Getting your Harley fuel filter replacement done right
Dealing along with a sluggish motor often means a Harley fuel filter replacement is definitely overdue, and it's a job you can definitely handle in your personal garage without paying out dealership labor rates. If you've been noticing your bike hesitation whenever you angle the throttle, or even maybe it's simply acting a little bit cranky when you're trying to maintain freeway speeds, that small filter hidden within your gas container is usually the top suspect. It's among those maintenance tasks that individuals tend to disregard until the bike actually will not run, yet catching it early saves a great deal of headaches on the side of the street.
Why a person shouldn't ignore a dirty filter
Most of us like to talk regarding chrome, exhaust records, and stage products, but nobody really gets enthusiastic about fuel filtration. However, the particular reality is that will gas isn't usually as clean because we'd like in order to think. With time, yeast sediment from gas train station pumps and even tiny bits of rust from inside an older tank start to settle. Your fuel filter will be the only thing standing up between that "gunk" and your costly fuel injectors.
When that filter starts to clog up, your fuel pump has to work twice as hard to drive gas through. This doesn't simply make the bike run low fat and hot; it actually shortens the life of the pump itself. Changing a filter is definitely cheap; replacing a whole fuel pump assembly because you burnt it out is well, it's expensive. You'll generally feel the symptoms prior to the bike dies completely. It begins with a small stumble at high RPMs, or probably the bike will take a few additional cranks to flame up in the morning. If you're hitting those 25, 000 to 30, 000-mile marks, it's just time to dive in and swap it away.
Getting your workspace ready
Before you start pulling things apart, you've got to be smart about the environment. You're going to become opening the fuel tank, which means fumes—and potentially several spills. Try this within a well-ventilated area. Please, for the particular love of almost all things holy, don't have a room heater running or a cigarette hanging away of your mouth.
You'll require some basic tools: some Torx parts (usually T25 or even T27 depending upon your model), a few needle-nose pliers, and maybe a small flat-head screwdriver. It's the great concept to have the new tank seal readily available. Once a person break the seal off on that best plate (the "canopy"), the old gasket often expands or gets pinched, plus trying to recycle it really is asking with regard to a fuel drip all over your own nice paint job.
The "fun" part: getting into the tank
Of all modern Harleys—whether you're on a Softail, a Dyna, or a big Touring rig—the fuel filter is hidden inside the tank. To get to it, a person usually need to remove the console or maybe the trim piece working down the middle from the tank. As soon as that's out associated with the way, you'll view a circular or even football-shaped plate held down by a ring of anchoring screws.
Before you begin unscrewing anything, you have to bleed the pressure out there of the fuel line. The easiest way to perform this would be to pull the fuel push fuse while the bicycle is running. The engine will trip and die, which usually tells you the particular pressure is gone. You can now disconnect the quick-connect fuel collection beneath the tank with no obtaining a face full of gasoline.
When you begin removing those best plate screws, perform it within a superstar pattern, just like you would certainly with a car wheel. This retains the tension also. When the plate is usually loose, you've got to play a bit of the "puzzle game" in order to get the fuel pump assembly out there. It's a lengthy, awkward unit with a float left arm for your fuel gauge. You possess to tilt this, rotate it, plus gently coax it through the opening. Don't force it—if seems stuck, it's probably just the float arm getting on the side of the tank.
Swapping the actual filter
As soon as you've got the particular assembly out and sitting on the clean rag on your workbench, you'll see the filter housing. On numerous EFI Harleys, the particular filter is the small plastic canister or a mesh "sock" attached to the push. This is how things get a bit oily—or rather, gassy. You'll likely have to take some plastic dividers or unscrew the small housing to have the old filter away.
Take the good look at the old filter. If it's black or even covered in grey slime, you definitely waited lengthy enough. While you're in there, check the internal fuel lines. There's the famous "corrugated" plastic material hose inside numerous Harley tanks that's notorious for creating tiny pinhole leakages. If that hose looks brittle or even has any wear marks from massaging against the inside of the container, replace it today. It's a five-dollar part that will certainly help you save from the breakdown the following month.
Slide the newest filter into place, producing sure any O-rings are seated perfectly. If an O-ring gets pinched here, the pump won't be able to build pressure, plus your bike won't start even even though everything looks "fine" externally. A little bit of bit of clear fuel or the tiny dab of assembly lube may help those seals slide home with out bunching up.
Putting it all back together
Obtaining the assembly back into the tank is just the particular reverse of the particular "puzzle game" a person played earlier. Just be extra careful with that fuel level float. If you bend the wire arm, your gas gauge is heading to lie in order to you for the particular rest of perpetuity, and nobody likes walking to the gas station along with an empty gallon jug.
Put down your fresh gasket and set the top dish in place. Again, use that celebrity pattern when tightening the screws. A person don't need in order to crank them lower with the power of a thousand suns; just obtain them nice cozy. Over-tightening can in fact warp the plate plus cause an outflow, that is the precise opposite of what we're choosing.
The moment of truth
Once everything is buttoned up and the particular console is back again on, plug your own fuel pump blend back in. Convert the ignition in order to "On" but don't hit the starter yet. You should hear the fuel pump whine with regard to a second or two as it primes the system. Since the filter and lines were empty, you might need to cycle the particular ignition a few times to get the atmosphere out of the system.
Verify for leaks about that top plate. If everything appears dry, go on and open fire it up. It may stumble for a second as the particular last from the surroundings bubbles pass through, but then it should settle into the nice, steady nonproductive.
Wrap it up
Doing your personal Harley fuel filter replacement is one of these work that builds the lot of confidence. It's a little bit messy, and achieving into a darkish tank of gasoline feels a small weird the first time, but the payoff is a bike that runs like it just rolled off the showroom floor. As well as, you'll have the peace of mind understanding that the job was done carefully—no rushed mechanics or even stripped bolts.
Next time you're out on the road and you crack that throttle open up, as well as the bike just goes with out any hesitation, you'll know it has been worth the afternoon spent in the particular garage. Keep that will fuel system clean, and your Harley will keep screaming down the pavement for a long time to come. Now, go wash the particular smell of gas off your hands plus choose a ride!