My dealership (Doolin's Harley Davidson in Texarkana, TX) and I have been wrestling with my starting problem since my 103 upgrade. The problem started to surface before the upgrade, but after, it really got bad. A new stock compensator, starter clutch, battery and cable was installed, new plugs, re-set the PCIII, checked every thing that can be checked, but the spitting back thru the throttle body, the turning over without starting, the severe grinding after the spitting back thru the throttle body refuses to go away. The owner/head wrench of the dealership called HD today, they said put a SE compensator in place. If that doesn't fix it, HD will pay for the labor if I buy the parts to install compression releases. Auto versions are my choice, but the dealer does not have the tools to drill the head for this style release, only the manual releases. He is not sure if he will spend the money to by the tooling since he'll probably only use it once. Can't say that I blame him, but I sure would like to have the auto version of releases, especailly if they are paying all the labor and it'll be under warranty if they go bad as they have been known to do. According to him, they have changed manufacturers of he auto compression releases the the problems have gone away that HD was seeing with the earlier versions. He leaves for Sturgis this weekend, so it'll probably be a couple of weeks before all this happens. Downside is I am without a bike....

 

If HD is paying for the labor, try finding another dealership that CAN do the job. Or maybe your dealer could send the heads out to have them drilled by another dealer?

 

Ditto...make sure you get what you want. Its your scoot.

 

there is surely another dealer who can machine the heads for the automatic compression releases. perhaps in ft smith, or somewhere near you??? if you gotta punch buttons each time you start, i can see how that could become a pain. do it right to have it the way you want it. good luck with your project, i bet it's gonna be fun to ride.

 

Why is the tooling so special?
Is it a tap,end mill or counterbore tool?
Do they actually have a mill set up for machining?

 

actually there is a bit more to the tooling than the tap and drill. The big missing link is the jig used to correctly place the hole in the head. They have the Jim's tooling for putting the hole in the correct spot by the spark plug on the manual compression releases, but not for the Screaming Eagle Automatic Compression Releases, which go in a totally differnent location on top of the head, under the rocker covers. I don't know if Jim's makes this tooling or if it is an HD issue only, but the my dealer doesn't have it. Like I stated before, it's not a really popular item, so they are a bit hesitant to invest in a high dollar tool to be used probably just once.

The down side is that I have "dealer points" accumulated here so the parts were going to cost me nothing, using my points, the labor is paid by HD, in other words, this would be a freebee for me. If I go to another dealer, the price will change, and it will come out of my pocket for parts if I choose the automatic release route. I have had the manual versions on a Hi-Po '03 Fatboy, and I DO NOT want to fool with compression releases ever again. SOoooo...wait and see what the dealership is willing to do....PACO