69 FLH more running issues

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panheadrider1961
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#31

Post by panheadrider1961 »

Have you checked for good stream of gas from pump nozzle? I when replace pump (pink) I use marvel oil to soften leather and it conforms to pump bore like it’s suppose to mushroom down with spring wrapped by the leather , if all that has been discussed is good and you should have 1.10 mm jet from factory, it is hard to fine tune with open throat you will get to much air and over ride mixture screw double check for pump bind or not sliding in bore ,any valve train problem would be a dead cylinder that would be very noticeable if you think that solve by doing a compression check ,at idle turn mixture screw till it is blowing black smoke to rich and down tune from their they are not always 1.5 this is a start point not to burn a piston by being to lean and one more point is exhaust free and clear had a friend could not get his to run I went over started where he said it when south pulled exhaust rag in pipe to many milkshakes the night before just a thought
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#32

Post by panhead_kicker »

Yeah pumper working fine, but could stand to be indexed a little more towards the choke plate slot. I did do a compression check, looked fine 105/120. Checked pushrods to see they didn’t have any shake when bottomed. Mark that off list.
Only way I can run an air cleaner at the moment is on a Tillotson, and while they seem to have been problematic, they aren’t any worse than the zenith-Bendix I have. I’ll probably switch back after one more run with the ZB and figure stuff out from there. I did find a small flaw/hole in one of the Tillotson castings that should not be there. If it actually impacts the performance, could be it had come unplugged recently to cause havoc. Lots of small orifices on the Tillotson to make sure are open, and other details easy to mess up if not diligent. I’m guessing I’m my worst enemy somehow.
FL54
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#33

Post by FL54 »

Whether deserved or not, the Tillotson has a bad rap. I’ve got a Bendix on two shovels and they are simple and easy to dial in. If it were me, I’d mount the Bendix and put the Tillotson on the shelf. I’ve got two on mine.
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#34

Post by RooDog »

eBay's a good place for a Tillotson....
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#35

Post by panhead_kicker »

RooDog wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 2:06 pm eBay's a good place for a Tillotson....
Nah, F that.
RUBONE
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#36

Post by RUBONE »

I'd run a Tillotson in a heartbeat over a Bendix. You can fine tune Tillotsons, and if you leave them alone they are great. Way better performance than a standard Bendix. To me a Bendix is a lawn mower carb...
panhead_kicker
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#37

Post by panhead_kicker »

A little update… I think I *maybe* figured it out.
Gave up on the Bendix, it functioned but I was unable to tune it to my satisfaction. Went back to the Tillotson for more testing.
Got the carb off and disassembled pretty quick after last fail and found that the inlet needle, which is NOS, with black coated tip, was distorted, and was not holding pressure. Explains why I could ride a few miles on a dry installed carb, but after several miles, or next day it would run ragged again. So this was replaced with a new made needle and seat set from Tillotson. While the new needle and seat are smaller than original, they are all metal, so no black tip to deform in the gas. This setup has a couple days and 60 miles with fair to good performance so far. I think it may not flow as well as the old seat.. got a few coughs at 60 mph on the interstate, but not bad.
What I don’t like about the new arrangement is that the needle is no longer captured by a forked inlet lever. The captured needle was the original upgrade back in the day to allow the rider to “tickle” the carb to start flow in case of needle stickiness. And I absolutely must remember to turn petcock off… the metal needle seeps.
I also ordered a new made needle and seat from teds VTwin. It looks very similar to the NOS captured setup. So we will see what their needle tip is coated with…
Last edited by panhead_kicker on Thu Jan 04, 2024 5:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#38

Post by RooDog »

That cough @ 60 MPH sounds like the mid range could stand a little more gas.
Does it go away if given more throttle?
That Tilly has an adjustable mid range screw, no? So back it out, say 1/8 to 1/4 turn, and see what happens.
....RooDog....
panhead_kicker
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Re: 69 FLH more running issues

#39

Post by panhead_kicker »

It only coughed a handful of times even when I pushed it, 55 and lower the motor was smooth. I'll bump the midrange just a touch. I had the sidecar re-attached, so I'm confident in the carb fix this time. I have been using recreational fuel this year and last, which is No ethanol...so I'm figuring it had something worse in it than the 10% ethanol as far as the Tillotson's tender bits are concerned. Chalking this incident up to digestive fuel. Anyhow It's good to have the whole rig back on the road.
And here is a little tip for any would-be hackriders, don't adjust the rear chain without the sidecar attached! You'll end up WAY too tight without that weight on the suspension. :oops:
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