My 2009 Low Rider with the 96" engine appears to have a base gasket leak.There is just enough of an oi leak in the area at front left bottom of cylinder to darken about 4 square inches of the crankcase under and around where the Crankshaft Position Sensor mounts. I don't think it is the Crank Position Sensor because the oil stain is above that and goes right to the level of the base gasket. Even though it doesn't leak a lot, can this cause the engine to really run like crap after heating up riding for a couple hours? I go out riding and after a couple hours it starts to bog and want to stall and I have to keep fiddling with the throttle and partially pull the clutch to keep it running and it backfires real bad and also makes like a high pitched squeak sort-of steam release sound. Twice I've been able to get it to limp home from about 100-150 miles away when it happened but yesterday it wouldn't restart after finally dying. It was the first time I couldn't keep it running and I also had to jump start it twice because it wouldn't crank like the battery was dead which I had checked a couple weeks ago and I keep it on the charger at night and the flashers worked for an hour and a half while I stood waiting for a tow on the side of the highway. Is it possible for everything to expand enough after running for 2-3 hours for the engine to lose compression and start having all these symptoms even though it never leaks enough oil to look more than dark on the crankcase, not even really wet enough to get a drop on your finger and no oil on the floor where I park in my garage? Let me know if any of you have had this problem so I know if the gasket is the cause. If any of you have read my previous posts about the turn signal wiring issues, I still have that problem because I can't get it checked out until October 30th and I don't want to mess with electric myself, I am no expert.
Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated. Even though I am going to pay someone to fix the issues, it drives me nuts not knowing what is wrong. I need to know and I'd like to think I could help myself figure it out with the help of fellow riders. Thanks in advance for any useful info.

 

A leaking base gasket will just make a mess and only affect oil pressure but not enough to be of concern, it shouldn't affect compression.
I had a base gasket leak and fixed it with liquid windshield sealer.
Sounds strange but it worked. It's a little runny so use it sparingly.

 

Thanks Ranger73. What about a bad ground? Is it possible a bad/loose/damaged ground could cause the engine to act up like that? I can't find a bad ground but there have been wiring issues before. I bought the bike used and it had been crashed twice before I got it. I only know from the VIN reports, I don't know who owned it before as his insurance "totalled" the bike, sold it at auction to a motorsports place who I bought it from. I think the left passenger foot peg bracket got bent upwards which put the belt guard closer to the frame and wiring harness that runs up the frame tube kinda behind the fuse box. Anyway, it seems hard bumps made the belt guard hit the frame tube and wires and at least 6 wires got scraped/rubbed all the way through the harness tape and the wire insulation and on some through the strands of wires. I had this fixed and I hope they got it all but I don't know for sure. Another problem has been possibly the new ape hangers with internal wiring and new switches and cables and master cylinder etc. all bought as a kit, there might be a pinched wire or so it has been suggested as possible problem. The turn signals keep acting up after riding for a few hours, they either work intermittently or stop working altogether and I get electronic codes saying short and/or ground to left and right signals. I have had it looked at and paid for this and I have tried to look at it myself and can't find the problem. I have appointment with a shop on the 30th but still trying to figure out for myself what is wrong. It's driving me nuts.

 

I have to agree your running problems have nothing to do with the minor oil leak/weep. Sounds like you're on the right track with possible wiring issues, certainly won't hurt to remove both ends of your battery cables and clean up the connections. If you carry a voltmeter it would be good to check your battery voltage when the bike starts acting up. Maybe the battery or the charging system has a problem. If the ECM module doesn't get good juice the motor will act up.

 

A Twin Cam cylinder base is un-machined, as were the Evo's.
HD cured the leaks for the most part, via O rings vs the paper gasket technology used with the Evo's.
We are fixtured to correct those un-machined surfaces.
Simple skim-to-clean lathe operation.
Scott

 

Ranger, it was the ground wire coming of the main battery cable ground, splitting off at the ground stud on the trans. I took the battery cables off at both ends to clean and the 8 or 10 gauge wire (going from the bottom of the ground cable at the trans up to the frame where there are 2 ground studs with EVERY ground for the bike other than that main cable to the engine) that wire was just sitting loose where it should have been crimped or soldered together with the battery ground cable into the terminal that goes on the trans ground stud. It looked like it was never crimped and I know they didn't use solder. I bought the bike used with 19077 miles on it and I think that cable was Harley original. Unbelievable the low quality of that cable. It's a defect.

 

Since 1968, it was the ground wire coming of the main battery cable ground, splitting off at the ground stud on the trans. I took the battery cables off at both ends to clean and the 8 or 10 gauge wire (going from the bottom of the ground cable at the trans up to the frame where there are 2 ground studs with EVERY ground for the bike other than that main cable to the engine) that wire was just sitting loose where it should have been crimped or soldered together with the battery ground cable into the terminal that goes on the trans ground stud. It looked like it was never crimped and I know they didn't use solder. I bought the bike used with 19077 miles on it and I think that cable was Harley original. Unbelievable the low quality of that cable. It's a defect.

 

Glad you found it. Electrical gremlins are very elusive.

 

What I really like about this fix was the price tag! Well done!

 

Yeah, but I had already paid 2 shops twice each to work on it for this problem! My bike was f*cked up since early June!!! Actually, I paid them each once but they both worked on it twice and weren't able to diagnose this problem.