ICM/Sensor?carb? Nope, bad ground, hope this helps somebody

[nite53]

My '04 XL sat for three months while I gathered parts after it was hit in the front while I was in a restaurant. After getting it started, it was hacking, coughing, choking, much like it did before getting the ICM flashed. I was sure it was the timing sensor, it would intermittently fall on it's face from idle, just hack, puke, had a terrible time, WHEN it would do it. I changed plugs, changed gas, , then, I got LUCKY!!!

Today, I was at Hard Rock Park, during the spring rally, and it just about got me killed, trying to get in traffic to get into the park, and there was a Harley trailer there, giving demo rides.

I asked if there was a tech there, and there was. He told me to bring the bike in, described the scenario to him, he said it sounds like a bad ground. I thought, Oh sh*t, here we go, massive bills searching a ground!!! This guy without trying the bike, ( that's how sure he was of knowing my problem), takes out the battery, removes the negative cable, cleans the negative terminal with a file, and the cable connector, also with a file, and then only tightens the positive cable. Puts it all back together, tells me to take it out and tell him what happens.

I took it out, no stumble, NOTHING, runs perfect!!!!!!!!! And, then, when I asked him how much I owed him, he said, nothing, you were having a real problem.

To anyone on the road, or at a rally, anytime you see a Harley Demo ride, keep that in mind, these guys are Harley Techs, pure and simple, and right there for us.

ALso, this maybe should be in the ICM reflash sticky, since I am CERTAIN that there are crank sensors, ICM issues only caused by the DIRTY NEG TERMINAL !!!!!

Even after getting my ICM reflashed, and the carb tuned rite, I still had intermittent issues with this bike, every time I took it out. ALL that was CURED by this dirty negative terminal. The tech told me that they are ALL very succeptible to voltage drops like this, and always watch for corrosion on the negative terminal.

Hope this helps somebody like it did me.

[geoffreyt]

Good post. Thanks.