Are you thinking that the debris is related to the work that was done?

 

Potentially. I wouldnt put the blame on it but wouldnt rule it out.

I took the tank off this evening and took out the petcock. The filter on the petcock was caked with some kind of metal shavings. Cleaned that out the best I could and put everything back together. Am going to go get some new gas tomorrow and pray for the best.

0maha what part of town are you in?

 

Central by day, NW by night.

Sounds like your tank liner is stuffed. Probably need to clean and recote.

Edit: Just reread more closely. Metal shavings? That does not sound good.

 

My tank didn't have a liner in it. I had a magnet that stuck down in the tank before I took it off and the debris stuck to it, so that is why I am assuming it was metal shavings of sorts.

 

I'm far from being an HD expert, but that doesn't sound right to me.

I think all factory tanks from that era came with a liner (coating), and I've never heard of using a magnet in a gas tank.

The liners can de laminate over time, shedding bits of itself which foul the fuel system. The fix is to strip the tank liner (mechanically or chemically), then recoat.

I can't visualize where the shavings you are getting are coming from. Other that the fuel gauge sending unit, there aren't any moving parts inside the tank. It might be worth pulling your sending unit to see how it looks, but that's a long shot.

If you know a mechanic with one of those gooseneck inspection cameras, it would be a good thing to take a look inside and see what you are working with.

 

If I may say. the fuel system is pretty simple on a Harley, gas tank. petcock and just 1 carb. . Just take an afternoon and drain/ clean the tank, inspect and clear the petcock, remove and clean the carb. Install a fuel filter and replace the lines.


The CV carb is a very simple thing. You can get all the info on youtube or online. Nightrider has a great tutorial . Rather than guess about it just do the full process. Fuel delivery is very simple. Kind of like popping the top off a beer, Ha. Good luck.

 

Couldnt get it going by just cleaning out the lines. Pulled the plugs and it is running quite rich. Would it be possible for a bikes timing to fall out almost instantly? It seems like it is trying to fire at the wrong times.

 

Don't go looking for other problems until you finish cleaning the fuel system.(read post #16)

You can't tell anything by looking at the plugs at this point.

Get new plugs.

 

I'd pull the carb back off and give a once over again after finding the junk in the tank. Your plugs are most likely dark from excessive choke use. I wouldn't even think about anything like timing until you get this fuel issue fixed.

 

And I'd make sure I understood how I ended up with a bunch of metallic debris in the tank.