If you check my other threads you will see a new Harley owner working some bugs out of his new ride and then weeks later looking at an exploded motor. It has been a rough introduction to HD to say the least.

Anyhow, being 6-5" the FXDWG is one of the few bikes that fit me well and I need to get this bike rolling again.

My questions today are (as I have found a good used '88 Evo):

1. What are the major differences between an '88 Evo and a '95 Evo motor?

2. Will there be any significant installation roadblocks putting this motor into my bike? For example, crank dia, bolt patterns, gasket/seal issues, changes to castings from '95 mating to '88 engine?

Just trying to do some homework before I buy a motor that won't fit.

I just think this is a wiser route for me to go instead of attempting a rebuild and missing some part that has failed or is out of spec from the engine blowing up.

Thanks!

 

What model bike was the 88 engine out of?

95's are top breathers (started in 93 IIRC). Cam is better in the 88. The 95 used the oil pan, the 88 had an oil tank. Probably a few other details that the more knowledgeable will fill in.

 

1995 Dyna Wide Glide

 

As far as the Engine...besides top breather and Manifold/Carb..they are the same.
I would use the oil filter off of the '95 and carb/manifold as well..Approach it as a Short block and you should be good...
The oil lines may get confusing...but, study it carefully and get it right.
Problems??? LMK
I have recently went the other way and put a '93 into an '83 [replaced a Shovelhead] and Most of it is "fresh" in my feeble memory !!


BTW I am doing what I believe you are doing...riding the Bike, whilst I take time to Rebuild the Original Mill properly...

 

Can someone expand on physical difference between oil pan vs. oil tank and how that will affect install, oil line routing, etc?

 

If you rebuild what you have, you'll be way better off than (maybe) buying somebody else's problem. What happens if this older motor has a weak valve spring and drops a valve? Trying to go the cheap route and not pull the heads and have them gone though when you found the broken spring is what trashed the motor you have. Fix it right once and be confident in it.

I don't mean to be a jerk, but I'd hate to see you throw good money after bad.

 

I agree with Owtlaw on this! I'm doing what was supposed to be a simple rebuild to fix a case leak. It's been anything but simple. Apparently the previous owner had something come apart that messed up the bottom end. They slapped a Shovelhead crank in it to get it running and now I'm dealing with getting it put back together right. Darkhorse had to do work on the crank as well as the Timken / Main bearing bore as the main bearings were loose in the case. The bottom end should be coming back from Darkhorse any day and then my indy will be finishing it up.


It would have sucked for someone else if I'd gone with a crate motor and sold this instead of doing a rebuild.

 

Well hindsight is 20/20 isn't it gents. The reality is that had I have pulled the heads and had them serviced and maybe pulled the lifters too and swapped them out to be safe, I would have dumped a pile more cash into motor that was destined to blow.

That suspect valve would have gone right back into the head. Remember there are only 17,000 miles on this bike. Not one response to my other thread warned about replacing the valve on the head with the broken spring. Heck, I don't know how many used valves laying in my parts drawer I've thrown into busted engines over the years to get a motor running again.

Sometimes things just are what they are. Just saying.

For every fella that's thrown money (sometimes wastefully) at ideas or whims surrounding a problem, there's as many guys or more who have simply replaced a part and lived happily ever after.

I did some searches for broken spring issues and was surprised to see how many guys attempted to do what you just recommended (or finally that 'dream build') only to have quality aftermarket springs fail. Even some companies admitting that they had a bad batch go through while others left owners high and dry. Sometimes things just go wrong.

Now I'm not trying to sound like a jerk either, but I believe my last question was about oil tanks/pans, not shoulda, woulda, coulda, because trust me, all of those thoughts have already run through my head a 1000 times as my bike sits broken in the garage. Besides, by the time I 'do everything right' and have this motor completely tore down and all parts checked for true/damage, the smarter move might be to drop an S&S in there and at least I get a warranty.

That's where the whole idea of utilizing a good used engine seems to be the right choice for me. This is an old bike and it's not my mistress, just an old bike. I don't want to put a lot of money into it because it doesn't justify it. There is simply to right or wrong argument, just opinions.

 

It will not effect install at all...if you have an 88 motor that is good , it will bolt in a 95 bike with no problems.

 

Afaik an EVO is and EVO. They didn't make an A and B engine, so it'll fit on there I would say.

You might have an issue with the sprocket spacer since some are different lengths I hear. If you check the micro-fish on the two different bikes you might find out if there is a problem. If so you might need to change the spacer to align the primary chain.

The plumbing might be different on the oil pump. Usually I see tanks being top feed at the pump and pans being middle or bottom feed at the pump. If you can't get the pump hooked up right you might need to replace the pumps cover plate or the pump. But don't top feed with a pan I've been told. It might cavitate at some point I heard.

The breather. If it's the timed type breather I think it's a top breather. Sorry, but I don't remember all of that breather stuff right now.

I'm sure you're aware to flush anything oil related or you might get metal shavings in the new engine.

Sorry about the dropped valve. Who would of thought that would happen. I didn't and I was following this thread along.

Good luck man