Has anybody had this happen. Working on a 2004 twin cam and it is expelling massive amounts of oil from the breathers.
It will start running out after it has run for about 4 or 5 minutes. I disassembled the top thinking it must be the umbrella valves but they are in good condition. Then checked out the oil pump and the return side has no visable problems. I thought maybe it was wet sumping the lower end but that is not the case. Inspected all the drains from the top end down thru the engine and found none of them blocked. (thought maybe the top end was filling up with oil). This is a completely stock engine with about 30k miles on it. By the looks of it, it puked about a quart out the breathers/air cleaner before the costomer noticed it. Any ideas out there?

Thabks
Brian (willyhfd)

 

Any way to pull a return line from the pump to the tank on these new-fangled Twinkie motors? Actually see the oil returning to the tank?

 

Quite often with puking like you say, the oil pump needs to be realigned to stop it. You can use the lifter block alignment pins in opposite corners of the pump to align it and tighten down the other bolts, remove the pins and install those 2 bolts and it will do the job. You can also remove the plugs and rotate the rear wheel with the trans in 5 th gear with the pump bolts loose and it will "find" its own sweet spot , while you snug the bolts down

 

I just got back from a 5000 mile trip from NY to Sturgis and back. Just before leaving on my trip I added SEII slip on's, Arlen Ness BS and had the Stage I remap done. The bike ran good and did not spew any oil until I got into South Dakota. It continued to spew oil to the point where it would drip on the motor and get oil on my battery box (Dyna) and even my saddlebags. Just as mysteriously as it started it stopped when I got somewher around Iowa, Missouri.

At first I thought maybe it was a result of running the bike pretty hard from Minn to SD.

With a speed limit of 75mph and running the bike 80 mph and up for hours on end in temps somewhere near 100 degrees I thought maybe that had something to do with it? Then I got caught in some really heavy rain and I thought that the filter was getting wet and it was just oilly water but even on dry days it still spewed oil.

But now I am wondering if it could have anything to do with the altitude?

Where do you live?

 

Some times just running at highway speeds for extened time will cause this I have seen if a few times where it will only do this. I have done the alginment on the pump did not help. Swapped out the pump to a fueling pump problem fixed. Now I would like to say had this been my bike I would have left it be, but customer wants something that is another story. I would have looked at it as a minor issue. THe stock pump is cast and I have several that look fine but all have problems some have low oil psi other fail to scavange as well as they should. These are all pumps that work normal for the most part but will do silly things here and there. THere is a cheap and easy fix for increase OIL PSI but no fix for puking other than trying the alginment thing. But if the bike has been fine and now it does this I would not think that the pump got loose and is now out of alignment. I would saw something passed through the pump and now it is not as efficeint at pulling oil, from crank case.

TO increase breather capacity you can drill out the breather bolts as there is room that may help and is easy, also if plastic breathers are in the head they may be warped this will cause puking, that should about do it . HD is selling a new pump in the 06 SE catalog but for the money I amnot so sure about it . One they must be aware of the problem but they made it a cast pump which I think is part of the problem. The fueling pump is billet and a great upgrade but most times not needed unless you are running a stroker motor or such other high perf items.

 

Have you found a solution to this problem yet?

I'm having the same trouble with a newly assembled twin cam. The motor starts and runs fine, then 4-5 minutes into it , oil starts running out of the air cleaner, LOTS of oil.

 

Yes, I have a friend that has the same problem too.

 

Im having the same problem with my 84 flt. had the diapghram and seal changed in the carburettor.
Now when i start the bike the oil seems to shoot out into the air cleaner and drip all over the engine.
Any advice on this .THANKS

 

Inspect the check valve in the oil pump. Oil from your tank is draining into the sump when the bike sits. When you start it, the oil is expelled out the breather.

 

Good ideas,especially aligning the oil pump before tightening bolts.Just 1 thing to add,theres a recess in case for an o-ring in lower left corner between oil pump and hose fittings.It faces you as you look at case,smaller than a pushrod o-ring.I do not see it in the parts manual,[1999],but do see it in service manual.Failure to install this o-ring,will result in headaches as described.When I see a new re-build with oil problems,you have to wonder.Its quite easy to forget for the usual reasons,Bob