My Tour glide recently suffered a major engine failure which I suspect was caused by an improperely seated wrist pin retainer clip after I replaced the head gaskets. After getting it back together, I started hearing a loud metallic hammering noise that some people told me was the rear exhaust pushrod slamming/out of adjustment. I double checked all the pushrods and they were fine. About 3 weeks ago I was on my way to work, cruising along the highway, and she suddenly lost power, started making an awful crunching noise and the rear wheel locked up. I pulled the clutch and coasted to the shoulder no problem, but it became clear that the engine was seized.

I talked with a few shops and even with MoCo directly, and I am going to have them(Harley) reman my engine through their engine remanufacturing program. After talking with the shops in the area, and realizing I couldn't afford both the reman AND the shop labor to do the work, I confirmed with MoCo that I could do the work myself and still take advantage of the reman program. While I wont have the official warranty doing it myself, they said that they would still make good on any problems that could arise not related to installation. Good enough for me!

I have her in the garage and have started pulling the engine. I have the seat, tank, floorboards and horn/bracket off, as well as the exhaust system. The book I have is pretty good, but some of the steps it gives are pretty vague. I understand that I need to get into the primary and pull the compensator, but the book says to take the clutch all apart and fully remove the inner primary housing. Is all that really necessary? Once I have everything else removed/disconnected, can't I just leave the inner primary housing attached to the tranny, sliding the engine out the right side?

I am not afraid to wrench on my bike at all, but have never pulled the engine from a Harley before, so I have no experience and don't know any of the potential tips and tricks that could save me time and or money. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Also, I don't drink, but anyone near southwestern PA that wants to give me a hand, I will be happy to supply beer and tunes! LOL!

 

Rubber mounts are trickier than a solid mount bike when it come to removing the engine. It is really not that much more work removing the inner primary, and the tricky part with a rubber mount is supporting the engine and trans while you are disassembling. Besides the primary bolts, all you really have is the 2 bolts from the engine to the trans holding it all together. I've gotten by leaving the inner on both solid and rubber mount bikes, but the important thing is that you support the weight of the front of the transmission and the engine itself. Hope that helps.

 

D1gger,
What dealer in SWPA is letting you pull the motor yourself and they will send it to the MOCO? I have an 85 FLHTC and have been considering a rebuild myself. I'm in the McKeesport,PA area. I have never pulled the motor from my bike but I have Pulled inner and outer primary along with primary chain, clutch etc when I had to change my drive belt. With the proper tools its not really that tough. PM me and let me know the steps you are going thru to get your motor rebuilt by the MOCO, If you need help I might be able to offer some help.

 

I was seeing in the book that it said to take apart the clutch, etc and said to use special tools that as far as I know, I don't have. If you have the tools and experience to keep me from screwing up my clutch, I'm sure I could use the help!

I was just seeing if it could be done without having to mess with the clutch end.

 

I can't answer your question directly, but when I had my motor rebuilt a few years ago the indy who did it removed the entire primary to get it out, leaving only the tranny in the frame. I'm sure he would have used a short cut if he could.

 

On a '90 it is easy. Just remove the big 'c' clip around the adjuster plate in the center of the clutch hub. After the clip is removed, the adjuster will come right out. Behind it is the hub nut. This nut is left hand thread. After the nut is removed, the clutch will come off as a assembly. It is splined, no puller necessary. No need to remove any of the discs, you can leave the hub intact. Of course, you will have to have the compensator nut and chain adjuster loose to remove as a unit with the clutch.

 

You can do it either way, as others have suggested. I would ask that since your motor is smoked....Have you considered an aftermarket upgrade? Not much more in cost, You get a complete engine, carb to Ign. and you can sell your old motor and reclaim part of your funds.
After repairng my 90 flhs engine a couple yrs ago, I still had little things that would pop up. I opted to sell that motor and pick up a new 113 ultima. It's a beast! has a warranty, and from past experience I know Ultima stands behind their stuff! just a thought.

 

I appreciate the sentiment, but I am going to be having enough fun coming up with the money for this, let alone a little bit more. That's why I'm doing it myself instead of paying someone else to do it. Plus I don't really need a beastly engine. I just cruise around and reliability and smoothness is more important to me than raw power...

 

Today I got into the primary case finally. Everything else is drained, removed and/or disconnected, only have the primary to remove, then motor mounts and it's out. Once I drained the primary and pulled the outer cover, I found what I am guessing is the compensator on the front with a huge nut that I know for a fact I don't have the right socket for, and I am guessing the clutch assembly in the rear. The clymer book I have is vague at best and has me jumping from chapter to chapter to read about how to remove different assemblies. This has me getting a little frustrated and I decided to take a break for the night.

If anyone has any helpful advice or pics with getting the primary chain, etc off, I would greatly appreciate it...

 

My lil S&S 107" is even nicer than my original motor, remarkably smooth and easy goin' - and has enough raw power to add a little excitement when needed. Jus sayin.......