Replace Your Intake Seals

By Dennis Santopietro

Question for Fix My Hog I have a custom bike and it has a 1995 Harley engine from a Sportster 883, the problem the bike is very hard to start and it coughs or back fire from the carburetor and sometimes from the exhaust. Do you think it’s the carburetor? I leave in Denver Colorado thin air and high altitude.

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Fix My Hog Answers Check for an intake leak. You may need to replace your intake seals.

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Intake Seals

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3 Responses to “Replace Your Intake Seals”

  1. Guy Kitchens

    I just replaced my intake manifold seals, torqued the flanges to specs, reassembled and it started only to through a code P505 for uncontrolled idle. I used Throttle Body cleaner spay to isolate lead. It was located at the seals I just replaced (between manifold and head, secured by a flange. Possible causes: There was corrosion on the flanges that I removed (most) with scotch bright. Next was that the intake manifold/throttle body would "sag" after securing the flanges (weight of assembly (no air cleaner) would allow it to move downward and come to rest on something below. Didn't inspire confidence that I had an airtight seal. Some corrosion on the head intake area that I also cleaned up with scotch bright (working to avoid changing the sealing surface). Any suggestions? I'm hearing that my flanges might be problematic as well as the potential for defective seals from the Factory.

  2. bob

    Just replaced my intake seals due to rough idle.Now its very rough and backfires to boot..thinking my seal job is suspect..gonna try a other seal with metal ring im them..also how do you actually torque them intake bolts..any help would be great..

  3. Charles

    You can use WD-40 and spray it on the 3 seals as the engine is running, if you have a leak you will hear the engine run up when the spray makes contact with the surface. Have you done any Carb jetting or idle fuel mixture adjustments? If it isn't the gaskets I would check the idle fuel adjustment and possibly the jet sizes and adjust for your particular intake/exhaust combination.