Engine Dies And Runs In Spurts

Sputtering and stalling(Fuel Injection)

Erratic running, surging and a hissing in the tank noticed after the pump cycles.

There's been some issues with engines in the fuel injected models sputtering and dying at half a tank of gas for no apparent reason. One cause for this is a fuel line inside the tank that is...

click here to read the entire tip ►

glider

Very interesting considering they have a "kit" or redesigned hose to replace the original one.

Springer Fan

THANK YOU!!! I pulled my fuel pump last weekend and found my hose looked exactly like the one in the picture above with the holes in it. I think its important to understand that the hose that gets the holes in it is the one that goes from the regulator to the quick disconnect fitting and not the one that goes from the fuel pump to the fuel filter. I went ahead and replaced both and the fuel filter while I was in there.

This solved many problems for me.

First, I have not been happy with the way my bike performed when I ran at low rpms in the lower gears. (Like around town and between stop lights) I have read many post about lugging, chugging, bucking and all that. That's what my bike did at the low rpms. FIXED!

Second, I thought I was going crazy when I thought I felt a miss every so often while scootin down the highway at higher speeds. I kept trying to tell myself that I was just imagining it. In airplanes, they actually have a name for this syndrome. But I wasn't imagining it, it was really missing due to this hole. FIXED!

NEW PROBLEM

I have a new problem now that I have fixed this one. I filled the tank once I finished fixing this and have only gone 115 miles but the gauge reads almost empty. I know the manual talks about not bending the float arm, and I don't think I did as I was pretty careful. Then I thought maybe the computer takes a tank to reset because it has been running the other way for a long time. Or, it could be that I need to readjust my TFI now that I have good pressure. Am I on the right track or is there something else that I am not considering.

BTW: If you have not donated to this site yet and you have used one tiny thing from it to fix a problem on your bike, I URGE you to please do it. It only takes a second and well worth it! This issue alone saved me hundreds of dollars and I didn't have to deal with the stealer except to buy the parts.

Dave

glider

The TFI could probably use a touch up but to test the float, use this.

Fuel Gauge and Sender Test - Harley Davidson Community

buckjoel

update---replaced both fuel lines and fuel filter. problem solved. the dealer provided a fuel filter "kit" consisting of fuel filter with line attached and clips. the new line was shorter than the original. also, the other line was shorter too. seems the factory knew of the problem and corrected it with new parts but will not own up to it. if i had it to do over again, i would have the dealer do the work. turned out to be a chore!

thanks for your help. this is a great site. and...donation on the way.

TQuentin1

If you are replacing the convoluted tubing with something other than the replacement from HD, the fuel line is 5/16 ID in case anyone is interested.

TQ

island65

fuel line chaffed inside my tank. local dealer seemed to pretend they never heard of it.
imagine that, they had a shorter line instock. ride safe!
Island 65

Chopper

I know a tech in AZ. that substituted the hose because they did not have one in stock and the customer was traveling. Well it worked for about 50 miles then collapsed with the pressure, they had to go pick him up on the road. Should have had the correct part overnighted. So if you do substituted keep pressure from fuel filter to pump in mind.

TQuentin1

After about the third time I had to pull all that stuff out of the tank because one or the other of those cheap plastic tubes that HD uses for this application had worn pinholes against the inside of the tank somewhere, I replaced them with some high pressure reinforced fuel injector hose (from the autoparts store). Tough stuff, and WAY overkill! But if I have to go back into the tank for something, it WON'T be because the hoses have worn through!

TQ

NEWHD74FAN

Good deal TQ using good tip regarding that silly fuel injection hose. Only reasons for using convoluted plastic fuel line is bend radius and cost...your solution is the best compromise for those two conditions.

PetieJ

TQ, I hope that the high pressure reinforced fuel injector hose that you used for replacement from the auto parts store, was of the submersible type. There is a big difference.

Ordinary fuel injection line hose is designed to handle fuel on the inside only.
Intank submersible fuel injection hose can be exposed to gas on the inside and outside.

If you have used high pressure fuel injection lines for in tank use, it will eventually burst because the exterior of the hose cannot be exposed to gas. The chemicals in gas, diesel, and other blends will break down the hose to point where the pump cannot flow anymore or hose may burst.

Not the cheapest, it may run $12 to $16 per foot