Decided while the bike is torn down for oil pump replacement and clean out, I'm going stage-2 ... at least I'll save the labor (about 1k) on the install.

 

I am curious to know what the "VIN is on the bikes that have had the Engine Oil Pump problems".

 

Doshounds: I had the same wet oil spot on the top rear fin also, at about 100 miles. Could have been there from the beginning - dunno. My oil-cooled 107 M8 is stock. Oil level cold is at the half-way mark. The spot has not returned in 60 more miles of riding. I'll report back here if it returns and, of course, talk to my friendly service dept.

Dave

 

Let me know Dave. Mine got progressively worse over the weekend. I was noticing oil splatter on collector of exhaust and it looked like oil or trans fluid streaming down case under trans dipstick. It almost looked like the fluid was seeping through the case of the transmission. It looks like it's going back to dealer this week. Bike left a puddle of fluid also in garage. I added nearly a quart in engine and 1/2 quart in trans. Strange thing is I can't tell where it's coming from. Air cleaner is totally dry and no drips from breather bolts. On top of this my 15 Road Glide is in shop with oil light on at idle. Jeez. I need a break from this brain damage. Lol.

 

UPDATE:
Dealer called and said they have replaced the oil pump and it's all good now.
They will drop the bike off tomorrow.

We shall see...

Thank you
FrankEGD

 

I found more oil on the top fin of the rear cylinder after today's ride, Doshounds. Still a small amount. Under bright light, I saw more oil under the top rear rocker cover. The outer surface of the cover is decorative. There is an air gap between the upper and lower covers. Looking into the gap I can see where oil (a small amount) is pooling near the gasket. For orientation, one of the ignition wires is just to the rear of the location where the oil is pooling. I tried taking a picture, but it isn't easy to see. If the gasket let loose, I could see where you could lose a lot of oil. But your rear header probably would have been covered in oil. There would probably be a strong smell of very hot oil!

I can reach only one of the top rocker cover bolts w/o removing the tank. I checked the torque of that bolt. It took perhaps 1/8 turn to reach the lower torque spec of 120 in-lbs. So my problem may be fixed by re-torquing the bolts. Let's hope for a quick fix for you. Gotta love that warranty!

Dave

 

So 400 miles later and still no better. Didn't even have to pull the filter as running my fingers along the bottom of the backing plate picked up a lot of fresh oil. Back to the dealer for another call that tech support and plan B.

 

Sound like the rings didn't seat.. Too easy break-in..

 

Nope it didn't have a too easy break-in. They already did a leak down check and that came up good. Bike has about 8k miles and everything was bone dry until about 1k miles ago.

 

Update! I spent some time looking things over on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I removed the Air Cleaner and there was evidence of oil in the intake. There was also some oil staining the filter. Odd thing is there was ZERO splatter where you would expect it to be?? So I inspected everything and re installed air cleaner. I also noticed there may have been some oil seeping from the back of the breather bolt in the back of the air cleaner so I added another washer according to S&S instructions. At this point I started to wonder if the crank case was overfilled. So I stole the OL's turkey baster and pulled out some oil and dropped it a few dots under where it was. Roughly 1/2 way cold. I washed bike to make sure everything was clean and had a fresh start to see if I made any progress. The only other thing that was bothering me was the puddle of oil under the bike and not knowing where it came from. Also the last time I rode there seemed to be oil streaming from the trans dipstick. I have read somewhere the M8 vents to the intake and the crank case? Well I rode nearly 100 miles stopping every 10-15 miles checking things out and there was ZERO oil! No splatter, no runs, drips, or errors. The only thing I can figure is bike was slightly over- filled, new air cleaner may have had a slight leak in breather bolt?, and turned over 400 miles and rings set in the last 100 miles, reducing blow by? So I will keep everyone updated as I ride. Super happy to maybe have this corrected and avoided a trip to the dealer. Especially with the Road Glide getting an entire new cam chest after puking a needle bearing from an SE lifter thus smoking the oil pump, cam chest, lifters, and cams. 3 months out of warranty. Gotta love the Harley Tax!