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Got my '87 Evo Sloptail back together after attempting to repair the leak at the motor sprocket. No go - still leaks. I've replaced the seal twice now, and tried spring in & spring out. Also replaced the spacer as the original had a very slight groove or scratch in it. Don't know if I have a bad shaft, or cracked case, or ??? Bottom line is it still leaks. I run a belt drive semi-open primary so it just makes a mess. Loses about 1/4 to 1/2 quart a week if I ride every day. I'll get through the year with it, but am trying to decide what to do next.

Thought about an Evo crate motor from HD, but they are for '99 Evos. Guess I'll have to do some homework and see what the difference are.

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Don't feel bad Skip I think it has something to do with all the 87's being made under a bad phase of the moon. My 87 has been doing the same as your's since the day I got it together. Its just a drip sort of like the good old shovel drip not a lot but it does mark its spot. I'm running the same as you with the belt drive and and a vented primary cover. I always said if it ever got real bad Id pull it back apart and fix it. Well I had went out for a nice ride about a couple hundred miles and all was well, made my last stop it was around 10 miles from home and all was good but when I got home the back left side of the bike was covered with oil and only about a half a quart left in the tank. Well now at lest now it wont drip any more so I ordered a new seal pulled the bike down replaced the seal put it back together grabbed some oil filled the tank looked down and had oil all over the floor. You see when I built the bike I made the oil drain tube a bit longer then stock and I guess the last time I changed the oil I had pushed the hose back up in to far and it was rubbing on the drive belt and after some time it cut a hole in the damm hose. Oh well at lest I got the leaking sealfixed. Wrong the damm thing is still leaking Oh well its just marking its spot.

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If memory serves me right 87 was an 1100, and 88 HD went to a 1200 Evo becuse of problems like you are describing. If you are doing a crate motor I would go with an S&S, not a HD. Just seems they have had better luck making evo's that are bulletproof.

Joe

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Man that sucks, sounds like you have done everything short of changing the cases.Maybe you can find a low milage EVO that has been crashed for cheap and use the motor. If you are going to buy a new motor, those ones that look like old knuckle heads are pretty damn cool in my opinion.

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What about the HD re-man program?? I think it's only a couple thousand for an EVO..

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As far as I know, a 99 Evo (or Evo clone like S&S or Revtech) with fit 84 to 99 softails...

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anyone here have a RevTech?? Wondering the prices vs. S&S???

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pococj, Did you check the shaft for runout with an indicator, or roundness with a mic? My old sporty had a similar problem many moons ago. The shaft was actually worn a little where the seal contacted (rubber eating metal, go figure) and I had about 20 thousandths runout at the end of the shaft. I know it aint the same engine, but the problem sounds similar.

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Just from what you decribe, I'd look at the following. Is it leaking between the seal and the shaft, or is it leaking around the seal where it is pressed into the case? If it is leaking around the seal where it is pressed into the case then the steel insetr that holds the bearing into the case is what is leaking. If the case is not cracked, the real way to fix it is to dissasemble the case and replace the case half. The quick way to fix it, is to clean it with brake cleaner and use green loctite around the steel insert and the case.

If the seal is leaking at the shaft, then the shaft is worn, or the lip (spring)on the new seal is not strong enough.

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A buddy of mine has a shop building custom bikes, and he uses Revtech's in pretty much everything he builds. He's never had any problems, and they're definitely less expensive than S&S.

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May sound really stupid but I had the same damn problem . I put dye in the oil and ran it .Took it apart adn looked with the flo light and found the oil was coming from the 2 tiny ass little screw holes that hold down the regulator wires going to the alt . I'm telling ya I had the bike tore apart more than you want to know . Not a drop since (except for the breather ) .

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Not stupid at all. When I first tore into the bike to replace the fried alternator I found that some fine shade-tree wrench-thrower had used a sheetmetal screw in one of those holes. I drilled/tapped and replaced using some sealer on the threads. I checked my repair when I tore it back apart to replace the seal and it's holding up fine.

One thing I'm going to try - the bike had one of those high dollar check valves on the breather line. I've taken it apart & cleaned it up 'cause it was sticking. I'm going to remove it completely and run it that way. If it sticks in the closed position it'll pressurize the cases. Maybe I'll get lucky.

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Well, it's been apart a couple more times. I found the source ofthe leaks finally. One was around the steel insert as 89FLHT described, and the other is that when the clown used the sheetmetal screw on the alternator leads clamp he caused a hairline crack between the two screw holes. So we traipsed off to the local HD shop in Longview, TX, which is named The Harley Shop, of all things. Plopped the bucks down for a new Evo crate motor, silver & polished version.

Checked on a reman job on my motor, and it's about $2300+. Only $600 more for a new engine, and I get to ride in the meantime. I'm thinking about getting the reman job next year, and maybe start gathering parts to build a rigid. We'll see...

Thanks to 89FLHT and jhnmflr for the hints. Helped pinpoint the problem.

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When do you get the crate? Is it stock, or did you do any mod's? Are you doing anything else while the motor's out? Man, that's too bad that you had to spend all those bucks, but I guess it will be fun having a new powerplant in your baby, with a great start for a new ride on the bench.

Joe

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Hey Joe, how's it going up yonder?

It's a stock motor straight from HD. It'll be the '99 version of the Evo. I got the go-fast outta my system years ago with my 77" strokerIronhead. I like the 45 - 55 mpg I get better than I like doing the gotta-go-fast thing.

It's s'posed to take about 30 days, so I'll just ride mine in the meantime, and pretend it's a Shovel marking its spot. There won't be anything else done to the bike 'cause I'll try to swap it out over a weekend.

If I can swing the reman on the old engine I'm thinking about building a rigid, no stretch, no rake. Just something as simple as possible; suicide, jockey, open belt primary, Sporty or peanut tank, solo seat, drag bars.

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Sounds good Skip. With a fresh engine in your ride it will last for years. You have lots of time to do a rebuild on the old motor.

Joe

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I'd just put some cardboard under it when it was parked, and ride the hell out of it when it wasn't...

but then again, I ride a rat...

;)

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:D You're close!I am riding it now, but I have an old piece of plywood in my shop to park it on, and when I put it on the turbine floor at work I put some oil soak pads, aka diapers, under it.

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I've always been a "function over fasion" kind of guy. I buy stuff to put miles on, have fun on, ride in the sun/rain/mud(sometimes).

that's the way i've always been when it comes to transportation..