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TOPIC: Firing on one cylinder
#1022836
BikerRon (User)
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 5 Months ago  
What’s the old saying?

Measure twice - cut once?

No, wait.

I forgot what would apply here.
 
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#1022838
Paladin (User)
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 5 Months ago  
BikerRon wrote:
What’s the old saying?

Measure twice - cut once?

No, wait.

I forgot what would apply here.



Believe it or not, that's the exact saying I was thinking of when I did it wrong. I actually checked it 3 times and read it wrong every time. But when I re-did it this time, I checked it three times too only this time I was reading it correctly.
 
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#1023522
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
Well, I'm back. I thought about a new thread but you and the others have been so helpful in this one, and the new problem may be related to the old one.

I've been riding the bike for two weeks now. Haven't put a lot of miles on it (about 115) because I've been taking it really easy on it to get it broken back in. It's been starting and running better than it has in years and no strange noises coming from the motor, no oil leaks, or anything out of the ordinary that I've noticed. Today I rode it about 15 miles, made a couple stops, and then stopped in at my house to grab a little lunch. When I went back out to start it up, I hit the starter, something sounded funny - hard to describe but sort of like a piston moved up in the cylinder and then nothing without turning over. After that it just clicks one time loudly (like the solenoid would click when completing the circuit) and won't even turn over. The click doesn't appear to be coming from the solenoid though, it sounds like it's coming from the right side cover. I suppose it could be coming from the ignition module, but I'm not sure. I guess I need to start by checking to see if I've got voltage at the starter and working my way back. If it is getting voltage there, I may have a serious problem with the motor. I guess I could also maybe hot wire direct from the battery to the starter and see if the motor turns over. It'll be Saturday before I have a chance to work on it so I thought I'd see if anyone has suggestion or ideas in the meantime.......
 
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#1023526
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
Paladin wrote:
Well, I'm back. I thought about a new thread but you and the others have been so helpful in this one, and the new problem may be related to the old one.

I've been riding the bike for two weeks now. Haven't put a lot of miles on it (about 115) because I've been taking it really easy on it to get it broken back in. It's been starting and running better than it has in years and no strange noises coming from the motor, no oil leaks, or anything out of the ordinary that I've noticed. Today I rode it about 15 miles, made a couple stops, and then stopped in at my house to grab a little lunch. When I went back out to start it up, I hit the starter, something sounded funny - hard to describe but sort of like a piston moved up in the cylinder and then nothing without turning over. After that it just clicks one time loudly (like the solenoid would click when completing the circuit) and won't even turn over. The click doesn't appear to be coming from the solenoid though, it sounds like it's coming from the right side cover. I suppose it could be coming from the ignition module, but I'm not sure. I guess I need to start by checking to see if I've got voltage at the starter and working my way back. If it is getting voltage there, I may have a serious problem with the motor. I guess I could also maybe hot wire direct from the battery to the starter and see if the motor turns over. It'll be Saturday before I have a chance to work on it so I thought I'd see if anyone has suggestion or ideas in the meantime.......


Paladin, I just wanted to commend you on what you were able to accomplish on replacing your cam. You were honest about your limitations but you stuck with it and it's really paid off for you. It should be an example to anyone who isn't sure they could or should tackle something on their roadstar that they just might be able to. Sometimes the budget is a real motivator too. but even still WAY TO GO!!

That click at the right cover is your relay working. That's a good thing to hear I think. Try taking the cover off your decompression solenoid and pull the spoon and hold it toward you as you start the bike. I had a similar problem once and it was my decompression solenoid spoon not being pushed far enough by the solenoid rod to release any cylinder pressure. The cylinder would move to the top to fire and then say, "nope I'm not going any farther!" I bent the spoon a little closer to the solenoid rod and whallah that fixed it! Let us know what you find.
 
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Last Edit: 2017/10/05 22:56 By ctkog.
 

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#1023532
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
Don't jump to any conclusion that you have serious motor issues. Start by checking battery voltage at rest and while trying to crank it over along with all battery cable connections for tight/dirty. My guess is that you will find the issue. If by chance everything is ok with the battery and connections check/adjust the decomp spoon as mentioned above.
 
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#1023536
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
davej wrote:
Don't jump to any conclusion that you have serious motor issues. Start by checking battery voltage at rest and while trying to crank it over along with all battery cable connections for tight/dirty. My guess is that you will find the issue. If by chance everything is ok with the battery and connections check/adjust the decomp spoon as mentioned above.


^^^^^^

It could also simply be the starting relay stopped working. Make sure the bike is in neutral, and jumper across the two big lugs on the starting relay under the left side cover. If the motor spins, you have the culprit. Just make sure the bike is in neutral when you do this, because it bypasses all the safety switches and even in gear, the motor will spin.
 
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#1023540
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
SKWEARpeg wrote:
davej wrote:
Don't jump to any conclusion that you have serious motor issues. Start by checking battery voltage at rest and while trying to crank it over along with all battery cable connections for tight/dirty. My guess is that you will find the issue. If by chance everything is ok with the battery and connections check/adjust the decomp spoon as mentioned above.


^^^^^^

It could also simply be the starting relay stopped working. Make sure the bike is in neutral, and jumper across the two big lugs on the starting relay under the left side cover. If the motor spins, you have the culprit. Just make sure the bike is in neutral when you do this, because it bypasses all the safety switches and even in gear, the motor will spin.


Thanks, I suppose it could be that however, I already went through all of that prior to finally discovering the problem was the worn out/damaged lifter and cams. I went through the entire electrical system and even replaced the ignition module. Current starter solenoid has maybe 24 hours on it and all power/ground cables have been recently double checked. When I had the decomp solenoid out of the bike I cleaned it up and verified it's working and adjusted to where there's maybe a paper thin space between the plunger and the spoon. Thanks for the suggestions though and it never hurts to double check things.
 
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#1023542
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
Thanks, I've always said I refuse to let a piece of metal out think me I probably looked like a real dummy to a lot of people, but heck, I was doing something for the first time and I was mostly concerned about doing something wrong that might cause further damage. Everything was done, double check, and triple checked that last time I went into it though, so everythig is done exactly per the service manual and everyone's suggestions. It did feel really good when it started right up though. I think the decomp solenoid is in good shape but you're the second person that's mentioned that so I'll check it again. Always a chance it could have gone bad. Heck, maybe I loosened the connection when I was working on the motor and it finally vibrated loose. After that I think I'll make sure I'm getting voltage to the starter. If that clicking is indeed the starter solenoid working, I should be getting power to the starter though. I can always try the bypass by jumping from the battery to the starter though. It really frustrated me when this happened yesterday because it had been running so well.

I haven't been able to ride much this year and it's really taken a toll on me. I can barely get my leg across the bike and can't ride very far due to my hip, but I'm having a total hip replacement the first part of next month. So I should feel better after that. Last week I messed up and twisted my hip one time while I was trying to get my leg across and ended up throwing my back out too. Spent almost a week on painkillers before it eased up and I could try getting back on the bike again. Hopefully the surgery will take care of all of that though. The down side is by the time I heal up, we'll be smack into Winter and I won't be able to ride until the Spring. This whole year has been one thing after another and it has totally sucked. Not being able to ride because of bike problems and hip problems hasn't helped. Hopefully next year will be better and I can forget about this one. I need to get some "in the wind" time in for my mental health though. Thanks again for the help!!
 
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#1023548
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
Is it an OEM starter relay?
 
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#1023551
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Re:Firing on one cylinder 4 Months, 2 Weeks ago  
SKWEARpeg wrote:
Is it an OEM starter relay?
No. I replaced the starter solenoid years ago with one for a Ford Crown Vic powered by a separate relay when I upgraded all my power wiring to 4ga superflex oxygen free tinned copper with soldered and sealed lugs. I also upgraded the ground strap from 4ga to a 1ga cable recently. A few months ago when I was eliminating possible problems, I replaced both the relay and the solenoid again (also Ford Crown Vic relay), although it turned out both of the previous ones were fine.
 
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Last Edit: 2017/10/06 12:10 By Paladin.
 
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