20 Most Recent 1979 Harley Davidson XLH 1000 Sportster - Page 9 Questions & Answers

Drop a few bucks on a shop manual. I'm sorry for not answering your question better, but removing the trans isn't that difficult, so if you're asking, this is the best advice I can offer. A one time investment in the service manual will pay for itself off many times over.

nope if it bolts up make sure the wires are red (A) armature (F) field and battery pos + make sure u polarize the genny by making a jumper wire from (A) ON GENNY TO POSITVE ON BATTERY TILL IT SPARKS NO LONGER THEN CHECK VOLTAGE SHOULD PUT OUT 12V TO 14 V WHILE RPM IS 2000

check the simple things first 1 coil 2 condenser 3 points 4 gas compression I need more info for any real help

Remove derby cover. Loosen nut with 3/4" wrench turn allen head treaded rod clockwise until it stops. Then turn it ccw 1/2 turn. Hold it in place while tightening nut. Replace cover.

where is it comimg out

Fill it up until the oil touches the bottom of the clutch basket, approx. 1 wuart

Did you charge the new battery? Did you check the new batteries electrolyte? I have seen many a new battery come off the shelf, dead! Get one of those floaty ball things and check the electrolytes in the battery, every cell, if one cell is dead, it is no good. The voltage sounds a little low but it should charge up. I don't know what size your battery is, but my old sportster had a car battery in it. Never had a problem. But never left the house without a screwdriver either.

Well, I don't know if it's normal but I've seen this on several occasions. Technically, the cases should be sealed with a sealant and not depend on the engine case bolts to prevent oil leakage. But, over the years of operation, the sealant has been compromised by heat and vibration so it isn't unusual that the a bit of oil leaks out of the engine cases when the bolts are removed. It will probably reseal when you put the engine back in the frame and re-torque the bolts but there's no guarantee.

Good Luck
Steve

popping and backfiring sounds like a lean fuel mixture, caused by the wonderful gas we are getting these days. try draining fuel system, put in fresh fuel. the oily substance is coming from the crankcase vents located within the air filter cavity, a lot of bikes do that, ck. oil level not over full.

You'll need something like this:http://www.jpcycles.com/product/911-622

I have never heard of any aftermarket manufacturers making a chrome generator. Look closely and see if the generator has a chrome cover over it. Make sure you are touching the "A" or armature terminal with the jumper wire from the postive battery post. The "A" terminal should have two tan colored wires going to it with a green wire going to the "F" terminal. Usually, you see a small spark but you may not. Start the engine and bring it to a high idle. Check the voltage at the battery with the engine running at high idle. You should be reading between 14 and 15 volts at the battery. If not, your battery will not stay charged. Have checked the brushes in the generator to make sure they are not worn out? To test the Maximum output of the generator, disconnect the wires from the "A" and the "F" terminals. Set your volt meter to read DC volts on the 50 volts or greater scale. Connect the positive voltmeter lead to the "A" terminal and the negative lead to ground. Start the engine and idle at 2000 rpms. MOMENTARILY connect a jumper lead from ground to the "F" terminal of the generator. Your voltmeter should read 25-30 volts DC. If you do not read this voltage, you need to check the generator for worn brushes, a shorted armature or field winding.

Good Luck
Steve

Torque values for the cylinders and rocker box on a 1979 XLH 1000 Ironhead Sportster are as follows.

Cylinder base torque - 25-35 foot pounds.
Cylinder head torque - 55 -65 foot pounds
Rocker box torque - 14 -19 foot pounds

If your bike is NOT the bike listed above, repost and tell me the year model of your bike.

Good Luck
Steve

Polarize the battery. This is done, with the motor off, by momentarily placing a jumper wire between the positive terminal of the battery and the "A" or armiture post of the generator. You shoud see a small spark. Remove jumper and start the bike, check voltage at battery.

There is a drain plug under the back end of the primary cover. Drain the oil and refill through the primary chain inspection hole. There is a "fill level plug" on the outer primary towards the front. Remove this plug and fill until oil runs out of the hole. Should take almost a whole quart when bike is standing straight up.

Good Luck
Steve

On the oil pump shaft housing, just below the gear, there's a small square slot cut out of the housing. If you rotate the oil pump shaft, you'll see a dot on the shaft. You want this dot on the shaft in the slot in the housing when the Top Dead Center mark is in the timing hole on the other side of the engine. You have to install the oil pump like you would a distributor. You turn the dot away from the hole and when you put the pump into position, the oil pump drive gear turns the shaft while the pump goes up on the studs. When you get seated, the marks should be aligned.

Good Luck
Steve

Check the cam sensor in the nose cone on the right side of the engine. These have a tendency to cause the type of problem you are having. Over time, the heat cycles the sensor goes through causes the epoxy to melt when hot, pulling the wires away from their contacts. After the bike cools, the wires again make contact and the bike runs fine until it gets hot again. Not a bad job to change the sensor, you just have to retime the bike after a new sensor is installed.

1. remove the full line from the carb, turn on the petcock and watch it flow into a container. Make sure that the petcock is in the correct position and that the tank has at least a half tank of gas. If the petcock does not flow gas, the tank/petcock has a fuel flow issue. If the petcock has a smaller rubber line connected (vacuum controlled) to it, it will need vacuum applied to it before it will flow fuel. Vacuum can be applied using a hand held vacuum tool (purchased at a auto store) or light suction from the mouth will do.2. If the petcock does flow fuel, remove the inlet to the back of the carb and spray a 1-2 second burst of starter fluid into the carb and attempt to start it. If it attempts to start after spraying it with starter fluid, the carb is plugged and needs to be cleaned.

You may still have gaskets trying to compress on the engine and if you had the valves and seats ground, they may be still seating in at that mileage. As the valves and seats wear, the valve stem raises up reducing the lash. All Ironhead Sportsters have solid tappets and should be adjusted to zero backlash. It's always best to set the tappets on these engine a bit loose rather than a bit tight. Always adjust the valves (tappets) with the engine absolutely cold. Keep in mind that the valve lash is set at zero with the engine cold. As the engine heats up, the cylinders and heads "grow" upwards introducing lash into the valve train. When it cools and contracts, it again should go back to zero lash but not hold the valves open. Make sure you get the locknut tightened properly.

Good Luck
Steve

Try a cooler spark plug!;)