Any advice is great advice

[HellCraft883]

:frownthre :smoke Help someone please! I'm by no means a mechanic of any sort. So I am hoping to find some answers here. I have a 1999 Sportster 883xlc. Recently it's been riding a little rough and choking up like it's not getting a steady gas flow. The carburator was taken out and cleaned etc. and it seems to run better. BUT NOW I was driving down the road and all of a sudden the bike stalled and wouldn't start back up. I had to mess around with the spark plug cables etc. and then finally it decided to start. Then, when I went to start it again about an hour later, the battery was too dead to start it (4 month old battery). However, the bike started first try on a push start. Then I let it run for about 20 minutes, turned it off and tried starting it again, and the battery was totally dead still. I don't really know what's causing all of this. CAN ANYONE HELP? :smoke

[FSZEKE302]

First I'd check all the battery connections for being clean and tight. Check the grounds as well as the positive cable. May be time for a battery. If you have a good volt meter, you might check to see if charging system is operating ok. Good luck and keep us posted. :tour

[AOW]

I'm not sure idling gives enough rpm's to charge up the battery. I think you need to get up to speed for a while to actually charge it. As has been discussed here, the coils on these are heat sensitive and will act fine when the motor is cool but act up when it gets hotter.







And welcome to the forum!

[AOW]

Bumpiddy, Bump, Bump, Bump-because everything I know I learned here and I'm actually the very last person that should be giving advice!

[cantolina]

Your bike's battery needs to be charged FIRST....THEN you'll be able to tell if the battery is holding a steady charge...Check voltage when you stop charging, and then hourly until it settles in to a voltage.

I recommend taking it out to do it, so you can clean the contacts while you're at it...and when it DOES go back in, you can be sure its on good....

Get a manual. It has great troubleshooting tips in there for problems like this....

Don't make assumptions, you have to be methodical...

This is just a first obvious step....after you get this part done, if you still have problems, tell us the symptoms that exist THEN....

A Sporty NEEDS a specific state of charge on the battery just to get spark....

[HellCraft883]

Wow, thanks for the advice fellas. Here's an update. I took the battery in to be tested and it seems to be fine. They charged it up for me. I put it in the bike, nice and tight and it fires right up. But, when I give it throttle while it's idling or if I drive it down the road, it misses and sputters. I think it's misfiring. I looked in my manual for troubleshooting tips. It talks about checking spark plugs, regulator, grounds etc. I don't have any of the meters or tools they use to test all of the electrical components, so should I just start by getting new spark plugs and see where that takes me?

[chrishajer]

What made you think it was the battery in the first place? Did it crank but not actually start running? Were the lights completely off or really dim when you cranked the bike?

Need more info please.

1. Did it crank but not start?
2. What were the lights like (on, off, on but then off when you hit the starter)?
3. Does the problem appear to be related to a specific RPM or vibration level?

DO NOT just go buy new plugs. No need to start throwing parts at it just yet.

--Chris

[cantolina]

Wow, thanks for the advice fellas. Here's an update. I took the battery in to be tested and it seems to be fine. They charged it up for me. I put it in the bike, nice and tight and it fires right up. But, when I give it throttle while it's idling or if I drive it down the road, it misses and sputters. I think it's misfiring. I looked in my manual for troubleshooting tips. It talks about checking spark plugs, regulator, grounds etc. I don't have any of the meters or tools they use to test all of the electrical components, so should I just start by getting new spark plugs and see where that takes me?

A manual and a multimeter will get you a LOOOONG way......

[chrishajer]

Manual first. :)

[HellCraft883]

Thanks everyone for responding! I tinked around yesterday and discovered that one of my spark plugs was not working properly. So, I bought new ones and the beast runs like a champ. Who'd a thunk? Thanks again everyone!