EVO All Evo Model Discussion

1990 evo engine rebuild ?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Sep 18, 2012 | 08:06 PM
  #1  
machinehed's Avatar
machinehed
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 957
Likes: 2
From: Carlsbad Springs Ontario
Default 1990 evo engine rebuild ?

Apperantly my newly purchased 90 flt police needs a rebuild .?
115000 klms. or roughly 70000 miles on it.
Havent ridden it yet as have been fixing wiring problems etc.
Engine runs good , no oil leaks but carb. is leaking fuel , will get to that .
Question ... changed oil and used 20/50 ., now smokes from both sides .
Suspect that straight 50 was in it and now the 20/50 is showing wear in the motor ?
Local mech. says total rebuild is required ?
Any advise ?
 
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2012 | 08:13 PM
  #2  
Scrmnvtwins's Avatar
Scrmnvtwins
Stellar HDF Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,664
Likes: 184
From: Indiana, USA
Default

Just a Top End Rebuild, Pull the rocker boxes, head, and cylinders. Have the cylinders bored 0.010" over buy yourself a good set of pistons, and have the heads reconditioned with possibly new guides and stem seals.

Or you can go a little cheaper, pull it down, bush hone the cylinders, by a new set of rings and put the cylinders back over the new rings. For the heads, take the springs off and lap the seats then install new valve guide seals before you put it back together. Cheap route may result in something that will run a couple years or it may smoke like it dis when you pulled it down.
 
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2012 | 08:34 PM
  #3  
JohnnyC's Avatar
JohnnyC
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,706
Likes: 14
From: Near Frankenmuth, MI
Default

Why if the engines runs good does it need a rebuild?

When you say it smokes are we talking a fog, or whiffs of white smoke at start up?

Have you run a compression leak down test to identify rings or valve issues?

Carb leak probably needs a rebuild kit and a good clean up. The inlet valve / float valve can hang up in a dirty carb.

A change in oil is showing what wear?

Is there a real issue with the engine running? What are you referring to? Is there noise, banging, metal to metal sounds?

What's the history on the bike? Was it running at all when you bought it?

I know everything can seem overwhelming when you start to "get it into", but look at it more rationally.

What specifically is the local mechanic saying must be rebuilt? Specifics!

Sometimes mechanics will take a noob for a ride and tell them all kinds of things to pick up a job.

Do you have a service manual for this or are you going through the wiring and other issues blind?

Don't be rushed into anything...
 

Last edited by JohnnyC; Sep 18, 2012 at 08:38 PM.
Reply
Old Sep 18, 2012 | 08:39 PM
  #4  
D1gger's Avatar
D1gger
Road Captain
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 684
Likes: 9
From: Indian Head, PA
Default

You say smoke from both sides. Do you mean from each exhaust, each side of the engine, or what? What type of head pipes are on it? True duals or the original 2 into 2 with the crossover?

With a manual, doing a top end rebuild really isn't that bad, I did one myself last year. Granted something went horribly wrong with my engine not long after that, but I suspect it was cam bearing that finally killed it.
 
Reply
Old Sep 19, 2012 | 06:03 AM
  #5  
grbrown's Avatar
grbrown
Club Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Default

Any advise? Yes, take a deep breath and tackle one thing at a time! Sort that carb first and get it running as well as it can. Black smoke is too much fuel, white is too much oil. White smoke can be due to oil getting past the pump into the crankcases and being thrown up inside the cylinders, so don't start stripping the poor thing just yet!
 
Reply
Old Sep 19, 2012 | 10:49 AM
  #6  
Spanners39's Avatar
Spanners39
Seasoned HDF Member
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Liked
Loved
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,736
Likes: 1,524
From: Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand
Default

Take it for a good ride before you decide its smoking....it might have wet-sumped....ride it for 10 mins and check oil level....adjust if its too high and then ride for another half hour......if its still smoking I would try putting straight 50 back in and repeating the exercise.

Get the carby sorted first though....
 
Reply
Old Sep 19, 2012 | 10:56 AM
  #7  
Scrmnvtwins's Avatar
Scrmnvtwins
Stellar HDF Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,664
Likes: 184
From: Indiana, USA
Default

Agreed with the carb sorting first, EVO's like to puke oil in their air cleaners so you may want to check to see if it is oil soaked
 
Reply
Old Sep 19, 2012 | 07:25 PM
  #8  
machinehed's Avatar
machinehed
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 957
Likes: 2
From: Carlsbad Springs Ontario
Default

Many Thanks to all replies .
Newbie Harley owner . Previous bikes have all been older big Wings with very complicated and hard to service systems. Getting to old for that now.
Was a " go to tech. " on various Wing sites and can wrench ok.
After researching this great HD site for a while , have noticed that an evo with my miles could be a candidate for a rebuild because of ... roller lifter wear , cam bearing , usual valve wear , etc. etc.
This will be my last bike purchase and am looking for dependibility so i figured that , considering her age and miles , i should go with a top end rebuild ?
Question ; Big Wings just get there legs after 100,000 klms.
What is a evo good for ?
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Sep 20, 2012 | 07:35 AM
  #9  
Scrmnvtwins's Avatar
Scrmnvtwins
Stellar HDF Member
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,664
Likes: 184
From: Indiana, USA
Default

I have had an EVO over 60k mi or 96560 km withthout issue, I have a cousin with over 100k mi on his. Big difference is wings are water cooled and Harleys are air cooled.
 
Reply
Old Sep 20, 2012 | 01:17 PM
  #10  
grbrown's Avatar
grbrown
Club Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Cool

Originally Posted by machinehed
Question ; Big Wings just get there legs after 100,000 klms.
What is a evo good for ?
Most of us can't leave them alone! I have read of over a quarter of a million miles on a bone stock one. I believe the factory has it in their museum?

I suspect the complexity you mention of Wings means very few owners mess about with them. On the other hand, the simplicity of Harleys is such that very few are left unmodified for long.

Guilty as charged......
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:27 PM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE