Another lifter help question
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Cruiser
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Another lifter help question
Starting a new thread so I dont hijack anyone elses thread.
Putting in an Andrew EV 27 cam, new Torrington bearing, lifters and SE Pushrods. I got the cam and bearing in, did a 15 minute soak on the lifters and got them installed as well as the blocks. When I go to put in the push rods the lifters seem spongy like they didn't pump up. I tried injecting some oil in there and got the same result.
So I put in the push rods and got the side to side out of them, and went the 2.5 turns as the SE instructions stated. I can fully rotate the back wheel while in 5th gear and I dont feel or hear anything bad. So I go to start the bike and it seems to be straining when I do. SO I pull the push rods and check the lifters again. Some are pumping up pretty good but some are still spongy.
I am at a loss on what to do at this point! My buddy and I have done this before on his bike and did not get this spongy lifter feeling, and we never had an issue trying to start the bike.
BTW this is on a 93 Fatboy with 52k on it. I have never had any real issues in the motor, I was doing a lifter and bearing change before any failure occored and decided to cam it in the process.
Any ideas on what might be happening here? I can provide any details I might have missed.
Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!!!
Putting in an Andrew EV 27 cam, new Torrington bearing, lifters and SE Pushrods. I got the cam and bearing in, did a 15 minute soak on the lifters and got them installed as well as the blocks. When I go to put in the push rods the lifters seem spongy like they didn't pump up. I tried injecting some oil in there and got the same result.
So I put in the push rods and got the side to side out of them, and went the 2.5 turns as the SE instructions stated. I can fully rotate the back wheel while in 5th gear and I dont feel or hear anything bad. So I go to start the bike and it seems to be straining when I do. SO I pull the push rods and check the lifters again. Some are pumping up pretty good but some are still spongy.
I am at a loss on what to do at this point! My buddy and I have done this before on his bike and did not get this spongy lifter feeling, and we never had an issue trying to start the bike.
BTW this is on a 93 Fatboy with 52k on it. I have never had any real issues in the motor, I was doing a lifter and bearing change before any failure occored and decided to cam it in the process.
Any ideas on what might be happening here? I can provide any details I might have missed.
Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!!!
ev27 cam
The cam while still a bolt in is going to require a timing change, as for the spongy-ness The guys on the board can answer that better, they have to fully pump up though unless they are old? I have the ev27 cam and I had to change my timing, make sure to mark where you are at now. do you have a manual? I replaced my lifters when I did my cam and it took 15-20 for each one to bleed down, I see you soaked them but after you got the pushrods to zero movement did you let them bleed down at least 20 minutes? It is a huge step i was surprised to find how the lifters need that time to adjust. The engine is straining can you define that a little better, straining to start? straining to run?
Last edited by radiant111; Sep 7, 2011 at 03:31 PM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: Bluffton, South Carolina
Seeing as how the two of you have done this before I will just touch on a few things. First, are you sure the cam and breather are timed correctly??? Secondly, is the ignition timed correctly??? Third what was the end play and backlash you ended up with after the swap??? If all these are within spec then we can narrow the potential problems down a bit. Almost forgot what type of lifters???
If you take the plugs out and turn the engine over for 5 seconds at a time for several evolutions making sure not to overheat the starter motor the lifters should pump up nicely. Newer lifters aren't "seated in" at first and take some miles to get everything lapped in. After that they should bleed down slower, however some never really get that way and always bleed down faster.
If you take the plugs out and turn the engine over for 5 seconds at a time for several evolutions making sure not to overheat the starter motor the lifters should pump up nicely. Newer lifters aren't "seated in" at first and take some miles to get everything lapped in. After that they should bleed down slower, however some never really get that way and always bleed down faster.
Last edited by miacycles; Sep 7, 2011 at 04:59 PM.
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It just seems to be straining when I try to start it, like it is not lined up correctly.
We replaced the breather gear with an S & S breather reed valve so that should be a non issue. We also replaced the stock ignition sensor plate, and we put it in place where the stock one was so I'm sure we need to adjust that to account for the cam.
The lifters came in a kit and they are " Internal Engine" lifters. They may not be the best to put in but money is kinda tight so they will have to do for the moment. We let them sit for 10 minutes after taking the play out of the new SE adjustable push rods in, maybe I need to let them sit the 20 minutes as you both suggest. I would bump them with the starter to pump up the lifters after I took the play out of the push rods correct?
I will be going back in to the cam chest tonight to double check that everything is lined up correctly. We did put the Torrington bearing in and glad I did cause my ING was close to failing.
Thanks for your input and any other things that you can think of are greatly appreciated.
We replaced the breather gear with an S & S breather reed valve so that should be a non issue. We also replaced the stock ignition sensor plate, and we put it in place where the stock one was so I'm sure we need to adjust that to account for the cam.
The lifters came in a kit and they are " Internal Engine" lifters. They may not be the best to put in but money is kinda tight so they will have to do for the moment. We let them sit for 10 minutes after taking the play out of the new SE adjustable push rods in, maybe I need to let them sit the 20 minutes as you both suggest. I would bump them with the starter to pump up the lifters after I took the play out of the push rods correct?
I will be going back in to the cam chest tonight to double check that everything is lined up correctly. We did put the Torrington bearing in and glad I did cause my ING was close to failing.
Thanks for your input and any other things that you can think of are greatly appreciated.
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 480
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From: Wellsburg, IA
I did the same swap last winter and had the same "straining " to start issues. Turned out to be my starter. I replaced the soleniod and starter clutch and she starts great. I don't know if the EV27 increased the static compression enough to affect an already weak starter, but it seemed to be the case with me. Good luck.
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Good to know John, hopefully this will not be the case but I think I will soon find out. I believe the EV27 should be an easy start cam?
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Tourer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 480
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From: Wellsburg, IA
Mine would strain pretty hard for 3 or 4 seconds before the motor would turn over every time I hit the starter. Then, after a few days the starter would just spin and not engage. That's when I changed the solenoid and starter clutch. Pretty easy fix once I figured what the problem was. I'd be willing to bet your starter will just start spinning without engagement pretty soon.
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From: South Carolina
You may think you are saving some money by using these lifters, but lifters of unknown quality can cause you a lot of grief.