Won't fire

[goyork]

Mike,

I have a 2007 Ultra, that i just put the SE-255 cams in, it ran great for about 40 miles then died and will not start ,it backfires, when it died their was no noise it just sputered and died. Before I started it I rotated the tires to make sure it spun freely and then pulled the spark plugs and ran the starter a couple of revolutions to prime the oil pump, would this damage the coils if no plugs were in the spark plug wires? What are some things I should check? Thanks, Greg

[Mike]

Priming without plugs will NOT damage the coil or ignition (we do it all the time).
First would be to check for spark, you'll need an in-line spark checker between the plug lead and plug, with plugs installed in the heads. Plugs will NOT fire when out of the head and so will give a false negative.

Second is to check cranking compression and/or do a leak down test. This can verify cams have not slipped out of time or compression lost via some other means (note, if you have no compression the spark check will show no spark).

If all this checks out OK, then go to the fuel and check for fuel pressure. Next is to check for air leaks (you can use SEST data monitor, if you can get it to start for a moment, and check IAC counts.

Last are sensor checks. Again data monitor can be used, possibly. Of course a trip to your dealer may make all this easier. No start/run is typically fairly easy and quick to diagnose, with the proper tools.