Top 10 2000 Harley Davidson XL 1200 C Sportster Custom Questions & Answers

This is a common problem on all sportsters, they have an oil blow by that dumps it into the air filter. I have found that if I run about a half quart low the problem goes away.

95 Evo, new plugs, new wires, started backfireing like a machine gun, front cyl. no spark at plug sometimes - would this be the coil, have not ohmed the coil yet . Thanks

if the oil tank is above the crank case, inspect the oil pump check valve. go online and study the check valve's functional purpose and see to it that the vale is operating properly. it should not be an expensive fix.
if you reroute hose be carefull of rear tire annnd what does the oil level in the oil tank sit at when full and after the leak happens after -say a day of riding- a week  

join www.chopperweb.net/ ,,, its free ,,,, they have a searchable database of all the wiring diagrams you'll need plus the members help when u run into problems

Hey dude, did you have trying on intake pipe leak ...spray any carb cleaner on the manifold intake....any change would be an air leak....
Voila.Thkx.

This depends on whether it is an electronic speedo or a mechanical speedo.
The electric speedo has a sensor near the rear of the engine. Sometimes a very small piece of metal will get stuck on the end of the sensor and the speedo will stop working. Remove the bolt holding the sensor into the engine case and carefully pull the sensor out. Wipe it off and reinstall it. If the speedo still does not work, it's probably something in the speedo itself.

On a mechanical speedo, a cable from the front wheel drives the speedo. The cable or the speedo drive unit may be bad. To check the cable and drive, lift the bike off the ground, disconnect the cable from the rear of the speedo. Turn the front wheel and see if the cable is turning. If it is, it's probably alright. I'd still pull the cable out of it's housing and lubricate it with some grease. If the cable is turning, the cable and drive unit is alright. The speedo may be broken.

Ok, due to different terminology used by different people, I'm going to assume that by "backfire", you mean it pops through the exhaust system when you back off the throttle. On stock exhaust systems which use the "crossover" connector to connect the front and rear pipes, the backfire is usually caused by an air leak somewhere in the exhaust system.

When you back off on the throttle, the mixture is usually too rich to burn in the exhaust system. But, if you have an air leak allowing the scavenging effect of the system to **** air in, the mixture becomes combustable and is ignited by subsequent exhaust pulses.

Check your exhaust system gaskets and replace them if necessary. This should stop your problem. Rejetting the carb may be necessary as well.

You didn't tell me what year Sportster we're dealing with. So, I'll cover a few general things to check.

If your bike is running for about a mile and then stopping and it does this repeatedly, It sounds like a fuel problem. Most likely it's either the petcock or the fuel tank vent system.

First, If your bike is made after 1996, it probably has the OEM vacuum operated petcock. These petcocks are designed to open when the engine is running and close when it stops. There is a small vacuum line that plugs into the backside of the petcock. When the engine is running, this line supplies the vacuum. Check the line and make sure that it hasn't come loose or cracked. It originates behind the carb and goes upwards underneath the tank to the VOES switch and it has a "Y" in the line that reduces the size and then runs to the backside of your petcock.

If it is intact, you'll need a hand vacuum pump to test the petcock for proper operation. Connect the vacuum pump to the rear of the petcock. Remove the fuel line from the petcock. Now, apply vacuum to the petcock with the pump. Fuel should flow from the petcock. If not, the petcock is either bad or the strainer in the tank is stopped up.

Remove the petcock from the tank. Place a large funnel under the petcock and direct the funnel into an empty gasoline can large enough to hold all the fuel in the tank. Loosen the petcock enough so that the fuel runs out at a rate that you can control. When empty, finish removing the petcock from the tank. Inspect and clean the screen. Now, on the back side of the petcock is a square plate held on by four screws. Remove the screws and remove the plate. Underneath the plate you'll find a diaphragm. Hold the diaphragm up to the a light and gently stretch it and look for holes. If you find a hole, you'll have to replace the diaphragm.

Look inside the petcock where the needle is for trash. At this point you should be able to blow back up through the petcock to check for obstructions. Reassemble petcock and reinstall in the tank.

I've seen these petcocks give a lot of trouble exactly like you're experiencing. I recommend that you replace the petcock with a manually operated petcock. The Pingle petcocks are very high quality units but a bit pricey. If you'd rather stick to an OEM type unit, purchase a petcock from the Harley shop for a 1995 or earlier model. This will be a manually operated petcock. Plug the vacuum hose that you'll no longer need. You'll have to get into the habit of turning the gas on and off whenever you get on or off the bike like the old timers did. But, they'll never let you down.

Now, remove the fuel cap. Wipe it down real well with a clean cloth. Now, make sure your friends are NOT around for this test or you'll never hear the end of it. Put the threaded end of the fuel cap up to your lips and try to **** and blow through the vent. If you cannot, the vent is bad and you're not getting gasoline to your carb due to a buildup of vacuum in the tank.

Good Luck
Steve

Evidently, you have the vacuum operated petcock on your bike. If you have a hand operated vacuum pump, you can unplug the vacuum line from the back of the petcock and apply vacuum with the pump.

Otherwise, use a large funnel under the petcock and loosen the petcock tank fitting until the fuel starts to flow out. The funnel will catch the gasoline and direct it into a gasoline can.

Good Luck
Steve

Sounds like you crank ventilation is obstructed