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Wide Glide won't start. Stumped

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lwthomas777

New Member
My Wide Glide "froze" up on me. Starter would not spin. I discovered my oil was filled with gasoline. Drained the oil, removed a spark plug put it in gear and pushed it. This apparently released all pressure from the engine. Changed the oil, oil filter, new spark plugs, and air filter. The engine turns but will not start. Any ideas?
 
lwthomas777 said:
My Wide Glide "froze" up on me. Starter would not spin. I discovered my oil was filled with gasoline. Drained the oil, removed a spark plug put it in gear and pushed it. This apparently released all pressure from the engine. Changed the oil, oil filter, new spark plugs, and air filter. The engine turns but will not start. Any ideas?
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Welcome to The Forum Harley Davidson Community grab one of these and let us know if you have spark, also check the compression, if the cylinders were full of gas the rings are not holding, pump some oil in the cylinders and spin it over re check for compression
 
Please explain what you mean by "froze up on me". Was the bike running and the engine locked up or was the bike shut down like normal and locked up "froze" when trying to restart?

Just wondering if the motor blew apart internally or if you have a float sticking in the carb that possibly filled the cylinders, etc.?
 
TripleJ said:
Please explain what you mean by "froze up on me". Was the bike running and the engine locked up or was the bike shut down like normal and locked up "froze" when trying to restart?

Just wondering if the motor blew apart internally or if you have a float sticking in the carb that possibly filled the cylinders, etc.?
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I bet it was Hydro locked Cylinders full of fuel, can not compress liquid IE motor would not turn over that may be a good thing in that it did not bend a valve or rod Hydrolock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia here is what i just talked about, this is a common problem on fuel injected cars and trucks when the fuel regulator jams ( FORDS ) are notorious for this
 
Charged the battery and got it started this morning. Looks like I may have a stuck float. My crank case filled up with gas again. Came pouring out when it started. Just to clarify what "froze up" meant. Starter would not turn, only had a clicking noise when trying to start. Starter would not spin...wrong choice of words. Thanks for the replies.
 
lwthomas777 said:
Charged the battery and got it started this morning. Looks like I may have a stuck float. My crank case filled up with gas again. Came pouring out when it started. Just to clarify what "froze up" meant. Starter would not turn, only had a clicking noise when trying to start. Starter would not spin...wrong choice of words. Thanks for the replies.
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Looks like you have found the problem, glad to hear it was not an internal engine problem :)
 
If the flote is stuck why isn't the gas coming out of the overflow hose and running out on the floor? I don't understand how it is getting from the flote bowl to the cylinders when the bowl is lower. I'm I missing something?
 
The overflow is a wee bit smaller than the inlet so the fuel will come in quicker than it can get out and then overflow from the carb at the lowest point the manifold and into the cylinders etc
but there should be a large pool of fuel under the bike unless the debris in the float bowl that is keeping the valve open may also have blocked the overflow tube

strip carb clean the float bowl all the jets ensure the overflow tube is clear replace the float needle valve rest the float height reassemble carb refit to bike and carry on riding
the rubber tip on the float needle valve will harden and not seal after a few years of use so it is good practise to replace the valve every few years

Brian
 
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