Oil coming from the air cleaner
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: State of Confusion
it can and does happen when using high performance AC units, basically any other than OEM which contains it..that oil splatter looks bad but consider if you took a 1/2 shot oil in a shot glass and threw it in the wind at the bike it could make that kind of mess so it looks worse than it really is, although it sucks to be wiping up oil...now in the case of my wife's 2017 oil cooled 107 at 20,000 miles had a much more oily mess like that on the side and seat and fender of her Freewheeler with the SE Hi Flow AC..took it in and they did a leak down test and the rear cylinder failed miserably, there was a ton of carbon build up and they replaced the heads under factory warranty...compression was restored, ran like new again and no more oil splatter..what was the root cause? I suspect it was because despite me begging her to break it in properly she insisted on taking it on a 500 mile maiden voyage ladies ride that was all interstate and top end didn't seat and seal properly..my 2017 oil cooled 107 with same AC after 40,000 mile ran as strong then as when new, didn't puke oil, etc..the difference was I broke mine in the way they need to be broken in
Last edited by mjwebb; Dec 28, 2021 at 06:58 PM.
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From: On my bike!
With that amount of frosting you may actually benefit from a vented dipstick or Trask check M8 cover. That amount of oil would not be acceptable to me. Contact Fuel Moto and get their opinion, they sell them both and can attest to the benefits.
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From: State of Confusion
I'd definitely be doing something about that..well, because we have...another area of the heads are the integrated one way breathers or whatever they call them, and if they are clogged or not working it could cause problems..if when draining oil you leave the filler screwed in and watch it glug out, then remove it and it starts to evacuate freely then those breathers are working as designed, if not then that's a ventilation problem in there...I think likely he should start simple..make sure to get the upgraded vent tubes that were developed to address this exact problem...don't over oil the K&N, just very light coating and also keep the oil level between add and 1/2 way for awhile..I bet it stops puking like it is..my experience anyway..beyond that start doing a leak down test, etc looking for larger problem/s perhaps
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2016
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From: On my bike!
I'd definitely be doing something about that..well, because we have...another area of the heads are the integrated one way breathers or whatever they call them, and if they are clogged or not working it could cause problems..if when draining oil you leave the filler screwed in and watch it glug out, then remove it and it starts to evacuate freely then those breathers are working as designed, if not then that's a ventilation problem in there...I think likely he should start simple..make sure to get the upgraded vent tubes that were developed to address this exact problem...don't over oil the K&N, just very light coating and also keep the oil level between add and 1/2 way for awhile..I bet it stops puking like it is..my experience anyway..beyond that start doing a leak down test, etc looking for larger problem/s perhaps
Seasoned HDF Member
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From: State of Confusion
The longer vent tubes just seems like a bandaid to me, sure it may keep the oil off the side of the bike but that excessive amount of oil puke is now getting sucked back in the engine instead of the side of the bike. I know that’s how HD built these bikes breather system but I personally wouldn’t want that amount of oil getting cooked on the top of my pistons. Like you said, I would want to investigate a little further.
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From: Ft. Wayne IN
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yeah and that's a whole other debate, I'm in the camp of breather bypass mods being over rated and largely much ado about nothing but whatever...I still think he should solve the easy cheap things first..the breather tubes are about $25 a pair and resolve the initial design flaw, and we don't know if the K&N was over oiled then saturated with breather residue, which is a common mistake leading to excess oil blowing off these open elements rearward, and maybe the oil was over filled and ended up at the halfway mark..start at the beginning doing things correctly is my vote, and move on from there...I've been through all this stuff many times using most of the SE AC kits and everything from Sportsters, TC and M8 from stock thru various performance stages for over 1/4 million miles on our bikes...hate to recommend someone start troubleshooting by spending money unnecessarily like Trask cover or vented dipsticks, etc for $100 - $300..but he is armed with enough information addressing his concern and can decide what to do next...there are other little things to look into..for instance on the ac kit he has if you over tighten the filter it'll squish the pleats and subsequently affect the rubber seal doing it job best, and breather residue will drip between the back plate and filter and rearwards..like I said, worked through these issues ad nauseam over many years..even dealt with this problem pre K&N when HD offered the the SE synthetic media filter elements..good luck OP..good news is there are solutions to your ugly mess of a problem
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From: State of Confusion
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Novice
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 24
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From: Florida
This is why this forum is awesome. You all are fantastic. Thank you. I think Im going to start small and work through the easy troubleshooting steps. Best case, it is/was an oil level issue that has it will resolve itself. Ill clean it, ride it, and monitor it.
May end up ripping that cleaner off and replacing it with a Big Sucker thats whats on my kids RGS and he doesnt have this issue.. and their marketing (for whatever thats worth) leads me to believe that theyve solved this issue with their product.
But - like I said, Ill start with the small stuff and see where we go from there. Lots of great help here. Thank you!!
May end up ripping that cleaner off and replacing it with a Big Sucker thats whats on my kids RGS and he doesnt have this issue.. and their marketing (for whatever thats worth) leads me to believe that theyve solved this issue with their product.
But - like I said, Ill start with the small stuff and see where we go from there. Lots of great help here. Thank you!!
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 416
Likes: 24
From: Dubuque, IA USA
I would call that an excessive amount of oil, and finding a way to dump it deeper into your intake is not a solution. I'd clean it all up and see if it continues. If so, I'd be looking at a Trask vented Tranny Top or a vented dipstick to relieve crankcase pressure.
