Trying to adjust my throttle/idle cables with EFI

Am I missing something here...

I back off both idle and throttle adjustments.

Wheel straight.

Holding grip at WOT... adjust throttle cable until the butterfly at the throttle body just hits the stop at the top.

Problem: At full adjustment, I'm still 3/8" away from the stop.

Its acting like the cable is too long or the cable housing is too short.

Any suggestions... I'm stumped.

NOTE: '05 RK Custom FLHRSI, Fuel Injected.

Okay, this is even stranger...

If I start by taking up 3/8" adjustment off the IDLE cable, then go back to the Throttle cable, I can get it to go up and meet the WOT stop. So I did this and then took up the remaing slack in the Idle cable until it wouldn't return freely, then back off that a couple of turns and tightened it all up.

Gray says that is how they do it in the holler...

[TalonChief]

8,

I'm not entirely sure what you're saying, but it seems to that you need to completely loosen the idle cable before attempting to adjust the throttle cable. IOW, the adjustment procedure should begin with both adjusters run to full slack.

[MegaGlide]

Just got off the phone w/ Mike and he's all squared away, but now I've got an "Oh, by the way" question.
On the last 16th or so of throttle grip rotation before WOT on mine, the effore increases a bit. Not like a kink or anything, but it just takes a little more smooth effort. Mike's does not. Is this because of the cruise control, or should I look for a problem?

[TalonChief]

I'd loosen up the idle cable and see if the issue remains--might just be a little tight.

The test for that rolloff switch is at closed throttle and just verifies that it makes continuity w/ a slight amount of pressure closing the throttle, so I don't think it'd cause your problem.

[MegaGlide]

It was that way w/ the idle cable slack during adujustmet...

[LittleBear]

Mega, That is not normal despite what Harley may tell you.
Could be in the throttle grip housing. This is my bet. Sometimes the throttle grip portion where the cables attach is not round.
Could be the tension screw binding, but I am sure you checked that already.
Could be in the throttle body, does the butterfly move freely by hand that last little bit?

Originally Posted by LittleBear

...
Could be in the throttle body, does the butterfly move freely by hand that last little bit?

Interesting point. I had to replace the butterfly pin in my throttle body..was broken. It caused an erratic idle. Dealer replaced it, even though the warranty had expired. Seems that it was a common problem.

Originally Posted by MegaGlide

Just got off the phone w/ Mike and he's all squared away, but now I've got an "Oh, by the way" question.
On the last 16th or so of throttle grip rotation before WOT on mine, the effore increases a bit. Not like a kink or anything, but it just takes a little more smooth effort. Mike's does not. Is this because of the cruise control, or should I look for a problem?

Are your cables stock? Did you lube the cables? Did you lube the cables?

[route66paul]

Have you taken the Throttle apart at the grip? Sometimes it doesn't go back in correctly.

yeah, yeah, yeah... but this thread is about me...

I did have both cables full slack to begin with. Really strange. I'd think that you could adjust the throttle cable properly with the spring loaded butterfly and the idle cable absent.

[vafatboy]

Originally Posted by 8-Ball

I'd think that you could adjust the throttle cable properly with the spring loaded butterfly and the idle cable absent.

You can. I have switched the idle cable to the throttle cable to get someone home when the throttle cable broke. A friend of mine did the same thing yesterday to get someone else from out of town to the dealer when the throttle cable broke.

I don't know if this is the right way, but when I adjust mine to take up all the slack in the cables, they hang a little, especially if the idle cable is tight. I adjust the throttle cable so that it takes about a 1/16-inch to move the butterfly and the adjust the idle tight and then back it off until the throttle moves freely.

[MegaGlide]

At this point, I'm not sure if it was doing this before I did the idle cable, so I'll loosen it up and readjust today to eliminate that...

[MegaGlide]

So, I go out and loosen my idle cable. No difference. Then I start eliminating things. If I open the throttle to just before the point that the effort increases, then rotate the cam on the throttle body the rest of the way with my finger, no additional resistance. Observing the throttle sleeve at the point the resistance increases, instead of rotating, it moves laterally on the bar.
Crap.
So, just after I turn on the lights in the garage so I can see to disassemble the RH switch/throttle housing, et al, I check my e-mail one more time, to see if I've heard back from "He Who Must Not Be Named". Yup, there it is.
So I call him to see about tuning date possibilities, and ask about the throttle issue.
It seems that the Mother Ship instructs their minions in the dealerships to adjust the throttle cables so the throttle sleeve hits the internal stop instead of the cam hitting the stop on the throttle body. This prevents complaints from the RUBs about their throttle cables stretching and needing to be adjusted. The internal stop in the switch housing is hit by the end of the cam, bellcrank, whatever you want to call it, on the throttle sleeve, and if you actually hit it regularly (who, me?), the plastic throttle sleeve wears and allows it to override the stop. That is what was happening. Now, apart from never reaching WOT when adjusted like this (until you've worn it down), it can also stick the throttle wide open after it wears to the point where it's overriding it.
So, I tightened the cable a bit, and viola! (I know), it's right.
Every day just forces me to hate H-D a little more.

[vafatboy]

Bastages.....I should probably check to see that I get WOT.