Engine burning oil
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Engine burning oil
I bought my Harley Ultra Classic 3 weeks ago, the lifters seemed noisy so I checked the oil, the bike was a quart low. So, per the manual, I put in slightly less than 1 qt of the standard 20w50 oil from the dealer. I checked the oil level both hot and cold, the level is still below the hot full level, but now the bike is burning white smoke. The smoke would normally indicate the oil was overfilled but the dipstick doesn't show that..The bike has about 300 miles on it..I would appreciate any advice..
thank you,
Mike.
thank you,
Mike.
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RE: Engine burning oil
Is there any truth to the fact that Harley's come from the factory with break-in oil? The dealer said they come with standard 20w50, but I'm finding out the hard way that the dealers don't always tell the truth..
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Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Ozark, AL
RE: Engine burning oil
It shouldn't take long to replace the valve seals. That would be my guess on the oil issue. Does it do it all the time? Cold start? Quit after a few minutes? As for the oil, it's standard issue HD 20W50 except for the SE models which, I believe come with Syn 3 [:'(].
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RE: Engine burning oil
Yes, but especially under acceleration...funny thing though, it was fine until I added the oil to almost full. I would have thought the dealer would have checked it before giving it to me, but I guess you always to double check..good thing I only put on 300 miles, so it can't have done too much damage..
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Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2006
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RE: Engine burning oil
Msfreddo, how many miles have you put on the bike since you added the oil and it started smoking? It is possible you have bad valve seals but it seems more related to you adding more oil especially if it was fine before you did that. Usually with bad valve seals you will get a "puff" of blue smoke every time you upshift. Your lifters should not be noisy even if you are 1 qt low since your system holds 4 qts. How was your oil pressure before you added oil? How is the oil pressure now? I do agree with the others, take it to the dealer. My street glide was almost a quart low with only 100 miles on it. One dealer said it was normal to use oil till its broken in, another said they have been finding bikes a qt low right out of the factory. Let us know what they find with yours................................BG
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RE: Engine burning oil
I took the bike in today, everybody on this forum had the problem pegged right! The valve seals are leaking, which the dealer wasn't all that surprised, they said Harley has been having problems with their valve seals again, but could fix the problem within a couple of days. So thank you all for your information, I appreciate the input. I find it hard to believe that after 300 easy miles a valve seal is already failing, but better now, than after the warranty is up..
thanks again everyone!
thanks again everyone!