20 Most Recent 1993 Harley Davidson FLSTF Fat boy - Page 7 Questions & Answers

On a '99 Fatboy, you can use H-D Syn3 20W50 engine oil in all three locations. But, you can use most any lubricant you wish as long as it meets Harley's specifications. Amsoil, Royal Purple, Mobil V-Twin, just check the manufacturer's website for compatibility. On the Evo engines, I use H-D or Mobil V-Twin synthetic 20W50 engine oil. I use nothing but H-D transmission and primary lubricant in those two locations.

Good Luck
steve

You must be talking about the anti-rattle spring. I do not know how to explain to you how this spring goes back on. Go to this site and it will show you the spring but you'll still have to figure out how it goes on. You may have to look at another Softail to see how it goes on. The brakes will work without the spring on there but the pads may rattle.
http://www.bikebandit.com/1993-harley-davidson-flstf/o/m1215#sch147081

Good Luck
Steve

From the right side of your bike, look for a large hose coming out of the backside of the oil tank at it's lowest point. Follow the hose down behind the transmission on down to a clip on the lower tube of the frame behind the exhaust pipes. There is a metal plug in the hose. Simply take the hose out of the clip and reroute it below the frame. Remove the plug and the oil tank filler cap and the oil will drain out. Refill with three quarts of 20W50 oil.

Good Luck
Steve

it sounds like you petcock vavle ( your fuel shut off valve) is the problem its easy to change i would really keep a i on it no fuel leak is a safe thing to have.

On your '93 model, the crankcase vent is down low on the engine behind the oil pump and it runs up to the air filter through a metal and rubber hose. I don't know how many miles you have on your engine but it you're getting any blow-by on the rings, this will increase the pressure in the crankcase. Most people simply re-route the crankcase breather underneath the bike and plug the hole on the backside of the air filter. Replace the metal line with a rubber hose and put a small filter in the end of the hose. Route the hose back behind the transmission and attach it to the transmission mounting plate just in front of the rear wheel.

This was the way the older Shovelheads were done from the factory for years until the EPA made them start running the crankcase vented air through the engine. In 1994, Harley went to the "head breather" system and moved the crankcase vents to the heads. Still, the oil mist in the vented air builds up in the air cleaner on these models as well.

Good Luck
Steve

Well, I won't ask why but you can purchase an aftermarket kit to do this with. You'll have to take the sensor plate and "timing cup" out of the timer cavity on the right side of your engine. Replace the timer cup with a mechanical advance unit. Then, you put the points breaker plate in and set the points to 0.020". Set the timing by bringing the front piston to top dead center and align the timing mark in the timing hole on the left side of the engine. Adjust the breaker plate so that the points just barely break at this point. This is close enough to get the engine started but you still need to set the advanced timing using a strobe light. You'll have to change the ignition coil as well. The coil on your bike is intended for use with an electronic ignition. The coil for a points system must have a primary coil resistance of 5-6 ohms. Simple purchase one for an early model bike like a 74 model Shovelhead. A word of advice. If you're going to do this, purchase the needle bearing mechanical advance unit. The others only last a couple of years before they're worn out.

Good Luck
Steve.

Well, I don't really know how to tell you to troubleshoot your starter when you don't have a meter. When you press the starter button, there is a starter relay that is usually mounted on the rear fender extension on the Fat Boy that engages and provides voltage to the starter solenoid. This voltage goes to the solenoid via the single small wire that plugs onto the starter just above the d-sided plate on the end of the starter. This wire goes hot which energizes the coil in the solenoid. The magnetism pulls the plunger into the starter. The plunger has a large round copper "washer" that make contact to two copper terminals inside the solenoid that connects the battery to the starter motor.

To test the starter, make SURE your transmission is in neutral. Take the 5-sided plate off the end of the starter. There are three 3mm bolts that hold the plate on. Behind the plate, you'll find the plunger and long spring. Using a large screwdriver or something, push the plunger into the solenoid as far as you can. The starter should engage and turn the engine. If not, look at the copper contacts inside the solenoid. If they look burned and are not smooth across the face, you may need to replace them. Rebuild kits are available both through Harley and aftermarket suppliers.

Good Luck
Steve

First take the trip meter reset knob off the speedometer. Then remove the center bolt or nut from the middle of the console just below the speedometer. Work the console cover off of the speedometer. Remove the seat. Remove the fuel line from the fuel petcock and drain as much fuel out of the tank as you can. Once you get as much fuel from the petcock, disconnect the "cross-over" fuel line at the front of the tank. Catch as much of the gasoline as possible.

Remove the two bolts at the Front of each tank and the one at the rear of the tank on top of the frame remove the tanks one at the time. There is a vent line that connects both tanks that crosses underneath the dash.

There is no adjustment on the tappets in your 97 Fat Boy. It is equipped with hydraulic tappets similar to an automotive engine. Probably what you are hearing is a bit of wear in the rocker shaft. you can take your rocker arms out and have new bushings and shafts installed if it bothers you that much. If the tick is a loud tick, one where people turn around and look at your bike when you start it up, you may have a bad roller on a tappet. This makes a terrible noise. If this is the case, you are probably going to need a new camshaft as well and the locked up roller will gall the surface of the cam. I've seen these rollers go bad at any mileage from 13K to 70K.

Good Luck
Steve

According to the book that I'm looking at, you do not have to remove the inner primary. The opening in the inner primary is large enough for the rotor to come out without having to pull the inner primary. If the Inner primary cover does not "step down" right in the front but remains full size all the way to the outer primary, the rotor and stator will come out without having to pull the inner.

Good Luck
Steve

It sounds like you may have a vacuum leak on the front cylinder where the intake manifold bolts to the front head. This will cause the rear cylinder to run a bit richer than the front and the lean mixture on the front cylinder will make it spit back through the carb occasionally.

Now, you didn't say what type of carb you're running. If the carb has been changed to an S&S carb, the accelerator pump is adjusted too rich. Go to this site, download the installation instructions, and read the part about adjusting the accelerator pump.
http://www.sscycle.com/instructions/instructionslist.php?x_cat=1

Click on "download" for the Super E Super G carb. Instruction sheet 51-1012

Good Luck
Steve

By changing the bulbs, you have changed the load resistance on the flasher unit. You Fat Boy does not use a flasher like a car does. It has an electronic turn signal canceller on it, a "black box". To solve your problems, you need a "load equalizer" installed in the wiring harness of your bike. There are several types of units on the market. Badlands makes a good one.

Ride Safe.
Steve

It has a small screw inside the knob. Remove the screw the knob slides right off.

Good Luck
Steve

The power to your warning and indicator lights is provide by the "lights" circuit breaker under the dash. This same circuit breaker provides power to your headlight. If your headlight is working, the circuit breaker is not tripped. I would suspect that the bulbs are either blown or have come "unplugged". Since each warning and indicator comes from a different location, it's doubtful that you have a short somewhere.

Good Luck
steve

Most people do not set the VOES unit. They simply purchase a new one that is already set by the factory. However, since the FLHCU is a heavy bike, I'd set the VOES at about 5-5.5 inches of vacuum. If the bike spark knocks when you roll on the fuel in high gear, try taking to a bit higher setting like 6-6.5. This will cause the VOES to change state and roll back the timing sooner than the lower setting. Of course, for maximum performance (fuel mileage), you should adjust it lower until you start getting spark knock and then come back up just high enough to prevent it.

Good luck
Steve

If it's doing this intermittently, it won't be long before it does it all the time. Your starter clutch, or over running clutch, is going bad. If you're mechanically inclined, you can remove the starter, disassemble the starter, and replace the bad part. If you're going to have to pay a mechanic to fix your bike, you're better off just replacing the entire starter. The money you might save by repair the starter will be eaten up by labor charge for the extra time it takes to do the repair on the starter.

Good Luck
Steve

You have to remove the starter from the bike and then take the starter apart. Remove the starter motor from the solenoid housing and then remove the gear housing from the front of the solenoid. The starter clutch comes out. You'll probably have to remove the bearings from the old unit and install them back onto the new unit. If you need an exploed view drawing, contact me directly at [email protected]. Remind me of what you want.

Good Luck
Steve

Good Luck
Steve

I think you meant a 1992 FLSTF. I can send you a schematic but you'll have to contact me directly. This site limits me to a 150Kb file transfer. The schematic is much larger than that along with it's "key". Contact me directly at [email protected] and remind me of what you need.

Good Luck
steve

By "hesitation", I assume you hear the starter engage the engine but it "hesitates" a bit before it turns the engine over. If this is correct, everything seems to be working fine. If you push the button and nothing happens for short period of time then you hear a click and the starter turns, I'd suspect the starter relay. The relay is usually mounted on the front side of the lower fender. They are very susceptible to water intrusion. If you replace it, order the relay with the "weather shield" on it.

Even though you "tested" the battery, I would still suspect that this is the most logical problem. The battery on any Softail is subjected to a lot of abuse. Vibration and heat. The heat comes from being enveloped in the oil tank full of hot oil and of course, good old Harley vibrations. Take the battery to automotive parts store and have the battery load tested. Just checking the voltage on a battery does not tell you anything.

One last thing. You may need to replace the large copper contacts in your starter solenoid. Look at the end of your starter and you'll see a five-sided plate held on by three screws. Remove the plate, remove the plunger and spring. Look at the large copper contacts. They are probably burned. You can get a rebuild kit that includes all the contacts and a new plunger. They are much less expensive than a new starter. You may have to remove the starter from the engine on your FatBoy as it is quite tight in there. Make sure you disconnect the battery before working on the inside of the starter.

Good Luck
Steve

There should be a total of three wires. There are a pair of smaller wires that connect to the alternator and a longer, heavier gauge wire that goes directly to the positive post of the battery. I've seen some people take this heavier lead and attach it directly to the starter as well, It's the same a connecting it to the battery positive post when you do it that way.

Good Luck
Steve