Hey Guys, Sorry to be a pain again. I just started having that clutch issue this evening. Went to go for a ride put in first and bike tried to go and stalled. Drained about a qt out of the crankcase and checked the oil tank and there was probly only a qt in it. So does this sound like a crankcase oil seal (wet sumping?) like mentioned before? If so, Have any of you iron vets done this project? Seems to be fairly easy just wanted to get more opions before I start to tear into it.

 

Wet sumping and leaky crankcase oil seal are two different problems. I only have general knowledge of them as i have not had either problem yet myself.

Wet sumping occurs when oil leaks past the check ball in the oil pump. It is fixed by replacing the check ball, and re-seating it. I know less about the oil seal.

Perhaps someone who knows will chime in.

 

Crankcase oil seals ---wait until you need to do the bottom end then do all the bearings and seals. how do you know when it is time?--the connecting rods have some free play is one way to tell. Metal in the oil is another way....but we all prefer the first option.

Oil pump check valve--remove the spring and ball. check spring length, check for debris, check ball for dents or other irregular surface features. A small amount of oil will come out while you do this but not much.

I didn't look at the year of the bike...are you running a dry clutch?

 

Its a 1973, drained out of primary till stoped leaking out of fill level hole. Guess it would be wet clutch?

 

Ya, it would be a wet clutch, then. In '71 the MoCo switched to the wet, if I recall correctly. That eliminates one possibility. A clutch adjustment may be on your to-do list next. I would also check that you can roll the bike up through the gears with the motor off and put it in 4th with the back wheel off the ground and try and turn the wheel and see that the motor rolls over (just to check that there is nothing jammed in the tranny, brakes, or chain case preventing the bike from moving when put into gear)

 

Oil leak..... I imagine your ride sat a while before you discovered the extra oil in your primary. Regardless, chances are you have 2 reasonably common problems with these machines.

• oil pump check valve. aka wet sumping
• oil transfer valve

Oil pump check valve has already been mentioned by Mick & Scott. Fix this & you may not encounter the possible 2nd problem - oil transfer valve.

BTW, one does not usually notice the oil transfer valve problem unless you also have the wet sumping problem.

Wet sumping, while the bike sits, allows oil to accumulate in the crankcase. Sometimes, lots of oil. Accumulate enough oil in the crankcase and with a flaky oil transfer valve, the oil flows from the crankcase into the primary / transmission.... leaving you wondering why all your engine oil is ending up in the primary / transmission.

Replacing the oil transfer valve should fix this 2nd issue.

Now, I'd be amiss to not say, that the oil transfer valve is a subject of much debate. Search around, there's lots of threads on the subject. Some say, seal it up. Others say, it's there for a reason. I'm in the camp that thinks it's there for a reason so on my ride I have a functioning oil transfer valve. You do what works for you.

 

Doc71 is correct in everything he said.
If the bike has sat without being started for a length of time then the base loaded up.
Since most bikes are on the side stand while they sit at rest, the accumulation of oil will run through the transfer valve (located in the back wall of the primary) and drain into the primary and transmission.

The way you prevent this from happening is to crank the bike up every two weeks or so and run it for 5 minutes or so.

So if I were you I would drain all of the oil out of the primary and transmission and then refill with 24oz of oil.
Be sure to top off your oil tank too. Then you should be ready to ride.
pg

 

yeah-what everyone else has said except for reseating that new check ball in the oil pump--good luck with that..