| Author | Message | ||
     Easttroy |
Just got my Uly back from the dealer for the shock fluid replacement (and some other stuff). Wouldn't you know it, now the rear cylinder is NOT FIRING! ARG! I haven't had it a day and now something else. So far, clean the plug and test the spark plug wire, nothing changes. Haven't pulled the code yet, but I suspect it's something to do with the ignition (duh). Dealer won't be able to look at it until the 21st and I have a trip approaching that weekend. I guess my chances of going on my trip are falling each day I can't get it fixed. See what I get for planning a year ahead of time? | ||
| Hughlysses |
Check the connector for the fuel injector for the rear cylinder too. | ||
| Ratbuell |
...define "and some other stuff". What areas of the bike were they working on? That could help troubleshoot... | ||
| Mnrider |
I would for sure try a NEW spark plug first then a new wire. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
It happened on my Ulysses two years ago just before Homecoming. I couldn't get it into any dealer on such a short notice so I tore into it and actually found the problem by accident. Mine turned out to be a bad spark plug wire. When I pulled the plug and it had fire, I reinserted it back in and it wouldn't fire. I was having trouble getting the plug wire back on and pulled it completely off. Then I noticed the burnt spot with bare wires showing. I went to my local dealer and $9.95 purchased a new plug wire. Problem solved! | ||
| Easttroy |
"and some other stuff". What areas of the bike were they working on? That could help troubleshoot... Shocks, clutch adjustment and primary chain adjustment was the other stuff. No electrical and to my knowledge, they didn't even disconnect the battery. | ||
| Easttroy |
Fixed. Unbelievable that DURING a ride, the plug would FOUL and cause this issue. New plugs and the issue is gone. Just for kicks I validated the circuit from the ECM to the ignition coil for both front and rear (passed), checked the plug wires (passed), and the ignition coil itself (primary was off, but only by .3 ohms, not enough to matter, secondary was spot on). | ||
| Ratbuell |
If a plug fouled during a ride, that tells me you have weak spark. Which tells me its time for wires. | ||
| Easttroy |
What's surprising to me is that while I agree with you, they were original wires on a bike that is less than 2 years old with around 10k miles on it. I could see that happening with something 5 or 6 years old, deterioration and all, but come on. Are we really building specs so intolerant that wires really need to be switched that quickly? What does that say about the wiring harness, will that suddenly fail and need to be replaced too? | ||
| Motorbike |
Are there aftermarket plug wires for our Uly's? Do any of you have any experience with them? Thanks. (Message edited by motorbike on September 14, 2011) | ||
| Road_kill |
I changed plug wires twice in the first 25k miles; 1st time rear wire was cracked. Second time the rear wire resistance grew (I check plug wire resistance when new and again when I changed plugs). Both times the wires where in range per service manual but the rear wire sits in a very warm environment and the "rubber" takes a set (or cracks). When I would get caught in heavy rain for hours, the darn thing would start cutting out. I finally broke down and bought Magnecor high temp plug wires - PROBLEM SOLVED. 38k miles now on the bike. No more worrying when it rains. Highly recommend the good stuff here. | ||
| Ourdee |
Looks like I want the part # 2557. That is the 8.5mm. (Message edited by ourdee on September 14, 2011) | ||
| Ratbuell |
Think about this. How much juice is going through those wires? How hot do they get being attached to the plugs, which are threaded into the cylinder head? How much vibration do they endure? How many places do they bend, or rub on something that's harder than they are? Finally...what do you really expect, given the state of manufacturing "quality" these days, for $8 or $11 or whatever is? | ||
| Cyclonedon |
the cost of plug wires is so cheap and the problems they can cause when they go bad is so upsetting, it's just easier to replace them every so often. the most upset that I ever got at my Uly was when I had a plug wire burn through. I spent hours trying to figure out the problem and only discovered it by accident. Lot of bad words said about my motorcycle that day. I thought I was going to miss the Buell Homecoming. | ||
| Pdento |
I've had mine flood out and run on one cylinder before . I Pulled the spark plug and it was saturated with gas and it only does it when it gets cooler out side . 08 and up uly's have a deal where you can hold the throttle wide open for about 10 seconds . Without the engine running and it causes the spark plugs to ignite . You'll know when it starts to happen because your engine light starts to flash. This is to burn off any excess gas . (Message edited by Pdento on September 15, 2011) | ||
| Easttroy |
Think about this. How much juice is going through those wires? How hot do they get being attached to the plugs, which are threaded into the cylinder head? How much vibration do they endure? How many places do they bend, or rub on something that's harder than they are? Finally...what do you really expect, given the state of manufacturing "quality" these days, for $8 or $11 or whatever is? ==================================== Think about this, WTF are test not being done on this stuff if it REALLY is subject to that kind of torture? All this says to me is that designers and engineers USED to care about this kind of testing but don't any more. The idea that this type of testing is not really happening and the solution is to keep changing the wires because they are cheap is a STUPID solution. Introduces more waste into our environment and more jobs in China. I decided the extra couple dollars for the Magnacor wires means I'd have fewer issues, even if I have to change them 2X as many times over the life of the bike. Less headache and less worry for something DESIGNED and TESTED to be the solution. (Message edited by easttroy on September 15, 2011) | ||
| Ratbuell |
...which is (unfortunately) exactly what I was saying in the last line of my post. Bare minimum. That seems to be the rule for most of manufacturing today. "Excellence", I think, is getting ready to be dropped from Webster's.... | ||
| Crusty |
How many times did the dealer start the bike, rev it a couple of times, then shut it off? That's one sure way to foul the plugs on a Uly. My stock wires have nearly 31,000 miles in just over 3 years on them without issues. | ||
| Uly_dude |
Here's a dump question(I'm full of them), why don't they make spark plug wires the same as any other wire in your vehicle - stranded copper? Seems more durable and can handle the current, heat, etc. I've heard they don't do this with cars because of the interference with radio frequencies, but that shouldn't be an issue with motorcycles, nor a lawn mower for that matter. Could one of you electrical engineer types explain this life long mystery to me?? | ||
| Bike_pilot |
They do, this is what my H1 uses. Pretty much all old stuff uses copper. It isn't more durable or better though, in fact the new stuff seems better. Plug wires carry something like 50k volts, that requires considerably better insulation than regular wires, this is why you have plug wire issues more than issues with other wires -- its not b/c the plug wires are comparatively inferior, but b/c they have a much more difficult job to do. Electrical interference is an issue with much more than radio signals, it also screws up computers and signals to computers. |
