ok, I just had my entire cam chest upgraded including new cams, went with the SE hyd tensioner kit and SE 204 cams. Before I picked up my bike from my local HD dealer they called me and told me my oil pressure gauge was bad, they checked it. I asked them to order another gauge since they did not have one in stock, I go to pick up my bike and begin my 15 mile ride home and notice my oil pressure was lower then when I droped my bike off, did not make sense to me, new better pump that should make better pressure I thought. A week later they call me and tell me my gauge is in, is nice this weekend so I ride down and pick up the gauge, I go home, replace the gauge and guess what, it reads the same, very low, not even 15psi at 2500rpm when it was 30 with the old pump. I am going to call them Monday morning for an explanation and am worried that something is wrong, what do all of you think, experts please feel free. The bike seems to run ok, just am confused as to why the new better system is making half the pressure the old pump was making.

 

my bike idles at 15 +/-, and hits 45 at speed. did you have the baisley spring put in?

 

No I did not have a different spring put in, shouldn't the pressure be better with the better pump, I am only getting 15psi at 2500 rpm, it should be more, had more with the old pump.

 

I'm hardly an expert on oil pumps.

I do know that Harleys count on oil flow more than oil pressure, so I doubt you've hurt your motor. 15 lbs is more than you have to have.

But yeah, something is not right if both gauges read 15 lbs. My old motor with the original oil pump, ( first generation,) with well over 100,000 miles on it still puts out 32 lbs at 2500 rpm, and the newer pumps should make somewhat more than that.

I would suspect a missing O ring on installation., and that there is nothing wrong with your original oil pressure gauge.

Who did the work, Dealer or Indy?

 

I dont know the answer but prolly have lower pressure but higher volume.

 

My local Harley dealer did the work, and I will be calling them Monday morning for an explanation as to why they told me my gauge was bad, I hardly think that my new gauge would be bad and read the exact same thing, like I said, the bike seems to run fine but such a big difference in pressure, I would think the new improved pump would put out more pressure then my old 1999 pump with 47k miles on it.

 

now, whats the pressure under load on the road? doyou watch the gauge when accelearating and then pulling in the clutch?

 

Yes, I am stating, when going down the road it is reading about 15psi, the old pump was reading 30psi, something is not right.

 

I'm betting that your pressure relief valve is leaking, possibly not seated correctly. An indy friend of mine who replaced mine on my 2000 said he has seen several where the relief valve did not move freely in the bore. Axtell makes a bypass kit that replaces the stock bypass valve that reduces oil aeration & seals better to give better oil pressure at idle. The stock cam plate is not machined very precisely, that's why there is such a variance in oil pressure at idle, even with the new pumps.

 

maybe the o-ring for the oil pump is not sealing good