Oil level is fine ( 1/2 quart low ) After crusing to operating temp a quart blows out all over me and the side of my bike. Under 60 ...no problem. Took to harley dealer...replaced butterfly piston in oil breather assy ($250)... Did not fix the problem ! Now they try to tell me this is because my piston rings are worn... NO! This is BS they dont know shi_!!! Auto Mfrs have factory techs to assist dealers in problems like this...Does Harley ? I'm sick and tired of the run around and ruined weekends and trips. Please advise...

 

Do a leak down test to rule out the piston ring issue. You can't cheat the test if done correctly. Does your engine consume any oil?

If that is not it...I would look at all of your hoses and tank vent and cap and oil pump. What year is your king?

There is a washer in your oil pump that is supposed to keep oil from sumping into the engine when the bike sits. One way to check this is measure the oil level on the stick when the engine is cold and then when hot. If the level gets higher when hot then you have some oil leaking into the engine case when the bike sits. This will read as low then people top it off. When warmed up the sumped oil gets picked back up into the system and overfills it. Then it pukes out the air cleaner or oil tank cap after a highway ride.

 

Its a 2001, this problem has been going on for a year, i went ahead and replaced cyls and pistons to a 95... still happening

 

I have a 2001 Fatboy that has puked oil on me several times. The first time it did it, I had just changed the oil. It didn't puke until I got up to about 5000 feet on the Cherohala Skyway. At the time, I attributed it to the altitude and that I might have slightly overfilled during the oil change.

This seems to be fairly common on Twin Cam 88 motors and recently I was told that this is caused by the scavenging ability of the oil pump used on those engines. SUPPOSEDLY, the puking problem can be fixed by by installing an updated oil pump with better scavenging capability.

Currently, my bike is in the shop for performance upgrades (95 cu. in kit being one of them). The engine guy wanted to install the oil pump update but at the time I elected not to because I thought it was going to delay the project (turns out it wouldn't have).

Now, whether this is REALLY the cause of the puking problems, I don't know. I could be a bunch of crap. But, if I ever get my bike back from the shop, I'm planning on doing the oil pump update. If nothing else, it will at least give me better oil flow.

BTW, if you have a stock Harley or one that's had a displacement increase using a Harley kit and you DON'T have blow-by, you're in the minority. And, it's NOT because your piston rings are worn. It's because Harley's method for casting their cylinders is shoddy (at best) and most Harley cylinders come from the factory out-of-round. My engine was just torn apart at 38,000 miles and there was so much blow-by on the back cylinder, I don't know how it was even firing. And, it wasn't because the rings were worn. It's because the rings weren't even seated in several spots because the cylinders were out of round.

 

I am new to owning a Harley …. I waited way too long to buy my 2005 ultra classic. My brother in law told me I should have the infamous cam tensioners checked. So I brought my bike to the local Harley shop to have them checked along with a tune up, oil change etc. After $800+ dollars he told me that they were 50 to 60% warn but “No Guarantee”… hmm. I wish I could charge someone $800 with no guarantee… About 2k miles later I noticed oil puking from the air cleaner. I saw the post that indicated the upgraded oil pump improved scavenging could solve this problem. So I decided to install the upgraded cam plate and while I was at it replace the cams. Bike runs great now however; oil still pukes out the air cleaner. In looking at the service manual I see the tube the runs from the valve cover into the air cleaner. I would like to understand how adding a pump that pumps more oil up into the valve covers could possibly result in less oil puking out the air cleaner. I do have the high flow air filter so I suspect the “blue” air filter will more likely solve my problem.

 

My 01 Softail with over 70,000 miles was puking oil out the head breathers real bad at high speed 75-85 mph. It was so bad it bogged down the engine by flooding the intake manifold ( D&M forcewinder style air cleaner w/billet mounting kit ) with oil. Eventually I put in the H-D updated breathers, ( only $30 ) and opened up the drainhole located under the butterfly assembly. I read you can open the drain hole up .100, or one hundred thousands, I think stock is around .750-.800, don't quote me tho, it was months ago. Anyways, it seems to have fixed the "puking" problem. Fyi, I now have 78,000+ miles, S&S carb, S&S 510 gear drives, SE ll exh.,and the bike runs Strong!!

 

Judy give this to jay to read !! Pw

 

We open the oil return holes in the rocker arm support plates to .125" (1/8" drill bit) on every job we do.
Scott