i have 02 mastiff. i will be riding down the road and she will just die but she fires back up before i get stopped. sometimes i can ride 100 miles and no problem. lastnight was the first time i sat on the side of the road because of this problem. she cranked over good. strong battery. she wouldnt fire at all. sat for 5 mins and she started and road her home. i tried turning key and kill switch on and off. nothing seamed to help. i have dicided to start replacing parts till it stops. please help me with the first thing i should try replacing.
dies while riding
- Thread starter shaw1900
- Start date
NascarNutCase
Well-Known Member
The obvious consideration to the problem is the bike won't run without fuel and spark. I would start my search for electrical causes. Assuming you haven't done something really bonehead, like me, and left your fuel petcock in the closed position. Pull a plug and lay it somewhere where you can observe if you are getting spark and crank the engine. Do the same for both. If you have a volt meter, check to see if you have voltage to the coil. If you have voltage, check the plug wires for continuity. Could be a intermitent break. This search may lead you to the notorious EHC fault. In that event, two words my friend, Wire-Plus. Good luck.:2thumbs:
Ray
Well-Known Member
Agrees 100%
Moespeed posted this a couple days ago:
NO SPARK - Troubleshooting Tree
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I see alot of posts from guys having electrical breakdowns. I figured I'd post a troubleshooting tree for this type of problem, maybe we could sticky it? Feel free to add or correct:
Symptom: Bike randomly quits or will not start
First thing to do is verify that fuel is getting into the carb. Once this is verified, chances are it's electrical.
If the engine is not cranking:
Check your battery voltage (12.8)
Check for an indicator light on your EHC when the RUN button is pressed
Check your key switch
Check for 12v going to the small starter wire plugged into the starter solenoid (usually GREEN)
If you have 12v going to the starter when START is pressed, then you probably have a bad starter or battery.
To test the starter:
How to check your starter solenoid
Open the starter, clean the contacts, and try again.
If the bike cranks, but won't fire:
Check for spark. Pull both plugs or use a spare plug. Pull both plug wires, plug one spark plug in, and crank the motor while grounding the threads of the plug on the bike. You should see spark. See the drawing below:
If you have spark, it is most likely a fuel problem.
If you don't have spark:
Make sure you have 12v to the coil. The coil should get 12v when you press the RUN button.
If you have power to the coil, but no spark, check your plugs and plug wires. You may also have a bad coil.
If you have no power to the coil:
Check for 12v down at the timing pickup when RUN is pressed. (2005 and up have no timing pickup down there, skip this step)
If you have power to the timing pickup, but no power at the coil, most likely the pickup is bad. Double check to make sure you have no power to the pickup, and no power at the coil. When you press RUN, the pickup sends 12v to your coil. This is a $30 part at any Harley dealership, but will need to be cut from the harness and soldered back in. If the bike randomly dies, then starts again after cooling down, this usually means a bad pickup. Remove the timing cover, start the bike, and run a hairdryer on the pickup. If the bike dies when it heats up, it's bad.
If you have no power to the timing pickup, check for a light on the ignition when RUN is pressed, and check to see if the ignition is sending 12v down to the pickup. Also check your EHC. One or the other is likely to be the problem at this point.
Here is a thread on how to use a multimeter:
http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/te...-week-2-a.html
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mobsta
Well-Known Member
First thing you should do is trouble shoot the peroblem,replacing parts will get pricey.Could be the cam sensor getting hot since you say sitting on the side of the road for 5 minutes and she started back up.I didnt think the 02's had the problem with the ehc's that the 04 and up did but then again you never know till you trouble shoot the problem.Could also just be a loose connection somewhere.Also check for crap in the tank and petcock,just sayn,good luck
reloaderbmg
OLD DOG
Im with the smart ass White boy on this one!!!
DRBarnhart
Insert title here...
With that mentality does it really matter? Personally, the first thing I'd replace would be the idea that "I'll change parts until it's fixed" with "I'm gonna do some troubleshooting to find out what the problem is!"
Afterall, what if your problem turned out to be a wire?
Do yourself a favor and avoid tons of frustration, listen to what the guys on this forum have to say...
:zz2cents:
Dennis
Moespeeds
Well-Known Member
Next time it dies check for spark. If no spark, the simple answer is it's probably ignition or Cam sensor. EHC check is fairly simple, if you turn the key switch on and hit run, and you have power to the coils and the igniton module, it's not the EHC. Start keeping a voltage tester with you and a socket to remove the spark plugs, and use the tips posted above to troubleshoot it roadside. It's a shitty problem to have, but you gotta get it to die again so you can troubleshoot. Another trick is to take off the cam sensor cover, and run a hair dryer on the cam sensor while the bike is running. Often this will get a bad cam sensor to crap out, but not always.
Five Five
Well-Known Member
BBChop ....I agree it does have the symptoms of venting..
:2thumbs:
BadBrad
2005 Pitbull
One other issue related to starving fuel, the earlier models seemed to have more issues with the factory tank liner separating and plugging the filter. Just take a bright flashlight and shine into your tank to make sure this is not the culprit. If it is, you'll see a lot of debris floating around. Simple and cheap "do it yourself" fix if it is.
RRRUFF
Well-Known Member
I agree with Nascar on this one also. Could be several things that could cause this. My case was the key switch. I had the same symptom you are having. Itermittant electrical problems are a real pain to find even for a good mechanic. Check voltage as suggested above, check fuel flow at the carb by removing the fuel line and opening the shut off valve should have a full line flow. Check vent in the gas cap by opening and listening after running the bike or right after you drain some gas. Listen for a hissing sound which will mean the vent is stuck and not releasing the vacuum. Loose electrical connections at the battery, starter ground, and plug connections. I don't know if your 02 has a crank sensor or not but could need cleaning if it does. Anyway, keep us posted.
I have an 06 K-9. Same thing happened to me last year. Fist time it happened I was riding in a rain storm so I thought I got water or trash in my fuel so I took tank off to empty and clean it. Turned out tank vibration had rubbed coating off some of the small wires in wiring harness running along backbone. Used liquid tape and electrician tape to fix it.
bdwolf
Member
yes try this first it has happened to me:2thumbs:
