuring all the holes in the large jet and smaller ones were clear.

Cleaned off the top plunger. Pretty much gave everything a thorough cleaning. There was some gunk in the bowl, so cleaned everything and put it back together, didn't have new gaskets but the old ones seemed to be in alright shape. They weren't deteriorated

When you removed the main jet did the needle jet fall out at the same time ??? The symptom you described aligns with an upside down needle jet ! You can check this without taking the carb back apart. Remove the AC and look into the carb throat where the needle passes thru the jet. The top of the jet should appear concave not flat. That jet fits in either direction and the symptom you describe indicates the jet is installed upside down ! Maybe ?

 

[Zenarrow]

No haven't messed with the accelerator pump yet.

I think my next step is going to be siphoning gas and taking the peacock apart and cleaning it.
Maybe even just buying some new spark plug wires.

Was just checking on the next best step to go after what I have done, making sure that I am not going in the complete wrong direction.

After work tonight I will get into that valve.
Do you suggest buying a carburetor kit and just rebuilding it as well?

 

[Zenarrow]

I will check that needle tonight as well, I remember we were looking at it wondering if it was in the correct position

 

[SCHMIDTY]

I will check that needle tonight as well, I remember we were looking at it wondering if it was in the correct position

Just take a peek into the carb throat where the needle fits thru the jet, the jet should be concave, not flat across the top.

 

[Zenarrow]

Well #1 thing researching this forum, about same issues I came across a thread titled
'when to replace a CV carburetor'

Instead of thinking about what and where I may have gone awry, not doing a thorough job whilst cleaning my carb.

I believe I can buy a whole new replacement carburetor for under $100 US.


My thinking as stated in the thread is I can tear apart the carb, rejet it, double check the float, put new gaskets and hope I have it dialed in correctly, resulting in hours of work and frustration or just slap one in that is already dialed in...

Think that route is what I am gonna do

 

[Zenarrow]

Here is my plan...

Start from beginning
when we took off the carb and dropped the bowl, there was some sediment in the bottom of it.

Even though I siphoned the the old gas out it still left some gas in the bottom, still sediment in tank.

Going to remove tank, completely drain it, clean it.
Replace all lines to and from tank with new ones.

Thoroughly clean petcock valve, or replace it.
Slap in new carb, which is already dialed in
Cheers Joe

 

[JLR]

you can lead a horse to water, but.............

 

[Zenarrow]

you can lead a horse to water, but.............

Please explain Jim, am I making a mistake here?

Knowledge is power, thanks Joe

 

[JLR]

Why don't you follow Schmidy's advice and check the needle jet? A simple check and maybe a no cost solution to your problem. The $100.00 carb may or may not bolt on and work perfectly either.

 

[Zenarrow]

Ok, thanks for the advice everyone.

The jet needle is definitely in the correct position.

Also, removed the petcock value and the screen did not have any debris.

I know that when we took the carb off to clean it we definitely did not inspect and clean the accelerator pump.

Hope I didn't turn any advice givers away.
Any suggestions where to go from here?

Thanks Joe

 

[13Kingdawg]

Another thing to check is make sure slide is opening & closing when reving engine & letting off gas. If its working correctly then i would make sure u have good fuel flow from petcock. If all thats good then u need to double check cleanliness of main jet. Spraying carb cleaner through jet will not clean it good enuff.Best way to clean jet is to soak overnite in carb cleaner like Berryman Chemtool 0996 & then clean out with a bristle from a wire brush . Dont use anything rough like a torch tip cleaner or u will ruin the jet . Also correct float level position is very important !!!! good luck brother !!!

 

[13Kingdawg]

Correction Chemtool is the spray cleaner
Chemdip is the soak cleaner

 

[JLR]

Ok, thanks for the advice everyone.

The jet needle is definitely in the correct position.

Also, removed the petcock value and the screen did not have any debris.

I know that when we took the carb off to clean it we definitely did not inspect and clean the accelerator pump.

Hope I didn't turn any advice givers away.
Any suggestions where to go from here?

Thanks Joe

Joe, not the needle , but the jet the needle goes through.

 

[Zenarrow]

Jim,
Yes sir, the needle is in the correct position
Joe

 

[JLR]

Come on Joe, the JET not the needle.

 

[Zenarrow]

So, maybe I started in the wrong place ...?

I assumed it was a fuel supply issue and automatically thought of the old gas in the tank and jumped ahead to looking at the carb.

Guess I should have done some troubleshooting, reading more on here.

Forgive me for thinking buying new carb would eliminate all issues that could be with carb.

So this is where I am at, drained old fuel, new plugs, examined plug wires, removed petcock value and examined screen.
Half ass cleaned carb (did not get into accelerator pump)
Assumed it was a fuel issue and neglected any type of electrical issues that may be causing problems.

I am having a good time, no frustration at all, I am loving and enjoying working to diagnose what and where the issue is.

Honestly, to me, it is a blessing in disguise that our local Harley shop is under staffed and lead tech is out.

Would be to easy, (and quite expensive) and would be completely at the mercy of what ever they said. Also, maybe with not their best techs on it...?

Plus, with anything being done, I would not even begin to understand what had been done. Clueless, unable and unsure about doing anything myself, does that make sense...?

Sorry to ramble

So, if any one has any other suggestions or ideas, maybe where I should take a step back and start anew...please inform.

I hope my over eagerness hasn't dissuaded any one from help me out.

Joe