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[HDJamsTX]

I'm really hoping someone out there can help me on this. I just went down to South Padre Island for the 2005 Bikefest. Put a little over
900 miles on this ride. While i was there a did the Mexico run along with about 1500 other people. The temp was hot and with the constant start, stop, and sitting at idle my engine got VERY HOT...
I was waiting for for the line of bikes to start moving again and i noticed my bike was idling very rough and soundied like it was going to die on me. I kept the idle up to keep this from happening. I then noticed my oil pressure gauge (((  0 psi ))) holly chit this scared me.
If i kept the enging idle up i had very low pressure.  Just then i look again at my gauge, it goes to 0 again, the engine lite comes on and a big puff of smoke came from somewhere and blows on the back portion of my front fender?  (The puff happend real fast, so i didn't notice color or smell) It wasn't oil and the motor did restart but again idle'd very rough. I pulled over and shut it off to let it cool down.  

I checked all my fluids and they were fine, It did start right up but again with the stop and go traffic of all the bike it did not take long before it would not idle on its own again.

I made it to mexico and back and also the 360 miles back to San Antonio.  

I am now unsure of the motors health, Did i hurt it??  It made the trip back fine but i kept thinking i was feeling (Like when ball bearings have no grease/oil just that type of roughness)

I guess the only way to know for sure is to take it to Harley and let them look at it, BUT.....I've little fath in there abaility to figure some things out,  Hope to get some good input here.

[Ed Ramberger - One_Screamin_Eagle]

I'm really hoping someone out there can help me on this. I just went down to South Padre Island for the 2005 Bikefest. Put a little over
900 miles on this ride. While i was there a did the Mexico run along with about 1500 other people. The temp was hot and with the constant start, stop, and sitting at idle my engine got VERY HOT...
quote]

This is an AIR cooled motor and the Delphi system has checks in place to try to protect the motor from people sitting in traffic and letting it run without being able to cool down.  It's called Heat Management.  First it lowers your idle rpm, then it adds fuel, then it skips fuel delivery.  As soon as you give it throttle, it leaves the strategy.  So what you did was get it so hot that it stopped delivering fuel in an attempt to lower the engine temp (that was the low idle and running rough).  Occasionally they stall out if you refuse to turn it off and let it cool.  There is nothing the dealer can "look" at because the bike did what it was supposed to do.  Unless you really think that you hurt it, which would be on your dime, about all they could do is a leakdown and compression test.  Hope this info helps you to understand what happened.  If this is your first Harley, remember it's AIR cooled!    [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]

[ak]

I had a bad temp switch, acted somewhat like that easy fix at shop - AK

[JCZ]

Air Cooled but because it's a 103, it already runs hotter than most bikes.  When you notice that it's running really rough, that is the fuel injections system doing what it's suppose to but that's also the first sign that you should have already shut if off and let it cool down.

Probably didn't do any damage but they're an expensive fix, if you did.  Might want to rethink that whole situation in the future.......what's it all really worth?  For your sake, I hope that you're O.K.

However, I would get the oil changed like right now!

[Crawdaddy]

Hdjams - 1SE is right.  You have a heat management system that takes over at about 230 degrees.  and continues to manage at about 330 degrees.  It is explained in your owners manual.  It amazes me that the bike can still run with oil temp higher than 300 degrees, but it will if a good syn oil is used.  The system will actually skip firing on every other stroke to allow air in to cool the engine when temps get higher and go into the third stage.  All sounds good as designed, but you should check out the cables and other plastic and rubber for heat damage.  That much heat can melt things.

[erniezap]

I'd do a compression and leakdown check and change ALL of the fluids, since the others probably got overheated as well.

[DCFIREMANN]

I'd do a compression and leakdown check and change ALL of the fluids, since the others probably got overheated as well.

These guys are correct. System worked just like it should. Get those fluids changed ASAP!!!!!

Be Safe

THE DAWG

[jeffj]

Did you buy fuel while in Mexico?

[Striker]

Did you buy fuel while in Mexico?[/quote
I am going to Mexico next month, I normally carry octane boost in my bags, should I plan on adding it when I get fuel there?

[HDJamsTX]

Thanks for all the input so far......

I contacted the HD Service at my local dealer and told them what had happened. They just shrugged it off saying (You just had your 1000 mile service and all fluids changed last week, YOUR SAFE).  They said to just run the bike and if it acts differently then bring it in and to not worry its under warranty....

To be honest this still did not make me feel very comfortable with that response.  I am going to contact another dearlership tomorrow and see what they say.

In my initial post of this i hope i didn't make it sound like i ran the motor for ever after it died on me. I was able to get out of the line of traffic and shut it off to cool within in just a few minutes.

No.....I did not get any gas in mexico other than from the food i ate

[Twolanerider]

Jam, the single most important benefit of the synthetic oils are the wider envelopes before breakdown.  But if you get them too hot they will breakdown; or begin to.  The cost of oil is nothing compared to getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere some night or slow Sunday afternoon.  The engine may be warranted.  Your time and even safety lost in a breakdown aren't compensated.  You were concerned enough about it to post and ask.  You should be concerned enough about it, then, to take a few minutes and drain some oil.

[spydglide]

Yeah, what TwoLane said.  Same thing happened to me in Daytona traffic last year and I couldn't get that oil out fast enough.  Even at $9 a quart!   [smiley=drink.gif]  spyder

[110tHunDer]

The heat management works off of head temperatures, not oil temp.

[Twolanerider]

But having said that, I can tell you that if that happened to my bike, the oil would be drained ASAP!

That's it exactly Brian.  You can't know that the oil hit thermal limits for breakdown.  But you can't know that it didn't.  The only thing you do know is that it might have; or at least gotten close.  That being so; why screw with it?

[JCZ]

I think it's safe to say that any of us would have been getting our oil changed before we rode home.