Forum

[Norm]

Tack it is probably a good idea you study the breathing system on these and you might be able to help people fix the problem

[Alan R]

------------sorry matey !!I know that's not very helpful to you right now but the Electra X model in particular haven't earned a particularly good reputation down the years............OK, here's an idea}-- When (IF !!) you get it running again take it on the same route as last time and when it cuts out IMMEDIATELY take the plug out and test for a spark ....If YES then you have a fuel starvation problem ( Have you checked that the fuel tank cap is venting OK ??)--------------- If NO then continue with the advice so far .......There's no "Magic" involved with these simple, basic machines...What will cause all sorts of "Gremlins" is the very POOR QUALITY of the OE components despite having LUCAS emblazoned all over the place.........Having said that, they still give me a "Big Grin" factor-----I just wish the grin would co-incide with road-time and not down-time !! LoL !!-------Keep those chins UP !!!

[Alan R]

----------- My last post refers to my previous one and not Norm's----- who snuck in there just as I was single-finger typing like the clappers !!--------- you little beauty, you !!

[Thack]

@Norm: sadly I don't have an Electra any more to study, so maybe I'll get round to studying the parts diagrams some time. To be honest, I'm much more likely to be studying the UCE B5, assuming I go ahead and buy one. To be honest, though, I wasn't trying to help anyone, I was really just saying "Yes, wet-sumping can happen on the Electra because it happened to me." You then said what happened to me wasn't wet-sumping, but a blocked breather. Personally I'm still unconvinced about that, but realistically I guess we'll never know as the bike has now gone. I notice I'm not the only one who thinks the Electra can wet-sump - others have discussed it in this forum. Incidentally, I can tell from your tone that you are getting annoyed with me, but honestly you shouldn't get annoyed just because someone disagrees with you, or challenges what you've said. Challenging and defending are time-honoured debating techniques for homing in on the truth. I've gained more insights from having to defend my opinion than any other way.

[Norm]

Thack the problem is you don't even know what wet sumping is, it can only last on an Electra for the first minute to minute and a half after start up, if it wet sumps after that it has a scavenge pump problem. I will make no further comment

[Thack]

@Norm: well, of course, it's up to you whether you reply. I think I do know what wet-sumping is, although I'm always happy to be corrected (as I showed earlier in the thread about the catch can). My understanding of wet-sumping is that sometimes, particularly when the engine is stopped at BDC, oil from the tank slowly flows "backwards" from the tank into the sump area beneath the crankshaft. My understanding is that this must necessarily happen very slowly, as the only path into the crankcase is seepage from the big end bearing, and seepage through the right hand main bearing seal. The Electra scavenge pump has roughly twice the capacity of that in the original engine, but still pretty small compared with modern day engines. When the engine starts, the oil in the crankcase is forced into a dense and powerful spray which fills the entire crankcase, such that large volumes of the oil are pumped into the breather pipe as the piston descends. Even if, as you say, it takes only a minute to fully scavenge the crankcase, that is still a long time to be pumping the dense oil/air mix into the breather. That is my understanding of wet-sumping, and I would entirely agree with you that it isn't going to happen while the engine is running because the scavenge pump has more than enough capacity to prevent it. If any of the above is wrong I'd be very happy to be corrected - I aim to learn something new every day.

[Blue]

Alan R - Haha. Just rearranged the letters and it came up with "don't throw the towel in!" immediately after buying one. She's too lovely to look at and so nice to ride (when she runs).
Will change neutral switch (£2) and buy and new coil too as these are prob future spares anyway.
Thanks for suggestion about fuel tank blockage - it's added to list to check out.
As a general question from a newby to RE world, are the Indian spares on #bay worth going for or do you folks buy from this site or others only? Tks

[zippy]

ELECTRA X _ I get RELAX ETC....

[Thack]

Sorry for helping to drag this off-topic. Anyway, I still bet this is a faulty ignition switch.

[Frank]

Then why are the lights, horn etc OK and why does it start when the clutch is pulled? My money wouldn't ride on it being the ignition switch.