Thanks for all the replies. Ironmick if i have to take the cam cover off again i will definetly post a picture of it, the one you posted does look like mine, and from what i remember there are no oil holes in any of those bushing except for the one where the weights and timing setup sits outside of it.

The rocker boxes on my bike are a one piece design, and the front head came off easily. The rear head is being a total B*tch, i'm not sure if it's factory or not, but the seat bracket on the backbone comes down so far that in one area it only leaves me 1/4 inch of up and down. I would prefer to not torch or cut the bracket off if possible, but if thats what has to happen then so be it.

Can the head once broke loose be rotated while sitting on the Jug? if so i can get the clearance needed to remove the back head without issue. I didn't want to try it last night for fear of scratching or screwing something else up that would cost me even more money.

 

To remove the rear head and rocker cover as an assembly ...

Leave the bolts in tight that attach the r cover to the head. Loosen the cylinder head bolts. The two on the left can come out easily.

On the right one or both may jam on the way out. If this happens lift them up far enough for the threaded part to clear the head and fix them in place with rubber bands or whatever.

You need to lift the assembly up about 1/8" or so, enough for the fire ring on the head to clear the top of the cylinder.Then carefully wiggle it out.

It may come out more easily on the left than on the right. Look about to see which side may be easier.

 

Its been awhile since I did mine but if I recall correctly, I found it so much easier to just unbolt and remove the front as jug/head/rocker box all together. The rear is always a pain.. Head and rocker box come off together.

Far as engine noise? I have no idea what it is, mine makes it to.. Sounds like something rattling, or going ape-**** inside there somewhere.

 

ok it's been a while, but i thought i would make a big update at one time, instead of a bunch of smaller ones. here goes.

I replaced the cam bearings and the bronze thrust bearings which seemed to quite it down quite a bit for a while, but i still heard noise that didn't sound quite right to me. After being told by many people (including mechanics) who actually listened to it, that it was just "normal" ironhead noise, i decided i needed to get professional help for it. I took it in for a valve job, once the heads were off and checked it was determined they needed rebuilt, all new valve guides, and 2 new exhaust valves because of all the wear on them (good news only needed the +1 guides as they had never been replaced. (side note, i told the mechanic to fix whatever was wrong with it, no matter what it was)

The mechanic then checked the cylinders bore, after he noticed that the front piston seemed to be a bit sloppy, turns out they were bored to .020 and after checking them again, they were currently .026 Front side of front jug and .024 back side of front cylinder. the rear jug, in same order was .023 and .022 so those came off the bike and will now be .030, with 9.5 to 1 .030 Pistons but back into it. (should make it fun considering it's kick start only)

after the Jugs were off, he checked the rods for play, the front rod you could move up and down roughly 1/8 th of an inch or more, the rear rod was solid as a rock, so the splitting of the crankcase was going to happen. I found a good flywheel and rod assembly complete with new bearings on ebay for cheaper than the cost of rebuilding the one i had so in it goes.

Longish story short, Tuesday is my 40th Birthday, and accorind to the mechanic i should have my bike back by the weekend barring any more unforseen issues. I just can't believe that life long harely guys that i know, some are mechanics in well known HD shops, couldn't tell the difference from normal and bad noise. are these old iron heads really that bad, or do people just don't care because they are the AMF years?

 

50wt? That seems a little light. I run 60wt.

Carl

 

I finally found a owners manual for a 74, and acording to the factory i'm supposed to run 90Wt in the spring and fall, and 110Wt. in the summer in this thing, lol i think they are nuts, to me thats gearlube not oil.

 

A head's up here.
Those numbers you read in the manual are Harley's old designation for the correct oil to use.
The numbers DO NOT refer to oil weight, but rather are numbers Harley put on the can to identify their oil.

I have often thought this was done to suggest you buy only their oil because these designations cannot be tied with the common 'wt' designations put on all other brands of motor oil.

Also, I think your numbers are incorrect.
The old designations were 58,75, and 105.

What the designations mean is this:
Harley 58 (called 'Special Light') is equal to 40wt oil.
Harley 75 (called 'Medium Heavy') is equal to 60wt oil.
Harley 105 (called 'Regular Heavy') is equal to 70wt oil.
Harley 105 (70wt) is meant to be used at temps of 100°F or above.
You should be using 40wt if you live in Wisconsin and ride the winter season. (Bad Idea!)
Riding in 50° to 90° means you use 60wt.
If you live in Arizona and ride the summers (another Bad Idea) you may want to use 70wt.
pg

 

Thanks pinion very helpfull info on these oils

 

These things are so noisey it really is difficult to tell. Best is to buy a mechanics stethoscope [these are not expensive] and listen to your engine regluarly - like at every oil change. Then when something begins to change you will be on top of it. And you will know your peculiar engine sounds.

Here are my notes ...

The "sound" can be quite disturbing, very much like the engine is going to blow up. Litterally like a tin can of marbles. What you need to do is to determine if it is the normal sound or if something is wrong.

The best way to do this is to listen with a mechanics stethoscope. You can use a screwdriver or a length of hose but the real tool is much better, and can be purchased inexpensively at Princess Auto or Harbor Freight.

With the engine at idle listen at ...

• all 4 rocker ends, both sides of the engine
• all 4 pushrods, top, middle and bottom
• all 4 lifter blocks
• all 4 cams, listening thru the gearcase cover
• both ends of the generator

All similar points should sound about the same, like rotating steel parts. The generator should be 2 or 3 times noisier than the other points.

If a pushrod is too loose you will hear a louder click sound at its lifter block. If you adjust the pushrods according to the looser option you will hear this click on the exhaust pushrods - slightly louder than at the intakes.

It is worthwhile to do this process a couple of times a year, just to keep track of stuff. It is a very good idea to do this when the engine is running well so that you know what running well sounds like thru the stethoscope.

 

Scotty, Thanks for the update. Too often people just disappear. The IH's make so much noise if someone doesn't hear them all the time any noise coming from them can sound normal. Glad you found a good mechanic. I am curious, what part of the country are you located?

Pat