Oil leak around head
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Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 931
Likes: 112
From: Oregon
Oil leak around head
Well, what I thought was leaking rocker box covers may actually be something else. I replaced the gaskets top and bottom and center gasket as well. Fired it back up after washing all the oil off the engine........same leak.
Front cylinder by the way. I'm thinking the worst here, cracked head, although it still purrs like a kitten. It's really hard to see exactly where the oil is coming from as I have to contort myself and eyeballs as the engine is still in the frame. Flashlights and inspection mirrors give me some idea. It looks like it is coming up around one of the front head bolts. I quit for the moment as it's been a long day. How common are cracked heads????
Here's a few pics.....
Front cylinder by the way. I'm thinking the worst here, cracked head, although it still purrs like a kitten. It's really hard to see exactly where the oil is coming from as I have to contort myself and eyeballs as the engine is still in the frame. Flashlights and inspection mirrors give me some idea. It looks like it is coming up around one of the front head bolts. I quit for the moment as it's been a long day. How common are cracked heads????
Here's a few pics.....
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Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 931
Likes: 112
From: Oregon
Damn those are crappy pics.............well you can kinda see the oil collecting around that front head bolt. It's not a gasket that's for sure, I have looked and felt around every mating surface and not one drop.
I certainly wasn't looking to yank an engine during the winter but maybe it's time............
I certainly wasn't looking to yank an engine during the winter but maybe it's time............
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
Yep Pics don't say much here. Have you checked the torque on the head bolts? I'm really not sure where your referring to with leaking head. The last time I had oil coming frOm between the head gasket and cylinder I had cylinder studs pulled at the base and I had to use time serts to repair the casings.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,595
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From: Vancouver Island British Colombia Canada
Yep Pics don't say much here. Have you checked the torque on the head bolts? I'm really not sure where your referring to with leaking head. The last time I had oil coming frOm between the head gasket and cylinder I had cylinder studs pulled at the base and I had to use time serts to repair the casings.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 931
Likes: 112
From: Oregon
It's not leaking at the head gasket but somewhere at the top of the head itself. That front head bolt in pic # 4 has oil off to the side but not under or at the bolt base. It then weeps out toward the front above the exhaust flange. I'll take another look when I get home from work. I realize I don't have to pull the engine, I just have other projects at the moment and wasn't wanting to get this involved, but then, is there ever a good time????
I had a similar problem with the wife´s Sportster, turned out to be one of the pushrod tube o-rings in the cyl. head. It was leaking because the o/ring wasn´t seated right. Oil ended up around the headbolts and on the exhaust. It leaked between the (Sportster-1-piece-) tube and head. It took a small mirror and strong flashlight to find it. Luckily I was able to push the o-ring back without taking the head off (again). Hope this helps.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 11
From: Northern Ontario
I had a similar problem with the wife´s Sportster, turned out to be one of the pushrod tube o-rings in the cyl. head. It was leaking because the o/ring wasn´t seated right. Oil ended up around the headbolts and on the exhaust. It leaked between the (Sportster-1-piece-) tube and head. It took a small mirror and strong flashlight to find it. Luckily I was able to push the o-ring back without taking the head off (again). Hope this helps.
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Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Haslet Texas
I had a similar problem with the wife´s Sportster, turned out to be one of the pushrod tube o-rings in the cyl. head. It was leaking because the o/ring wasn´t seated right. Oil ended up around the headbolts and on the exhaust. It leaked between the (Sportster-1-piece-) tube and head. It took a small mirror and strong flashlight to find it. Luckily I was able to push the o-ring back without taking the head off (again). Hope this helps.
That happened to me once but I was able to pull the oring down witha pick and since then I pull it down put it on the pushrod tube then insert the pushrod tube into place.
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