Pulled in tonight, bike running fine with no odd noises, oil pressure light not on but something just not right. Checked the oil and there was gas in the oil, enough to raise the level a bit and make the oil very "fluidy".

I don't think the motor is toast, but can someone give me the float height picture/specs out of their shop manual for me please?

 

I am struggling to see a relationship between float level and gas in your oil. I have had my float out by so much that petrol poured out the cover - but none got into my oil.

 

The petcock vaccum valve failed.

Either way the motor is toast... stuck a magnet in the oil tank... couldn't see anything on the magnet but once I put it on a blue shop towel it had a fine metal paste on it. I pulled the lifter screen and it had 1 metal sliver in it.


I can't afford another rebuild... just going to have to sell it I guess... will be my last harley that's for sure.

 

Tman it's more then likely something simple that won't break the bank. Don't give up on it just yet. I have damn near a complete 98 80" in the garage with the exception of cylinders and cases. Give me a call tomorrow and we can come up with a plan.

 

Will do man.

I coulda swore I heard a squealing noise as I was pulling into my neighborhood, but it was faint, and only when I was accelerating, like wind noise through my FF helmet. The oil light wasn't on, so I'm thinking I may have been safe? I don't know...

 

If you get a chance and have the tools with you take a look around in cam chest for anything obvious. I have 3-4 sets of low mileage stock lifters soaking in oil , and a few cam cover gaskets. You know the offer always stands dude.

 

Will do. I'm going to pop the cam chest cover off tomorrow and look... I don't have my shop manual with me, stupid me forgot to bring it, but I remember half of the stuff and the torque values. Should be no problem. I'm more worried about the top end and the timken bearings on the crank than I am the valve train.

I appreciate it man.

 

If there was no abnormal vibrations then I wouldn't be too concerned with the timkens.

I'm still a little lost for thought how you ended up with that much fuel in the oil though.

 

The float stuck, or the petcock failed... only thing I can think. No abnormal vibrations... bike ran really strong. Maybe that "paste" was normal, and just crap settled at the bottom of the oil tank. That sliver in the lifter screen has me alarmed though. The "paste" wasn't even visible on the magnet, wasn't even visible on your fingers when you touched it... only visible on the blue shop towel and it wasn't much.

Like I said, the oil still had that oily feel to it, much more so than the 40:1 pre-mix I used to run in my MX bikes. I'm torn as to whether or not to tear it down and check, or just change the oil a few times and run it. These bikes get so damn hot that they'll thin the oil out enough to make the light flicker, and the light never once flickered on this thing with the gas in the oil.

 

Change the oil , cut the filter open and see what's hanging around in there.