engine dies and i dunno why
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,111
Likes: 1
From: My redneck of the woods louisiana
engine dies and i dunno why
on my way to lunch today i stopped in traffic and my car just kinda idled down and stalled 
so i threw it in park and it fired right back up 
. when i got to taco bell i decided that it was too crowded so i left and got stopped in traffic again and it did the same thing so i immediately went home. it is bone stock iron head l98 only things i have done are change brakes (2-3 weeks ago) a new battery and powermaster alternator(last week). it has a full tank of fresh gas and it only did this those two times today (i drove to football practice and back). it did have a little surging feeling earlier today.
i don't know where to start
. could it be a sensor? fuel pump? fuel filter? dirty intake(i get the feeling it has never been cleaned)? 
any suggestions would be great because it is my dd and it's too cold to ride the bike in the morning.
so i threw it in park and it fired right back up . when i got to taco bell i decided that it was too crowded so i left and got stopped in traffic again and it did the same thing so i immediately went home. it is bone stock iron head l98 only things i have done are change brakes (2-3 weeks ago) a new battery and powermaster alternator(last week). it has a full tank of fresh gas and it only did this those two times today (i drove to football practice and back). it did have a little surging feeling earlier today.i don't know where to start
. could it be a sensor? fuel pump? fuel filter? dirty intake(i get the feeling it has never been cleaned)? any suggestions would be great because it is my dd and it's too cold to ride the bike in the morning.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 14,604
Likes: 3
From: Glendale, AZ
if it's an 86 like your name suggests - fuel filter and pump are relatively easy to change - just watch the wires on the pump (power, ground, and relay to send signal to dash for fuel level) somehow i touched power to the wire that sends that signal - and had to buy a new "sending unit"
it's like 10 or 12 bolts on top of the tank just open the fuel door and lift up that rubber "mat" - i think they cost like $50 or so
the fuel filter is however where i would start - and i highly recommend doing it right - pull the fuse run the enging until it dies (to make sure you don't coat your skin with fine petrol products) and use flare nut wrenches to remove the lines from the filter.
if you remove the pump, it might not hurt to take the little "filter bag" off and clean it with high pressure air or something.
but you can instantly tell when it's not working, by having a buddy stand by the back of the car (with the fuel door open) and turn on the key and listen for the electric motor whine while it primes the pump!
it's like 10 or 12 bolts on top of the tank just open the fuel door and lift up that rubber "mat" - i think they cost like $50 or so
the fuel filter is however where i would start - and i highly recommend doing it right - pull the fuse run the enging until it dies (to make sure you don't coat your skin with fine petrol products) and use flare nut wrenches to remove the lines from the filter.
if you remove the pump, it might not hurt to take the little "filter bag" off and clean it with high pressure air or something.
but you can instantly tell when it's not working, by having a buddy stand by the back of the car (with the fuel door open) and turn on the key and listen for the electric motor whine while it primes the pump!
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,169
Likes: 1,735
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Change fuel filter, check TPS and IAC (see my site)
I suppose it could be EGR-related as well, if the valve sticks open at idle, mine does it occasionally in traffic.
I suppose it could be EGR-related as well, if the valve sticks open at idle, mine does it occasionally in traffic.
