How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 310
Likes: 23
From: Sykesville, MD
How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
My wife and I took a little Road Trip to Philadelphia yesterday from Baltimore. I didn't really know where I was going and found myself in some awful traffic. I have one of those dipsticks with a temp gauge on it, which normally runs around 240 degrees (running syn3 and then Mobil 1 did not lower my runnning temp at all).
At any rate I made a couple of wrong turns, and next thing you know, I am in the worst ghetto I have ever seen, and I used to repo cars in Detroit, so I know ghettos. The temp gauge was running at 290 degrees but I did not want to stop because I had my wife with me.
Does anyone know how hot the bike can run without causing damage? I have heard stories that the bike will actually shut itself down before overheating.
At any rate I made a couple of wrong turns, and next thing you know, I am in the worst ghetto I have ever seen, and I used to repo cars in Detroit, so I know ghettos. The temp gauge was running at 290 degrees but I did not want to stop because I had my wife with me.
Does anyone know how hot the bike can run without causing damage? I have heard stories that the bike will actually shut itself down before overheating.
Road Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 851
Likes: 5
From: Mitchellville, Ia.
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
It's too bad that the factory couldn't figure out how to keep the engine cool and pass e.p.a. certification. The TC's run about 30 degrees hotter than the Evo's. There are people in the industry who have this problem figured out. The R&R 155" engine passed 50 state certification with flying colors and never went over 205 degrees in the 15,000 mile test in southern California. Reggie Sr told me that he did it with volumetric efficiency. The same technology is used in all of their performance packages and have been documented to take 30 to 50 degrees out of the engine from the stage 2 thru the stage 5 packages. We are proud to be a distributor for their products.
Their new patented cam plate cam cover will generally pull 10 degrees temp out of the oil and solve a whole litteny of other problems. There performance packages even more.
Their new patented cam plate cam cover will generally pull 10 degrees temp out of the oil and solve a whole litteny of other problems. There performance packages even more.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,033
Likes: 29
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
Late model FI bikes have a heat managment feature. They will start missing at idle to let the engine cool down. If you haven't gotten hot enough for that to kick in, don't worry about it.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,511
Likes: 12
From: Western, MA.
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
ORIGINAL: xxxflhrci
Late model FI bikes have a heat managment feature. They will start missing at idle to let the engine cool down. If you haven't gotten hot enough for that to kick in, don't worry about it.
Late model FI bikes have a heat managment feature. They will start missing at idle to let the engine cool down. If you haven't gotten hot enough for that to kick in, don't worry about it.
I was wondering what the Heck was going on with the motor??
It only did this for about 3 ta 4 minutes before we were heading back to normal speeds.
I don't have an oil temp gauge and I probaly should get one but I know I'll be looking at it all the time.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 667
Likes: 8
From:
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
I hate to start the "oil thing", and I dont sell or advertise for one or the other, but I can say that my ride acted about the same till I went to amsoil. Now it consistantly runs about 210. I still use Mobil 1 in the tranny, but it didnt do as well in the crank.
Good luck
Good luck
Banned
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,603
Likes: 10
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
tell ya what....my full blown R&R motor ran hot this last week....the higher the altitude, the hotter it got...me an a few others have hypothesized that thinner air means less air to cool our air cooled motors
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,457
Likes: 606
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
I also would not rule out the inaccuracy of those digital temp gauges. I'm not trying to say you weren't running hot, you just may not be as hot as you thought you were.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2006
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From:
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
I'd question the accuracy of the gauge at higher temps. I've had 3 different tc88's with dipstick mounted gauges and my current 06 Ultra has both a dash guage and a digital dipstick. Highest oil temp I ever saw was around 250 degrees after a hard interstate run and then immediately getting caught in construction traffic. The engine heat management system cut in then when I was idling. As soon as traffic cleared and I started moving the oil came back down to around 230, considered normal operating temps for the tc88.
On my current Ultra, I got caught on the road to the Cabbage Patch in Daytona this year. While ambient temps were in the high 80's low 90's, I was in stop and go idling traffic for several miles. Toasted my thighs, but the engine heat mgmt kicked in and my oil gauge never went above 240. I confirmed it by checking the digital gauge which read 236 degrees.
As long as you're running a good synthetic oil, I wouldn't worry about overheating the engine. Harley builds them for police depts and parade duty so the air/oil cooling works pretty good.
On my current Ultra, I got caught on the road to the Cabbage Patch in Daytona this year. While ambient temps were in the high 80's low 90's, I was in stop and go idling traffic for several miles. Toasted my thighs, but the engine heat mgmt kicked in and my oil gauge never went above 240. I confirmed it by checking the digital gauge which read 236 degrees.
As long as you're running a good synthetic oil, I wouldn't worry about overheating the engine. Harley builds them for police depts and parade duty so the air/oil cooling works pretty good.
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Advanced
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 63
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From:
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
The dipstick gauge is just that. It measures the oil, not the engine or head temp. I ride a '99 so I can adjust the fuel mixture by twisting the TPS. I had to run so lean one time (mid-Nevada, long way between fuel) that I burned holes in the crossover pipe. The exhaust valves were only slightly discolored and a quick lapping made them look like new. If you were running a synthetic oil I am sure all is fine. Might be a hardening of the exhaust valve guide seal 
Noticed any white smoke?
Noticed any white smoke?
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 595
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From: SUNNY PHOENIX
RE: How Hot Can You Run A Twin Cam Without Damage
Get rid of that temp gauge! Just kidding.I have a 07 FLHX & was in LasVegas last month.It got hot enough to set off the heat management system.Which causes the bike to run on one cylinder.Anyway,I just got my bike back a few days ago from GMR with a 103 build& GMR Heads,Pro Pipe.The bike runs cooler than anyHD I have owned.So,I think the problem was in my head(s).Regards,Tom