Burning oil!!!!!!!!!!!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,736
Likes: 1,524
From: Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand
Did you use torque plates when honing the bores?...H-D bores are out of round when off the bike and must be compressed in torque plates when being bored or honed or they burn oil like a ****...
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 9,193
Likes: 494
From: Richmond, VA
What about those rubber umbrella thingys. My Indy thinks mine are going bad as I use like a 1/2 a quart every four or five hundred miles. Still runs great, doesn't smoke and the plugs look good. Something I will have replaced one day but no time soon.
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 138
Likes: 5
From: Dublin, Ireland.
Thanks a mil for feedback guys, appreciated.
I will try and answer some of your input, not to be smart assed, but just to try and eliminate some of them to try and pinpoint the problem.
Firstly just a brief history. I live in Ireland and there is not (as far as I know) a dedicated Harley repair/machine shop here, hence when I had the barrels honed, (I think you might call it de-burring, removing glaze only) it was done by a car machine shop, who also ground in valves and fitted seals as I had no valve spring compressor, who I presume knew what he was doing. Except that using torque plates.................
Anyways, oil. It is not possible to get any other "big twin" oil in Ireland except Harley oil. I had been using Bel Ray which is no longer imported here, so after last change using Harley non-synthetic (bloody expensive), have been using a 15w/40 diesel engine motor oil as top up.
Always check oil when hot, and no umbrellas, engine breaths through crankcase.
Will do a compression test later in week, with and without spoon of oil. Just on that, should engine be hot or cold for test? Will also, try hagger's plan and let oil run down a bit to see if it levels off, (mainly because it is the easiest to do...........)
Of course any more ideas?????????????????????
Will get back after test.
Cheers and thanks again and sorry for long winded reply, (kissed the Blarney Stone)
TC
I will try and answer some of your input, not to be smart assed, but just to try and eliminate some of them to try and pinpoint the problem.
Firstly just a brief history. I live in Ireland and there is not (as far as I know) a dedicated Harley repair/machine shop here, hence when I had the barrels honed, (I think you might call it de-burring, removing glaze only) it was done by a car machine shop, who also ground in valves and fitted seals as I had no valve spring compressor, who I presume knew what he was doing. Except that using torque plates.................
Anyways, oil. It is not possible to get any other "big twin" oil in Ireland except Harley oil. I had been using Bel Ray which is no longer imported here, so after last change using Harley non-synthetic (bloody expensive), have been using a 15w/40 diesel engine motor oil as top up.
Always check oil when hot, and no umbrellas, engine breaths through crankcase.
Will do a compression test later in week, with and without spoon of oil. Just on that, should engine be hot or cold for test? Will also, try hagger's plan and let oil run down a bit to see if it levels off, (mainly because it is the easiest to do...........)
Of course any more ideas?????????????????????
Will get back after test.
Cheers and thanks again and sorry for long winded reply, (kissed the Blarney Stone)
TC
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,468
Likes: 12
From: Bluffton, South Carolina
For a compression check the engine should be warmed up, and the throttle held wide open this will give you the most accurate readings. You should also do a leak-down test. There is a few things you cac do before you decide to tear it all the way down again. First take the pipes off and look at the exhaust valve stems . If they are wet then the seals are leaking. If the whole port is wet with oil then the rings are not sealing properly. If all is well then take the intake off and look at the valve stems if they are wet then they are leaking. This should tell you where the oil is coming from. Hope this helps.