Lifter Failure - 95 RK
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
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Lifter Failure - 95 RK
A couple years ago while on a trip my treasured Road King developed an intense valve train noise. Fortunately I was just a few city miles from a dealer.
Upon disassembly, it was found that the weld securing the lifter cross pin to the lifter body had failed, the pin shifted and all the needle bearings fell out. The lifter ran out of travel and the valve train noise was the result. A new lifter and all was well.
The interesting thing is that I have not found one single one of those needles. None were found when the lifter was replaced. None in the oil, none in the lifter cavity, none on the magnetic drain plug.
I changed oil at 500 mile intervals for about the next 2500 miles and fished around the oil sump with a magnet. I have opened the cam gear cavity but no sign of any of the needles. I have since changed all the lifters and looked for the needles then but no sign of them.
I have been told they must have gone thru the oil pump and been collected by the filter. I tore down the oil pump but found only normal wear. A bunch of needles going thru the pump would surely damage things there.
It is now some years and about 5,000 miles since that happened with no sign of any of the needles. I wonder where they have gone.
Eric
95 RK
07 RKC (the Wife's)
09 RKC
Upon disassembly, it was found that the weld securing the lifter cross pin to the lifter body had failed, the pin shifted and all the needle bearings fell out. The lifter ran out of travel and the valve train noise was the result. A new lifter and all was well.
The interesting thing is that I have not found one single one of those needles. None were found when the lifter was replaced. None in the oil, none in the lifter cavity, none on the magnetic drain plug.
I changed oil at 500 mile intervals for about the next 2500 miles and fished around the oil sump with a magnet. I have opened the cam gear cavity but no sign of any of the needles. I have since changed all the lifters and looked for the needles then but no sign of them.
I have been told they must have gone thru the oil pump and been collected by the filter. I tore down the oil pump but found only normal wear. A bunch of needles going thru the pump would surely damage things there.
It is now some years and about 5,000 miles since that happened with no sign of any of the needles. I wonder where they have gone.
Eric
95 RK
07 RKC (the Wife's)
09 RKC
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 73
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From: Harnett County, North Carolina
The evel one
Haven't heard of a lifter doing this before. I had my 98 wound up the other day and did notice them float....I think there is a good possibility there never were any needles in there and this may have led to the failure. Maybe a Friday at 4:45pm lifter. I would think most of if not all of them should have been in the cam cover. Certainly damage{probably catastrophic} would have occurred if those needles were set free....
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,137
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The oil filter collected them.
I had two lifters fail, although neither lost all of their needles. I had no engine damage either and the second failure occurred 50,000 miles ago. Sometimes you get lucky.
Hope you replaced with aftermarket lifters. Even the supposed-to-be-improved "B" lifters from H-D have a replacement recommendation of 25,000 miles, which makes them sound like a low quality part to me.
I had two lifters fail, although neither lost all of their needles. I had no engine damage either and the second failure occurred 50,000 miles ago. Sometimes you get lucky.
Hope you replaced with aftermarket lifters. Even the supposed-to-be-improved "B" lifters from H-D have a replacement recommendation of 25,000 miles, which makes them sound like a low quality part to me.
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