engine oil in primary
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Joined: Apr 2009
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From: forest city n.c.
pull the derby cover off and about 2 quarts came out. Lucas didn't help at all. if it is a bad crank seal does the inner primary cover half to come off? if so I guess I would make this a winter time project. changing the case also would be a "big" winter time project. maybe it is time to dust off my kawa 900 and ride it the rest of the season and try not to get to stress out. I'll let you all know what I find out.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Clear Lake Ia
My 87 FLHT has the same problem. I kept using oil and could not find where it was going, it had about 6000 on the top end, plugs looked great, pipes looked normal. One day I decided to change primary, I drained out about 4 quarts, probably more, of oil. I have talked to several good EVO guys and they think it is the seal behind the stator. I've got my fingers crossed now. I check the engine oil and drain the primary every 500 now. This is my winter fix up project along with a cam upgrade.
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From: forest city n.c.
bonz, I was thinking about doing the same thing to my bike. fill the oil and drain the primary every so often. if it's just a seal that it needs, I can change that out in a day. if it is the case that is bad I may do the "fill and drain" thing for a while and try to save up some money to fix it right. thanks for the tip on georges garage on buying the tool I need. would a seal puller for a auto not work? I have a couple of them laying around the garage.
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: NW AR
I haven't swapped that seal out myself, although I had a shovelhead POS that leaked there too, I just didn't know it at the time. I have swapped out difficult to extract seals like that with an automotive slide hammer dent puller.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NC USA
You really need to pull it with screw dent puller. But I've been simply driving a wood or metal screw into one side and pulling out with vise grips. Sometimes it takes one on each side to get it out. And the seal driver is nice, but I've sucessfully put probably 2 dozen in with a hammer (very carefully) but recently upgraded to a spindle nut socket for a 4-wheel drive that's almost perfect. (8.00 and change) I do have to pull the 4 stator bolts and webbing though. Poor man got poor ways ya know...
And I've "soap-boxed" on this before so here it comes again - anybody who would put a new main seal in and not replace the bearing spacer (that the seal runs against) deserves to have to do it over! That spacer is only 13.00 across the counter at a dealer (aftermarket are about 18.00) and if there is enough groove in the old one that you can feel a groove with your fingernail, yeah, it'll polish out and it WILL leak - period.
(had a rough day at work - had to bitch somewhere)
And I've "soap-boxed" on this before so here it comes again - anybody who would put a new main seal in and not replace the bearing spacer (that the seal runs against) deserves to have to do it over! That spacer is only 13.00 across the counter at a dealer (aftermarket are about 18.00) and if there is enough groove in the old one that you can feel a groove with your fingernail, yeah, it'll polish out and it WILL leak - period.
(had a rough day at work - had to bitch somewhere)
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From: forest city n.c.
went to the local indy shop to buy the shaft seal today. these guys are really good with a wrench. they told me, as many of you have, that the 89-90 model evo was prone to cracks in the case. they suspect this may be my problem also. they have use epoxy with vacum to seal the cracks on other bikes with success. they have done this on 6 bikes over the last 7 years and so far it has held up on all of them. thinking about letting them do that. cost will be around 100 dollars including the seal. what do ya think?
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NC USA
went to the local indy shop to buy the shaft seal today. these guys are really good with a wrench. they told me, as many of you have, that the 89-90 model evo was prone to cracks in the case. they suspect this may be my problem also. they have use epoxy with vacum to seal the cracks on other bikes with success. they have done this on 6 bikes over the last 7 years and so far it has held up on all of them. thinking about letting them do that. cost will be around 100 dollars including the seal. what do ya think?
I've not run into one yet that I was willing to try (the bearing spigots were too loose in the case) but have had the same idea. If it's only an area letting oil thru, the vacuum will pull the epoxy into the crack and seal it well. I have done that trick with a number of air conditioning evaporators and condensers with success.
Yeah, I'd definitely go for it. Let us know how that works for you...
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