Evo oil pump failure - what to do?
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 29
Likes: 14
From: North Carolina
Evo oil pump failure - what to do?
Hello!
My 90 Softail lost oil pressure, confirmed by a indie. Pulled off return from oil tank and dropped it towards a pan and still no flow. I know these don't just fail, so that probably means broken metal and fragments throughout engine.
My compression is still solid at 150 on each cylinder. The engine is a little unknown to me as I bought it from a friend who didn't know the history, however it does feel like it has an aftermarket cam. I do also know it has an Ultima ignition.
Is there a way I can proceed without doing a total rebuild? It's a really daunting task to me, and I recently moved to a new state so I have no one/friends to lean on to help me out.
I've read some articles saying to bust into the nose cone and check out cam bearings, see if there is more damage, replace oil pump. Fish out metal fragments, etc. However, I'm not sure what can be done or where to start really.
I am very open to learning it, and actually am somewhat excited to dig in. I do have the factory service manual and have been reading it over for a few weeks. Also watched a intense video of teardown and rebuild from the 90s or so by some Australian fellows on YouTube.
All tips appreciated. I'm getting ready to take the bike off the trailer and clean up the shop to get organized for the project.
My 90 Softail lost oil pressure, confirmed by a indie. Pulled off return from oil tank and dropped it towards a pan and still no flow. I know these don't just fail, so that probably means broken metal and fragments throughout engine.
My compression is still solid at 150 on each cylinder. The engine is a little unknown to me as I bought it from a friend who didn't know the history, however it does feel like it has an aftermarket cam. I do also know it has an Ultima ignition.
Is there a way I can proceed without doing a total rebuild? It's a really daunting task to me, and I recently moved to a new state so I have no one/friends to lean on to help me out.
I've read some articles saying to bust into the nose cone and check out cam bearings, see if there is more damage, replace oil pump. Fish out metal fragments, etc. However, I'm not sure what can be done or where to start really.
I am very open to learning it, and actually am somewhat excited to dig in. I do have the factory service manual and have been reading it over for a few weeks. Also watched a intense video of teardown and rebuild from the 90s or so by some Australian fellows on YouTube.
All tips appreciated. I'm getting ready to take the bike off the trailer and clean up the shop to get organized for the project.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,428
Likes: 2,623
From: NC USA
Pull the cam cover first. That will give you a better idea of how much (if any) debris contamination it may have and what else you may be looking at for repairs. If oil isn't returning, it's either the main drive gear key or the return gear key. And that's most always a result of metal getting wedged in the gears. Much easier to R&R the pump with that cover off anyway, especially if you're not used to doing oil pumps.
Read the Factory Manual thoroughly and ignore online videos, for the most part.
Read the Factory Manual thoroughly and ignore online videos, for the most part.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,434
Likes: 801
From: Colorado
Evo oil pump is driving off gear 25 to crank gear, has drift key 27 holding the gear stationary to the shaft, and C clip 8 retaining the gear on the end of the shaft.
So short of problems in the pump, most likely, old C clip 8 was used/not bent back inwards, it fell off the end of the shaft, and will find 25,27,28 just sitting in the bottom of the cavity chest. Although not the end of the world to re-install the gear with key and C clip and do a pressure test at idle, it comes down to how long the motor was run without oil pressure to begin with, and if its time to pull the motor apart to see what burnt up by running the motor without lube since even with the pump working now, may have no oil pressure at idle now.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,128
Likes: 51,461
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Pop the cam cover and see why the pump stopped is first thing I'd do to see something else is going to cause a gear key to shear, has to come off anyway at this point. Pump replacement while a pain isn't a major ordeal. If the engine didn't run a long time you probably didn't hurt anything unless the cam bearing went or dropped lifter.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 29
Likes: 14
From: North Carolina
This might be a dumb question, but wouldn't the top end go first if it was ran without oil pressure? Top end seems good with 150 compression warm as soon as I got home and at the indie shop that diagnosed it.
im gonna open it up soon and report back. Is that gasket on the cam chest cover reusable temporarily?
im gonna open it up soon and report back. Is that gasket on the cam chest cover reusable temporarily?
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,128
Likes: 51,461
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
How long did you run it before you suspected a problem? What if any kind of noise did make and how long? Did it start running like crap and getting hot ? Was it smoking when you shut it down? And if so when did it start and how long did it go on ?
What exactly did the shop say?
Give you an idea what just the pumps out ?
Need some info to really help you here and once it's opened don't close it till it's fixed or you'll dick around and get in deeper.
What exactly did the shop say?
Give you an idea what just the pumps out ?
Need some info to really help you here and once it's opened don't close it till it's fixed or you'll dick around and get in deeper.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 21,117
Likes: 7,640
From: Poolville
As TwiZted said.. need more info as to what led up to the issues of no oil..
And if you have no idea what's in the motor you can't really determine if 150 CCP is any good or not.. for a stock motor, that's good CCP.
And if you have no idea what's in the motor you can't really determine if 150 CCP is any good or not.. for a stock motor, that's good CCP.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 5,081
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From: Ohio
First indicator mechanically would be a lifter collapse, going to sound like a sewing machine on steroids. Lifters on a Evo are basically the oil system focus.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2008
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From: Ohio
I once had the zero oil pressure problem on my '88 fxstc. Turned out to be a failed cam bearing that leaked steel needles into the cam chest.
Jammed the oil pump gear and sheared the key. Just to be safe I pulled the cylinders and dragged a magnet in the cases. Nothing was
found there. I concluded the debris was confined to the cam chest. I rebuilt everything there and installed a torrington bearing. Never had a
problem after that.
Jammed the oil pump gear and sheared the key. Just to be safe I pulled the cylinders and dragged a magnet in the cases. Nothing was
found there. I concluded the debris was confined to the cam chest. I rebuilt everything there and installed a torrington bearing. Never had a
problem after that.
Last edited by Bingee; Oct 16, 2021 at 09:33 AM.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 29
Likes: 14
From: North Carolina
Gotcha. I understand I'll need to provide more info, was more a general question about what would fail first. The bike had less than 2 miles on it when I noticed something wrong. The story is I rode 2 miles down the road to the general store. When I came out and fired the bike up it there was a deep metal against metal sound for about .2 seconds, then went away immediately. I gingerly rode it back home and shut it off. Did compression check, fired it back up and heard the sound again, this time noticed the oil light, opened the oil tank saw oil but no turbulence in it from flow. Shut it down, took it to indie shop.
They took the return line off the tank and ran it to the floor. Fired it up and still no flow. The indie shop didn't give me any hints to where to start myself. They said based on their reputation it would be a total tear down and rebuild, which was 24 hours straight without any hiccups.
Other things to note, is that me and two friends took a 1300 mile trip over to tail of the dragon last month. First real long trip I've taken on this bike and my pipes certainly were oily. Rode and performed great though.
On the last 2 miles stretch to get back home near said general store, I got on it from the stop sign. As I popped into second my buddy said I poofed a good bit of black smoke. He didn't notice any on the trip. This was the ride before my 4 mile round trip general store trip I described first in this post.
They took the return line off the tank and ran it to the floor. Fired it up and still no flow. The indie shop didn't give me any hints to where to start myself. They said based on their reputation it would be a total tear down and rebuild, which was 24 hours straight without any hiccups.
Other things to note, is that me and two friends took a 1300 mile trip over to tail of the dragon last month. First real long trip I've taken on this bike and my pipes certainly were oily. Rode and performed great though.
On the last 2 miles stretch to get back home near said general store, I got on it from the stop sign. As I popped into second my buddy said I poofed a good bit of black smoke. He didn't notice any on the trip. This was the ride before my 4 mile round trip general store trip I described first in this post.