1998 FLHTC

10/2012 with 59,244 miles I had work done on my bike. Besides my new lifters and cam I also had the following work done. Here are the shop notes:
"Installed new piston rings sets, honed cylinders. Cylinder and cylinder head gasket surface checked good with no warpage.
Had cylinder heads cleaned and inspected. Valves and valve seats were cut. Valves and valve guides inspected good.
All related gaskets, orings, and seals were replaced. 0.30" steel head gaskets were installed. "Oil fix" kit was installed with cylinder base gaskets"

Bike runs great, I really love this bike, however shortly there after I noticed I was burning more oil. Noticed I was burning about a 1/2 qt. every 400-500 miles. Took a long trip this summer with many miles on the freeways doing 80-85 mph and I would burn a full qt. each and every day. I now have 74,151 miles on her and have runs gallons and gallons of oil thru this bike this year. Also note, I do not notice any blue smoke at start up.

With the help of this forum you asked me to check for excessive oil from leaky seals in the primary, all is fine.

Yesterday, I took it back to the shop and we pulled the plugs. They are white, or normal, with none of the tell-tale signs of black and wet plugs one would expect if the rings are bad. We also inspected the cylinders with a light and he said they looked "OK." Lastly we did a compression test: front cylinder read 150psi and the rear 155psi. Both he and I are stumped as to where the oil is going.

So here's my question: Do I just have an Evo that burns a lot of oil? Or is there something wrong that I am missing?

 

Is the primary oil level increasing? And, you say "burning" oil. Is it smoking?

 

What type of rings??? How many miles??? It is not uncommon for a "new" engine to use a little oil till the rings seat!!
John

 

Put a spare quart of oil in the saddle bag and run it....

Seriously, if there's no evidence of burning it, no evidence of leaking it, and no evidence of someone stealing it... Run it.

Out of curiosity, where are you venting the heads? Is it going back through the engine, or dumping on the ground? At highway speeds (65+) a lot of oil is in the rocker boxes. This is why some defective rocker boxes won't leak 'around town', but will blow oil out the seams at highway speeds. If you're venting the heads 'to ground', you might be losing it that way.

 

I'll try to answer all three of you.

"Burning" I use that word loosely, I should have used consuming oil. It does not smoke. I have asked those riding behind me and I also watch it closely at start up.

The rings are 80" Evo rings (standard) and one would think that should have set after 14,907 miles.

This is a top vented bike and it vents back into the S & S air cleaner. It's oily in there but not to excess.

I'm coming to the conclusion that this bike just likes to drink oil, which makes it a real challenge on long trips cause I'll have to carry or find a qt. a day while on the road.

 

A quart every thousand isn't that bad. Best mine has ever done is a quart every 1500.

 

not totally uncommon. i'm 3/4way through a 2500mile trip (including a LOT of highway / high rpm riding (tail of the dragon!)


after 1300miles, im down a quart. not losing sleep over it....just top off and run it

 

What is the condition of your oil lines?
Is your oil filter tight?

 

All EVO's from 93 on up were top breathers, IIRC. Mine (93 FLHS) also vents back into the rear of the carb mounting plate. There should be some oiliness, but not to the point where it's dripping out of the bottom of the air cleaner.

Some people will re-route the breather tube below the frame and let it drip out onto the ground. On occasion, the umbrella valves go bad, or they get put into the wrong holes Or the breather isn't timed correctly. Or all the above.

But since it's not showing up on the plugs, or on the garage floor.... Ride it.

 

Have you tried different brands of oil or weights? Maybe go to straight weight? At any rate if I was using a quart a day, I'd want something affordable...
It might "eat" less of a different flavor...just sayin