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I am new to this site and thought i would solicite some help from people i am sure know more than i do concerning bikes. I have a shovelhead with an ss super E carb on it. Its easy enough to tamper with, however i am having trouble finding a source of information concerning symptoms of a to rich/lean mixture. What does that popping in the carb or exhaust mean? Why is it sluggish when trying to accelerate. I am a young guy, younger than most riding on an old harley and have taught myself what i know thus far, and because of that there are alot of ins and outs i am not aware of, like carb symptoms. Here are my exact symptoms
When accelerating uphill the motor bogs down and dies
When accelerating on flat ground its sluggish, and i can hardly get it go over 40 mph!
When idleing, it will be fine, but temporarily start to idle lower rmp, not significant, but noticeable, then correct itself.
The jets should be fine as i did not have any trouble at all before i tampered with it, even when opening the throttle on the open road. it has to be the initial idle settings.
Also note that when i got the bike it worked just fine, concerning the carb. The problem was that i could not turn the enricher all the way off without the motor dying. I reset to ss baseline recommendations, and sure enough was able to run it without the enricher being on, like it should be! But now i am having the stated symptoms. Any insight?
I have rebuilt a couple of shovelheads and at least one carb, not an SS. Sold my last shovel in 1981, so here goes. If you reset the carb back to speck and it is running with some random decel check the points and timing. If this is off nothing will run right. If thats alright and it probably is you may want to check the clamps and gaskets from the carb and intake ports. Also, check tightness of whole exhaust.
The shovel is a high compression engine. If there are any leaking gaskets or air comeing in through the exhaust it will pop.
When gas went to no lead we used some Marvel Mystery Oil in the tank for the needed octane. A side result of this was a cleaner top end and fuel system. This stuff may help clean out any loose matter in the carb, maybe.
Wrenching on a shovel is straight forward and a bike can be stripped by one person and rebuilt.
I know you reached out to this forum for answers , there are times for all of us when a shop mechanic can find and skillfully repair better then we can. If you have access to a mechanic and can afford it, go for it.
My jugs on the shovel where 30 over with a Andrews cam. I now have a 07 96 that when chugging down the highway it reminds me of the shovel and I'm happy.
Good Luck.
You can download & print out tuning specs and installation intructions from the S&S website. Check compression & timing. How bout lifters? solid or hydraulic? adjusted properly? If hydraulic lifters are adjusted like solids, valves won't open enough and will run sluggish like you describe. This is the best problem... adjust em right and all becomes well.
reads like your timing is off, reset to original..then check your timing, pull the enricher off..get a "T" handle, then leave it alone..reads like its, your timng..pull the plugs, remebre which is the front one, wet plus to lean, retard a ***** hair..run it etc..then check again, you want the plugs, brown and dry, both the same color..you have a pimple shovel, or a slab..ruben..1904
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