I'm sure this will be racked up to a case of me not doing what I've been told...

So when I picked up my "new" Ironhead I was told that it needed a new battery, but so far I've been able to start her up without any problems. However I have two issues that are concerning me:

1 - I start the bike for the first time with the choke at full (and subsequent times without any choke) and she runs fine for a little while. As I try to let her idle (after about 15 seconds) she slowly begins to drop in RPMs and then when she gets under 10 on the odometer she sputters and dies. The lower the RPMs the more "thin" black smoke I notice coming out of the pipes (it's very thin, not gusts or clouds). Also, the last time she died white smoke came out of the S&S super e carb.

2 - the guy I bought the bike from said he jumped it off of a charger and it blew the low beam headlight. When I got it home I noticed that the turn signals didn't work either (my fault for not checking them before I left with the bike). He stated they worked when he first got the bike, but must have been blown with the low beam light when he jumped it. I can also depress the foot break and the high beam and rear light dim. I'm hoping it's a blown fuse.

This weekend I'm planning on getting a new battery and new light bulbs and I understand there is an idling level screw on the left side of the carb that I can adjust.

Any other thoughts on how to proceed, or are these signs of something bigger?

Bashar

 

i would have to say that there is alot bigger problem than a bad battery, no way can you blow a headlight unless he jumped it with something more than a 12 volt system,he may have jumped it with a quick start high amp charger and overloaded everything, with the lights going dim that wont be a fuse, ill bet he smoked the battery and it isnt charging at all, make sure you polorize the generator before you run it much.as far as the s&s goes cant help at all i wouldnt have one

 

Thanks Shepdog. I'm going to try and replace the battery this weekend. As for polorizing the generator - do I need to remove it to do so, or can I polorize it in the frame?

Do you think a replacement of the battery and replacement of the fuses would be a fix, or is there some additional tests / checks I can do?

 

i would replace the battery, polorize the generator( on the bike), check to see how its charging, iron mick has some really good notes on how to check charging systems im sure he will chime in, as far as the bulbs go about all you can do is change them out and hope for the best i guess

 

Can't help with the S&S.

You should assume that there are a few if not several problems, not just one that needs to be sorted. For the electrical i would first follow this procedure - don't leave out any steps ...

Ironhead Charging System Checkout

Yes, he must have used a charger/starter that overpowered the electrical system.

The lights dimming when you press the brake imply an electrical short circuit. I doubt that it is a blown fuse. Also no fuses on these bikes - it is circuit breakers. You need a factory service manual! 99484-78 and a factory parts catalog! 99451-78B.

The black smoke from the exhaust would indicate the fuel/air mixture is too rich.

I would settle the electrical problems first then look at the carb. It will need to be uninstalled, dismantled, cleaned, inspected, etc. We can provide more detail about that when you want it.

Mick

 

Just load test the battery. You have indicated it has started repeatedly and you don't have a kicker so, it is safe to assume it is holding a charge and enough charge to run the starter and crank the motor. If the load test is poor then replace it if you wish but in the mean time the money could be spent solving other issues.

have you got a manual? if not this is a good place to spend that money.
make sure the battery is in a good state of charge. Low amp chargers are cheap now...another good place to spend money.
have you a volt meter? you will need one.

pt 1) check the tuning. start at the plugs and work back. a weak spark will not give a proper burn resulting in black smoke. Check the cone...there is probably points in it (unless it has been changed) and these need maintenance too.

pt 2) the lights will dim if the motor isn't running when you step on the brake, they will even dim if you HAVE the motor running and you step on the brake IF the motor isn't running at a high enough RPM for the genny to provide adiquate voltage to the system and as Mick indicated if there is a short this will also result in dimming of the lights too. If new bulbs don't solve the problem then you will need to start chasing wires with a volt meter to find where the power is being lost. No worries, it is not difficult.

THEN, you can look at the carb, pushrods, timing, compression, intake leaks as other possible reasons that would case a motor to run poorly if this doesn't help.

 

I would try and help, but I think I would only add to your confusion. HOWEVER, listen to what these guys say. Ironhead repair and diagnosis is'nt really rocket science (unless you get into the tranny.....yeeeeech). Just don't get discouraged. you've got a classic that you can enjoy and learn from for many, many years. Good luck and keep us informed!

 

Semi Update:

Battery replaced and generator polarized. I took out the headlight and tail lights and I can see the regular headlight and break lights are blown (high beam and license plate illuminator are still working). The license plate light still dims when I step on the foot break, but not every time. The bike idles longer with the new battery, still cuts out, but after a minute of idling or so.

The issue is the turn signals still don't work, but the horn works fine.

I know there are circuit breakers on this bike and not fuses... so can I replace a circuit breaker to try and get the turn signals working again? Other recommendations to test the turn signals?


Once I get the turn signals figured out I will move on to the carb / spark plugs.

 

It is common for the wires running between under-the-seat and the tail light/rear signals to get squished or wrecked and cause a short. They run inside the fender rail, thru a hole in the fender, and then to the tail light. The usual squish point is inside the fender rail near the rear-most fender rail bolt. The wreck point is where the tire may rub on them.

To check this you will have to remove the rear wheel.

You need to determine if the turn signal problem is at the button? the bulbs? the wires? or the flasher? Unplug the turn signals under the seat [or cut the wire and install bullet connectors] and test by running a jumper direct to the batt+ post. The flasher often needs to be replaced and is cheap, about $5 at WalMart. The problem is probably not the circuit breaker.

 

Just an update:

I got all the electrical issues fixed today. I reseated all of the turn signals and that fixed the issue for 3 of the 4. For the 4th, I had to reseat the wiring harness behind the main headlight. Once that was done everything started working fine!

The idling is doing a little better as I adjusted the idling level and the fuel/air ratio. The bike is harder to start up, but once it gets warm the bike won't die out when idling.

Thanks all for the help, it is GREATLY appreciated.