Hi,
I drained the oil from my 72 XLH and refilled it with 3 quarts of oil. I went out for a 20 minute ride. When I returned I discovered that the right side of my rear tire was covered in oil. I am pretty sure that the oil came out of the tube under the generator at the front of the bike. In the past if I let the bike sit a long time, oil would puke out of that tube for a couple of minutes and then be fine. Now, it continues to drip out clean oil when I ride.

When I checked my oil level it is now over full. I'm assuming there was still oil in the engine when I added my three quarts. Will draining off some of the oil solve the problem? I hate riding with oil on my tire.

Thanks,
Barry

 

It sounds as if your base is loading up quicker than normal Barry.
Yes, if the base had oil collected in it and you added 3 quarts, the tank is over filled after the engine has run a few minutes. While it is puking oil out the tube, the scavenger section of the pump is working hard to return the excess oil back to the tank.
Do this:
Drain about 1 quart of oil out of the tank. Start the bike and run it for 10 minutes just parked on the stand. That should be enough to pump out the excess oil back into the tank.
Add oil to the fill line. Let it sit for a couple of hours without starting the engine.
Now start it up and see if oil comes out the breather tube.
If oil pukes out, then the problem is with the ball and spring not seating correctly in the oil pump. Go buy a new spring and a new ball. If you do not know how to install this just let me know and I will walk you through the exercise. It is pretty easy to do...........pg

 

You might want to check the check valve that prevents oil from draining through the pump into the crankcase. Sounds like it might not be closing right.

 

Okay, I did everything you suggested. Turns out I was a 1/2 quart over. From now on I'll just add 2.5 quarts rather than 3. The tube is definitely not "puking" now, but I do get an occasional drip. I am starting to think that the tube is not the problem after all, because while it barely drips, I still am getting oil all over my tire.

I didn't have time to get into it yesterday, but I noticed oil on the frame and around the back of the oil tank that I doubt could have come from the breather tube. I had installed a new oil tank and I'm wondering if I've pinched/cracked some of the old oil lines. It was a bear of a fit and I had to force it into place, so I'm thinking that might be the problem.

Thanks,
Barry

 

I just went through something like this. If you see oil under the starter selonoid you might want to check the selonoid gasket.

 

Yes, that is most likely the problem. Check the oil line(s) connections now before you ride it too much longer. I would give the bike a good wash and then look at the clean frame to help determine where the oil is coming from......pg

 

Update: I removed the oil tank and could find no real problems behind it.

I went for about a 10 minute ride then stopped to look over the motor as it was idling. The braided tube that runs parallel with the pushrod (sorry, don't know the name of the part) on the rear cylinder was leaking from the top. In fact, I could see two full threads exposed and oil was leaking from it. I went home and tightened it...still leaking...I added teflon tape and tightened it again and the leak is almost non-existant. I am going to go out riding longer now to see if the problem is gone or not.

One other thing: does anyone know where I can find a speedo cable for an aftermarket mini-speedometer from J and P. They have sent me three different ones and none of them fit the threading coming from the transmission.

Thanks,
Barry

 

Check total lenght of the cable, you can use almost any cable (speedo or tacho) just put new cable in old casting that have correct thread. Remember clean casting first and then put some correct lubrication before installation of new cable.