(May 16, 2014) I was too optimistic, perhaps even naive. It’s Friday evening and I don’t have my bike. I paid the bill late this afternoon--and it was a whopper--and rode away. Very soon I realized the engine was not running properly. I should have been experiencing the thrill of my life, so much power I would have to go easy on the throttle. Instead, it felt like the same old dog, even missing now and then to bring back old memories.
Kevin and Jim at Jockeys Cycle tried to make a poorly fitting engine temperature sensor (ETS) from Drag Specialties work, at least until next week when a new one, from S&S, arrives. No deal. The sensor apparently came lose within a few hundred feet of the shop as I rode away, as confirmed by the Check Engine light coming on.
Just a couple of weeks ago, “DrTandem" posted this helpful information on www.hdforums.com:
I know I'm late to this thread, but I just experienced this problem on my fuel injected '04 Heritage. The symptoms were similar to bad gas; stalling when first starting and running really rough after warming up and the check engine light illuminated. As another posted, it's just a $40 dollar part. On my bike, it is on the left side of the bike behind the horn. The engine code for this problem is PO118. To look for the code, with the bike off, turn the Off/Run switch to run, hold in the odometer button and turn the switch to Ignition. You will see the speedometer sweep and then a message saying "Diag." Release the odometer button and press it once quickly. You will see a code flashing, click the odometer button once again quickly and the trouble code, if any, will appear.
If it's the engine temperature sensor, it is easy to replace and takes about 15 minutes. You'll need a deep 3/4" socket for the sensor and a 1/2" socket to remove the horn. Remove the horn and carefully let it dangle, if you don't want to unplug it. Next, pull up the boot covering the sensor wiring. (The sensor is screwed into the block) Unplugged the wiring carefully by gently rocking it back and forth while pulling. Then put your 3/4" socket over the sensor, then put the socket wrench on the socket. It's a tight fit. Once you have it loose, remove the wrench and socket and finish unscrewing by hand. Install the new sensor by hand being careful not to cross-thread the brass fitting. Then finish with the wrench and put it all back together in the reverse order of how you removed it. You can clear the code by holding the odometer button while the code is being displayed.
On that same thread, another helpful rider with the handle “Rakthi” posted this:
Simply put, the ECM needs this info to calculate the amount of fuel needed to inject into the engine.
When your engine is cold the ECM injects a bit more fuel (like having a choke) and then adjusts until the engine is up to temperature.
Looked it up in the 2007 service manual and for the 07 bikes it's not that difficult to replace the sensor ... don't know if it is in the same position in the 04 bikes ... it's where Drew says it's supposed to be, on the back of the front cylinder and you can unscrew it after you take of the horn.
sensor part number is 32446-99, they cost around $40You also have a sensor that checks the temperature of the air intake. That one a bit more complicated to replace ...
And “slowhand" posted in the same thread:
If it is your ets, your motor will run like crap once it reaches operating temperature.
I certainly can attest to this. Thank you DrTandem, Rakthi, and slowhand for taking the time to explain the ETS and the trouble it can create when gone bad.
Kevin also explained to me how to read and clear error codes on my bike. It’s very helpful to know, especially if your Check Engine light comes on and you have no idea why.
ThunderMax reset procedure
Jim at Jockeys also reminded me of something very important for those of you with a ThunderMax engine control module (ECM): if you disconnect the battery, you have to reset the ECM connection to the engine by turning on the ignition for precisely 30 seconds then off, then on again for 30 seconds, then off, then on for 30 seconds again and then off (three cycles on and off, 30 seconds in the on position for each step and presumably at least a couple of seconds in the off position).
Welcome to the world of Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI). It’s no surprise to me now after suffering from one problem after another for a year or more why so many mechanics pine away for the era of carburetors.
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The good news...
In an attempt to make myself feel better, let’s look at what problems I no longer have with my precious two-wheeler—even more precious now that I’ve spent thousands on her this year.
I no longer have carbon-encrusted heads with leaky valves.
I no longer have header pipes with a web of cracks in them.
And, I no longer have the stock ECM + Power Commander III (PCIII) combination that makes diagnosing engine problems much more complicated than with the single ThunderMax module. (And with the ThunderMax, I can add the AutoTuner some day when I have recovered financially from the current epic nightmare.)
In the photos I’ve included in this post, you can see what the inside of my rear head looked like (first picture) and what one of the exhaust ports looked like from the outside. In my previous post I included a picture of the cracked header pipe. There were other cracks as well.
We learned that such breaks cannot be welded—at least not easily. The heat expansion properties of the pipe and weld are sufficiently different that when the pipe gets hot—and it can get get up to several hundred degrees at times—the metals separate and the weld fails.
I used the Power Commander on my old Road King and on this Electra Glide successfully for more than a hundred thousand miles. But complications can arise. For example, when I had the local Harley dealership install the Stage II upgrade on my 2000 Road King, they left the Power Commander on even though they installed a new Harley Davidson ECM. For a year or two, I would have these occasional engine hiccups. One day, I was at a dealership in Tennessee, riding back from some far away place and happened to sit with an older biker on the front porch. After I told him about my Stage II upgrade I mentioned my engine hiccup. I also happened to mention that I was using a Power Commander. He told me straight out, “Take that damned thing off. It’s your problem.” He explained that with the new HD ECM, I didn’t need the PC. He was right: after I removed the PC, the engine problem went with it.
Furthermore, when you have the PC with the stock ECM and a problem develops, you have now two different “computers” to deal with. As you can imagine, the HD technician will want to blame the Power Commander even without evidence, if he even acknowledges you have a PC on the bike.
What I do have...
What I do have with the two-into-one Vance & Hines (V&H) Pro Pipe is an exhaust system that a technician or mechanic can tune to high performance with the ThunderMax ECM. If you do even a little research, you will find that “true duals” are harder to tune and thus usually give you lower performance than the 2-into-1 system. What the dual system gives you is a nice symmetric aesthetic.
I did ride the bike today, engine problems notwithstanding, and the new exhaust system sounds very authoritative. The V&H Pro Pipe delivers the kind of rumble I enjoy hearing. I am quite happy to trade symmetry for power.
As always, keep the shiny side up!
-The Long Rider