Harley Cart Update

After a few miles and going up a long long long hill, she cut out, choking didnt help ANY and died. I pulled the plug and it had that nice warm gray color and looked great no wet gas or any black sooty coating. I didnt crank it to see if it fired, but should have (a farmer came by and we chatted). We sat about 10 mins and she started up and it pulled the next long steep hills okay only sputterd a time or 2 (still after she died, she didtn take her gas as well and didnt start as well as before the long journey). Then after about 4 more miles and just up hill from our farm she died (hadnt been any up hills for a while, choking didnt help) and we coasted back home. I then did check the spark and it wasnt firing the plug (it had been cranked a while so prob had some gas build up but it still didnt have any flat black sooty or any bad looking deposits). So I grabbed another plug and that one did fire BUT not near as good a spark as she had when we started out.

Sooooo the coil is still the original and the in line regular looking generic automotive type filter is also the original but I blew it out with air thoroughlly and flushed and instaleld new rubber fuel lines. I have a generic wirign diagram and it doesnt appear to have any igniiton ballast so Im guessing the coil to be an internally ballasted 12 volt but havent checked its primary resistance yet. The carb is a Tillotson, one of those vacuum diaphram 2 cyle type with no bowl, just a vacuum operated needle valve and its gravity feed to it (via the in line filter) and had plenty of gas in the tank to flow even on steep hills. The manual called for an ounce per gallon of oil in the gas but later Harley recommend 1.5 oz/gal which is what I had using Mercury Quicksilver 2 cycle oil. She dont smoke bad or excess or nothing like that, but if cranked and wont start, it has that strong pungent rancid gas smell out the exhaust.

I suspect maybe the coil fails when she heats up (points n plug and condensor are new) and since choke had no affect, I dont suspect the fuel filter but am gonna replace it anyway.

Any you 2 cycle mechanics got any ideas other than the coil may be bad or any possible fuel or carb problems????? Im gonna replace the coil and filter and try her again and will probalby use (if working) an electronic Capacitor Discharge Ignition I have and a high energy coil and maybe a 0.050 plug gap and see how she does lol.

God Bless Yall, thanks in advance for any comments.

John T

I just got back from town where I bought a new Accell high performance coil and a new in line fuel filter. If my CDI Ignition Unit works, Im gonna add that to save any high point current.

I was amazed at the auto parts store their Champion Plug Chart showed the plug for that to be none other than H10 C, what we all been talking about on here for the M tractors. It doesnt have quite as deep reach as the NGK B6HXXX that was in it, but I figure go with the Champion specs and see how they do.

Im gonna add the new stuff now and will let yall know how she does. The heat and air shield is all in place and shes all cleaned up to help with the air cooling.

I think it lost fire (coil) and wasnt a fuel problem from the way she stopped suddenly and choking helped none.

Thanks Yall John T

Thanks John T

You know I am a rookie with the old MT...but one of the first problems I had with my MT was my engine engine kept cutting out...I thought it was fuel/carb. related, but soon as I replaced the coil, I could not run my engine longer than 10 minutes b4 it would start cutting out and shutting down...if you have new points, condensor, plugs/wires and rebuilt the carb., I vote for coil !

keep us posted and good luck,
tom

"before I replaced the coil",

I could not run my engine longer than 10 minutes b4 it would start cutting out and shutting down...if you have new points, condensor, plugs/wires and rebuilt the carb., I vote for replacing the coil !

John T,
I'm gonna second your thought on the coil. Up hill or down hill shouldn't have any effect on the carb since it's a Tollotson carb, and you have plenty of fuel in the tank. You say after it sat for a while it started back up. Sure sounds like a coil to me.
One thing to think about, you went on a 8 mile venture, these old Harley's are air cooled and were designed to run short distances at a time and cool a bit in between. You coule be building up too much heat. Heat and coils don't go together to well, and that coil is mounted pretty close to that hot jug. Make sure you have the sheilding around the jug that ports the air from the flywheel/fan around the cooling fins on the jug.
Also check for exhaust restrictions, plugged up muffler, etc. Exhaust is everthing to a 2 stroke engine, but I bet the coil is fried.

Keep us posted, and hope this helps a bit.
JDBob

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Yellow is 1968 Electic, White is a gas burner.