Oil problems
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 39
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From: Berryton kansas
Oil problems
On my 1982 shovel I went to change the oil there was none in the tank I thought maybe maybe the check valve was stuck turned the engine on and oil is flowing into the filter is there another drain plug somewhere else besides the oil tank this bike has a oil cooler on it and some round cylinder thing under the engine from th cooler. Sorry about all the questions but I'm new to these shovelheads and I'm waiting on my manuals to get here. I only drained out about a quart of oil. There should be more the bike runs good no problems oil light is not coming on. Which it did about two weeks ago and put in about a 1/2 quart And it went out. The oil cooler seems like a cobbled up mess to me. Thanks for any input
Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 117
Likes: 1
From: Florida
I am not real sure what the issue is, but I would suggest not running anymore until you figure it out. Running it low or out of oil will be the end of your motor and that would be a shame. I would suggest some oil gauges the hell with an idiot light.
Someone will give the right answer on this site soon.
Good Luck Bro!
Someone will give the right answer on this site soon.
Good Luck Bro!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 12,878
Likes: 5,449
From: la la land jerzey
you could have a few things happening
1 the shovel motor is subject to sumping / that is the oil in the tank drips into the engine block one drip at a time and after a week can and often does empty the oil tank < possable // empty oil tank issue and no it real fix some times you can slow it down BUT some bikes never do it
2 the cooler - a picture of what your dealing with would be helpfull - the Round thing under it - is a thermostat the idea is as the oil gets hot it opens and lets the cooler do its job but when riding in cooler temps it stays closed to keep the enging temps correct
3 you cant rely on the bikes oil light you need to look every time before you put the bike away after a ride to see how much oil is in the tank < BTW that is going to be all the time this way when you check it cold you know from the last ride it was full /< IF you add oil to already full bike the mess it will make is unreal you wont do that again just giving you a heads up --
4 - run the bike and see if the oil tank fills its self in 5 or 6 mins before you do any thing else OH yea put the oil back you took out before starting -- jz
1 the shovel motor is subject to sumping / that is the oil in the tank drips into the engine block one drip at a time and after a week can and often does empty the oil tank < possable // empty oil tank issue and no it real fix some times you can slow it down BUT some bikes never do it
2 the cooler - a picture of what your dealing with would be helpfull - the Round thing under it - is a thermostat the idea is as the oil gets hot it opens and lets the cooler do its job but when riding in cooler temps it stays closed to keep the enging temps correct
3 you cant rely on the bikes oil light you need to look every time before you put the bike away after a ride to see how much oil is in the tank < BTW that is going to be all the time this way when you check it cold you know from the last ride it was full /< IF you add oil to already full bike the mess it will make is unreal you wont do that again just giving you a heads up --
4 - run the bike and see if the oil tank fills its self in 5 or 6 mins before you do any thing else OH yea put the oil back you took out before starting -- jz
Last edited by johnjzjz; Apr 22, 2014 at 06:43 PM.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 39
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From: Berryton kansas
Thanks for the replies here are some pictures of the oil cooler. The bikes oil level is good now I checked three times tonight after a ride around the neighborhood. The guy I got this from was a drunk and jut rode the thing didn't do nothing to it I had to drive it 35 miles home and still do not know how I got it here. It was that bad. Back to the oil Saturday I went for a ride. I had to top off the oil I got to my friends house it puked all over his driveway. I'm thinking I overfilled it. Drove it all last week never had a problem. Went to change oil today and got about a quart of oil out the tank. Put 2 quarts in it and it's full let it run for a minute and it's still full. Let it set for about 20 ran it again and still reads full did that 2 more times and all is good now. My question Is could I have a oil pump problem. http://s105.photobucket.com/user/Jimmyb68/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsd3987484.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0 http://s105.photobucket.com/user/Jimmyb68/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps38ea8965.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 905
Likes: 206
From: Minneapolis
can't see you pics but I can tell you that when the oil leaks down into the crank and you refill it, it will puke until you get the level right. It takes a while to balance out. I've found it can take a few miles of riding before all the oil is scavenged back to the tank....depending on your oil tank, when it overfills it flows back to the crank/cam chest and pukes....with ironheads, you can drain the sump (on most 79-older)...I do not see a way to drain the crank on my shovel....remember, it is still running into the engine while scavenging and I think the scavenge rate is like 20% over the feed...JZJZ can correct me...
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 12,878
Likes: 5,449
From: la la land jerzey
can't see you pics but I can tell you that when the oil leaks down into the crank and you refill it, it will puke until you get the level right. It takes a while to balance out. I've found it can take a few miles of riding before all the oil is scavenged back to the tank....depending on your oil tank, when it overfills it flows back to the crank/cam chest and pukes....with ironheads, you can drain the sump (on most 79-older)...I do not see a way to drain the crank on my shovel....remember, it is still running into the engine while scavenging and I think the scavenge rate is like 20% over the feed...JZJZ can correct me...
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Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2014
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From: Berryton kansas
To late for that it happened Saturday. What a heck of a ride. I got lucky and didn't put it down.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: la la land jerzey
you can do this on the cheap - the oil pump has two top screws the inside one has a light spring and a 3/8 inch ball you can remove the two - thin magnet for the ball and then you can blow air into the pump body to maybe dislodge a crum that might be under the ball
the ball keeps the oil in the oil tank - if it does not seat correctly is seaps and your issue happens
the ball keeps the oil in the oil tank - if it does not seat correctly is seaps and your issue happens
