dumb questions
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dumb questions
well about 1 month ago i went directly against my wife orders and bought this old 71 ironhead it had a clutch issue but other than that was cherry all original cept tires. it also didnt run quite right. it is a kick only so right off i adressed the running bad issue seems it needed points and condenser and a new bendix carb. now it runs great.seems like it prolly had a rebuild some time or another,its got 165psi in both cylinders. so kicking is tough.but my super glide is a kickalso so im used to it.i got to say that before have ing this bike i was in the haha he's on a girls bike group.now ive seen the light and i love this thing.
my ??? are is the only 2 places for oil,,the tank and the primary,im done with the clutch and am gonna go with 70wt castrol oil,is that ok? how do i be sure that the oil is circulating properly. i have no gauges on it no and no dummy lights i went with a kinda kleened up lookapes and solo seat,and some new chrome.ill get some picsas soon as i figure it out (i got a new pc with vista and im lost)it looks sharp like this and i didnt even have to cut nothing.also should i tighten up the tach drive plug all the way or does it need to vent ,the reason i ask is that it spurts some oil there sometimes?? and one more can i take off the electric sending unit from the oil pump and plum in a oil preasure gauge there. thanks for alll advice and please forgive the long post ill delete it as soon as my problems are solved and please forgive my typeing i got a bum hand
my ??? are is the only 2 places for oil,,the tank and the primary,im done with the clutch and am gonna go with 70wt castrol oil,is that ok? how do i be sure that the oil is circulating properly. i have no gauges on it no and no dummy lights i went with a kinda kleened up lookapes and solo seat,and some new chrome.ill get some picsas soon as i figure it out (i got a new pc with vista and im lost)it looks sharp like this and i didnt even have to cut nothing.also should i tighten up the tach drive plug all the way or does it need to vent ,the reason i ask is that it spurts some oil there sometimes?? and one more can i take off the electric sending unit from the oil pump and plum in a oil preasure gauge there. thanks for alll advice and please forgive the long post ill delete it as soon as my problems are solved and please forgive my typeing i got a bum hand
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,035
Likes: 17
From: Houston Texas
RE: dumb questions
jcarson......
Welcome to the world of ironhead owners and congrats to you on your '71 CH. Your wife will forgive you some day....maybe even before this year ends.
Oil goes into the oil tank.....3 qts.
Oil goes into the primary/transmission.....holds 1 1/2 pts. I suggest you just level the machine and pour the 1 1/2 pts in the primary plug with the level screw removed. If oil does not dribble out the level hole after the 1 1/2 pts, then pour a tiny bit more oil in there so that it does.
That is it....you are filled with oil. The only other place on the machine that you can put oil is in the fork tubes. The tubes on a 1971 take 5 1/2 oz (wet) or 6 1/2 (dry) of Harley Davidson Type B oil.
I use Castrol 70wt myself because I cannot get Harley Grade 75 here in Houston TX. I did see some HD oil that was 60wt at another dealer the other day and that would be my first choice if you can get it.
It's hot here in TX so the Castrol works OK.
Use the same type of oil in both the trans/primary and the engine. Reason for that is because you may have noticed a breather opening (has screen over it) while you were on that clutch job. This allows some engine oil to mix with the trans juice.
You may have seen some ironheads with an oil gage sticking out of the rocker box. Do not make this mistake. The oil pressure in the rocker(s) is only 6 psi at most and that will not even show up on a 0-30psi gage. Total waste of money going that route.
If you have a concern that the pump may not be working now...or just want to be sure that it is, then the best way is to remove the return oil line (at the engine or oil tank) and kick the bike through with the spark plugs removed (it's easier) until you see oil flow out of the line. If you have been running the machine I assure you the oil pump works.
If your concern is about keeping an eye on the oil pressure, then I recommend you use the red signal [color="#0033ff"][size="4"][font="arial"]light. If you were to mount a gage on the oil pump end and the pump gives out while you are riding....well, the engine will freeze up long before you can get a look at that gage. Instead use the light. You can see it all the time while you ride. When you stop at a red light you may see the oil light come on somewhat as the bike falls to an idle speed. This is of no concern, it's just that the Sporty's oil pump is a low pressure item. That is the reason that a gage just does not work on a Sporty.
Let's see, what else you have.....Oh, the tach drive. The tach drive does not need to vent. Venting is done thru the tube sticking out of the bottom of the timing cover in the area of your generator. The drive needs to be tight in the timing case and the cable needs to be tight in the drive.
This drive does not have any kind of oil seal inside of it. If it gets worn, or perhaps it is an aftermarket item, it may well leak. There is no way to stop a leak once it begins. That is my experience anyway.
I had lost my original drive unit. When I did the restoration on my '71 I went to a dealer to get a drive and of course all they had was an aftermarket drive, which they had to order. That sucker leaked from the day I started the machine almost. I removed it, welded over the head, and it still leaked. So I removed the tach and ran without it for a couple of years using a plug in the hole of the timing cover.
Well, I like having a tach. I was at an independent shop one day and saw a pile of Sportster stuff on a shelf. I just happed to be bright enough at the moment to ask the guy if he might have a timing cover with a tach drive? He looked and came out holding one. I said all I wanted was the tach drive and he removed it for me. It was indeed an original factory un
Welcome to the world of ironhead owners and congrats to you on your '71 CH. Your wife will forgive you some day....maybe even before this year ends.
Oil goes into the oil tank.....3 qts.
Oil goes into the primary/transmission.....holds 1 1/2 pts. I suggest you just level the machine and pour the 1 1/2 pts in the primary plug with the level screw removed. If oil does not dribble out the level hole after the 1 1/2 pts, then pour a tiny bit more oil in there so that it does.
That is it....you are filled with oil. The only other place on the machine that you can put oil is in the fork tubes. The tubes on a 1971 take 5 1/2 oz (wet) or 6 1/2 (dry) of Harley Davidson Type B oil.
I use Castrol 70wt myself because I cannot get Harley Grade 75 here in Houston TX. I did see some HD oil that was 60wt at another dealer the other day and that would be my first choice if you can get it.
It's hot here in TX so the Castrol works OK.
Use the same type of oil in both the trans/primary and the engine. Reason for that is because you may have noticed a breather opening (has screen over it) while you were on that clutch job. This allows some engine oil to mix with the trans juice.
You may have seen some ironheads with an oil gage sticking out of the rocker box. Do not make this mistake. The oil pressure in the rocker(s) is only 6 psi at most and that will not even show up on a 0-30psi gage. Total waste of money going that route.
If you have a concern that the pump may not be working now...or just want to be sure that it is, then the best way is to remove the return oil line (at the engine or oil tank) and kick the bike through with the spark plugs removed (it's easier) until you see oil flow out of the line. If you have been running the machine I assure you the oil pump works.
If your concern is about keeping an eye on the oil pressure, then I recommend you use the red signal [color="#0033ff"][size="4"][font="arial"]light. If you were to mount a gage on the oil pump end and the pump gives out while you are riding....well, the engine will freeze up long before you can get a look at that gage. Instead use the light. You can see it all the time while you ride. When you stop at a red light you may see the oil light come on somewhat as the bike falls to an idle speed. This is of no concern, it's just that the Sporty's oil pump is a low pressure item. That is the reason that a gage just does not work on a Sporty.
Let's see, what else you have.....Oh, the tach drive. The tach drive does not need to vent. Venting is done thru the tube sticking out of the bottom of the timing cover in the area of your generator. The drive needs to be tight in the timing case and the cable needs to be tight in the drive.
This drive does not have any kind of oil seal inside of it. If it gets worn, or perhaps it is an aftermarket item, it may well leak. There is no way to stop a leak once it begins. That is my experience anyway.
I had lost my original drive unit. When I did the restoration on my '71 I went to a dealer to get a drive and of course all they had was an aftermarket drive, which they had to order. That sucker leaked from the day I started the machine almost. I removed it, welded over the head, and it still leaked. So I removed the tach and ran without it for a couple of years using a plug in the hole of the timing cover.
Well, I like having a tach. I was at an independent shop one day and saw a pile of Sportster stuff on a shelf. I just happed to be bright enough at the moment to ask the guy if he might have a timing cover with a tach drive? He looked and came out holding one. I said all I wanted was the tach drive and he removed it for me. It was indeed an original factory un
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RE: dumb questions
thanks for your help that was what i thought about the 2 only placesfor oil.the gauge i wanted to use was purley for looks not so much for monitering oil presure,,,, allthough im gonna make sure the lines are not kinked then try the pump. also the tach ? was about the block off plug i got from jp it moves up and down when its lose as if its on time,,when i tighten it the oil stops and comes out the vent under the generator.then theres the 1.5 pints of tranny fluid,,,i bet i drained about 1 gallon out of the big drain plug that drains the tranny and the primary , the guy i bought it from said--- the bike leaks like a siv and i cant see where its coming from,he was not rideing it at all,but he was keeping it full of oil-- could it be that some oil from the dry sump was getting into the tranny and primary??
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,035
Likes: 17
From: Houston Texas
RE: dumb questions
The plug moves up and down when it's loose because there is some (light) pressure in the timing cover. Tighten the plug down and oil comes out of the vent tube? OK, that means the crankcase base is loaded up. Just run the engine until it quits puking oil.
If an ironhead has not been run in a while, oil can leak past the ball check in the oil pump allowing contents of the oil tank to leak down into the crankcase if given enough time. Any excess oil that leaks past the pump check is picked up by the scavenger section of the pump when you crank it up and this is puked out the breather tube on to the floor.
It is possible for the crankcase to fill up (as I just described) and then leak oil through that breather I mentioned in my last post, where it would fill the transmission.
Just drain the transmission and primary and refill with the proper amount of oil. Crank the engine and see if it pukes oil. Remember, what ever gets dumped out, you need to replace that amount in the oil tank.
The previous owner, or you, must have let the bike sit a long time for the base to load up. If this is not the case, then you need to replace the ball and perhaps reseat it in the pump body. This is quick and easy to do.........pg
If an ironhead has not been run in a while, oil can leak past the ball check in the oil pump allowing contents of the oil tank to leak down into the crankcase if given enough time. Any excess oil that leaks past the pump check is picked up by the scavenger section of the pump when you crank it up and this is puked out the breather tube on to the floor.
It is possible for the crankcase to fill up (as I just described) and then leak oil through that breather I mentioned in my last post, where it would fill the transmission.
Just drain the transmission and primary and refill with the proper amount of oil. Crank the engine and see if it pukes oil. Remember, what ever gets dumped out, you need to replace that amount in the oil tank.
The previous owner, or you, must have let the bike sit a long time for the base to load up. If this is not the case, then you need to replace the ball and perhaps reseat it in the pump body. This is quick and easy to do.........pg
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