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Judging by your earlier pics of the cam chest you are very close to having the cam lined up to the pinion gear.. When you get the new Breather gear, install it where you think it will line up with the cam dot mark then turn the pinion shaft bolt clockwise a little to confirm that the marks line up.. Pinion gear is clockwise and cam gear spins counter clockwise. Turning the shaft the little should not do any harm to anything else.. Just make sure the sparks plugs are out..
I never actually loosened them off. I tried to show it on one of my earlier photos, but they have chrome covers over them. As they are higher, they concealed the bolts. So hopefully no leaks there, more worried about whether the pushrod covers leak.......then again owning 3 old Triumphs, I'm used to that!
Ah OK, good deal. Was mistaken by the photos. No worries about the push rod cover o-rings. They are basically same design from forever and are designed to be re-used many times. They're about the very least likely place to leak on the entire bike. You'll be up and running in no time when the parts arrive.
Grew up on Triumphs myself and can speak a tiny bit of English, spanners, tommy bars, paraffin and such. That's how I knew what you meant by torch.
Key had broken in half, and luckily both keyways look OK.
Have ordered the parts needed from various sources, however from Harley dealership....they're all obsolete!
Great job👍. You followed input from these people and through due diligence found the problem and will soon have it repaired with very little out of pocket costs.
Most would have given up, took bike to a dealer, and the dealer would tell them the motors toast and to either trade it in or install a complete rebuild.
When re-installing the oil pump drive gear, you can get a small 90 degree C-clip plier and that will make life much easier putting on the clip. You can file down the tips to fit into the C-clip. You can do it with two 90 degree picks too, but it's a struggle and you might spread the clip farther apart than needed. Mark the opening of the keyway so you can see it (see pic). Either way, patience is key, and I recommend getting a couple of C-clips as standby. The C-clip has a sharp edge side, so put that sharp side facing away from the gear, and turn the opening of the C-clip opposite from the keyway. Again, tedious work, but you can do it.
I'm stunned. Ordered the pump breather gear from Jersey (not the one in the USA but in the Channel Islands off France) yesterday, and it arrived today!
Circlips arrived also.
Just waiting for the keys.
On my Triumphs with the timing cover off, I can prime the big end bearings by pumping oil down the end of the crankshaft.
Is there a way to do something similar on the Harley without dismantling anything more?
Last edited by splittie65; May 25, 2022 at 03:54 AM.
Not that I'm aware of.. I normally just crank it over a couple of times with the plugs out 15-20 seconds each.. usually enough to help the lifters and confirm oil light goes out.. Then start it up..
On my Triumphs with the timing cover off, I can prime the big end bearings by pumping oil down the end of the crankshaft.
Is there a way to do something similar on the Harley without dismantling anything more?
Yes, but it's not necessary for the crank as it was not removed, the bearings will still be wet. Since it's been run a bit without oil pressure and opened, the cam chest will be basically dry, the lifters may have bled down and the oil journals for the top end are drained.
When it's near back together, slowly pour 2-3 ounces of oil into one of the tappet guides thru push rod cover opening. That will put oil into the cam chest and give the return side of the pump something to work with. Remove the inner pump plug/cap, spring and ball and drip oil into there until it stops taking it. The feed side will then be lubed/primed. Replace the plug and fill the oil tank. No need to add oil to tappet screen or pressure switch openings.
As suggested, with oil in the tank, turn engine with starter 10-15 seconds a couple times with the spark plugs removed, you're all set.
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But to answer your question, there is a restrictive fitting in the end of the pinion shaft with a small orifice. You can use a pump type oil can with the nozzle pressed against the fitting/plug and squirt oil to the crank pin. Again, not necessary for an engine that has been run. The flywheel side, short of total disassembly, will never loose enough oil to hurt anything .
Last edited by t150vej; May 25, 2022 at 09:40 AM.
Reason: pic
I started it up and the oil light went out very quickly.
There seems to be oil returning.....there's bubbly oil on the surface of the tank that's moving.
Now for the test run....probably to a local watering hole, to hopefully celebrate.
Thanks for all your help guys.
Hopefully that's the end of this episode.
The oil light stayed off and within 6 miles the oil tank was hot. All looking good.
However......there is now an oil leak at the second gasket (the one nearest the crankcase.
It's a bit more than just a gentle seep, but not gushing out.
When putting it back together it was difficult to keep everything in the right place. I cheated a bit by putting a smear of grease in places to hold gaskets in place.
any tips?
So off with the exhaust and oil pump again........but at least its all working
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