I have the Screamin Eagle Heavy Breather Air Cleaner on my '14 StreetGlide. The reason my title is so confusing is because my situation is a little confusing.

On the left side of the mounting plate there is evidence of some oil. Not very much, but enough to get your attention. Especially on a brand new bike. It's not to the point of dripping, it's just smudging really. It's there. It's really slow to build up, but after I clean it off, it may take a few hundred miles, but it'll be there eventually.

Is there a quick fix? Will warranty cover it? Or will I have to go to my local dealer and pay those overrated mechanics too much money to fix it?

RottweilerHoG

PS...do you guys need pics? I didn't post any because I'm thinking this isn't rare.

 

vent it to ground

 

I'm reading about that now in another post. Brand new $40K 2014 Street Glide with a brand new Air Cleaner and I'm having to consider a DIY mod for brand new parts. Man!!! Not the start I was looking for. If that's my only option, it's going to have to do a lot more then what it's doing right now. I just can't stand the sound of that. I was hoping one might say I might need to take it off and reinstall it or change out bolts or washers. But apparently, this problem is all too common. They're calling it "blow back" in another discussion.

 

Sad to say, but yes. My new-to-me 2012 CVO needs lifters at 7200 miles. Its a used bike, out of warranty. Also has the Neutral Rattle. Normal. But It's my fourth Harley, and I knew about all of it before I plunked down a premium price.

Also, bike runs so lean a mod is almost mandatory. Headers and a tuner, with stock air box and mufflers.

On the CVO, I've already procured a take off backing place to have the drains installed. Oil in combustion chamber not good, on side of bike worse.

If I wanted a problem-free bike, I'd a bought a F6b Honda.

 

Ya well at the same time, if I wanted a bike with problems, I would've bought one pre-owned. Not a brand new one with 0 miles. Then again, it wasn't doing anything like this before I changed pretty much the entire bike. So I'll take some responsibility. But damn, bolting on an awesome upgrade shouldn't mean I'm bolting on a problem.

 

I wasn't trying to be a wize-azz, sorry if I came across that way. I did have these problems on both my new bikes, an 09 Ultra and a 13 Road Glide Ultra, with zero miles at purchase.

Really though, many (perhaps most) twin cam Harleys of recent manufacture will put oil into the breather. When parked, the little bit not drawn into the intake and burned will run down and get into the air filter element. Given enough time, some heat, and a strong wind, and it will blow out.

Depending on your air cleaner cover, and the frequency that you service the air cleaner, you may never get a drip. But if you put on a high flow, or K&N, and it's design lets air pass through front to rear, you may get oil on your side covers, exhaust, and or pants leg after riding for several thousand miles "normally" then doing a high speed interstate run into a stiff breeze. The wind blows some of the accumulated oil out of the air cleaner element.

It's possible to never see any oil come out of the air cleaner, but I'd bet a tank of 94 octane that every DH big twin has oil in the element to some degree unless the backing plate has been modified.

When i bought my last two bikes, a 2013 Road Glide Ultra, and a 2012 CVO Street Glide, I knew I would do lifters, cams and probably at some point a compensator. Just the cost of riding an HD.

Some folks believe that reducing the amount of oil in the reservoir will cut down on the amount of oil passing from the heads to the air cleaner, but I do not think it ever helped me. I run a half quart below the full hot line, and still get oil in the air cleaner.

I've had service reps at Harley dealers tell me to not ride below 2500 rpm, had a regional HD rep tell me he only saw it out in west Oklahoma where they run 90 mph all day.

The fix that works 100% of the time is to vent the heads to the ground, or into a container like a mini-whisky bottle (did that on my 2007 Ultra). I think on the CVO I will install stainless steel brake lines custom bent upwards out of sight, then run them back under the seat to a catch bottle of some sort, or a tube near the ground with a removable cap (my Honda Valkyrie did it this way, drain at every oil change, a tablespoon or so of yuk).

I really doubt the dealer will try to fix it.

Normal: Neutral rattle, sewing machine noise from top end, oil in A/C, compensator bang or outright failure, -99C lifter noise and ultimate failure at early point in engine life, wheel bearing failure on 09's and perhaps '10s.

 

Oh no bro. Absolutely not. I'm not that shallow guy who automatically assumes negativity in a message. And I definitely didn't take it that way. Thanks a ton for such a detailed reply. I've been doing a lot of homework since I posted this. I learned that this situation is most commonly known as "blow back". So much to add. But who am I and what do I know. My advice from what I learned is to read the above and google the term. There's a lot to it. Devices. Advices. It's deep. I'm just gonna stay armed with a rag for the time being. My situation really isn't all that bad.

 

man, that's one hell of a dealer markup!

 

Ya really. I would complain but every time I'm wide open on 75 South heading towards the city I forget all about it. Lol.