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Hasn't ran in Three years!

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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 09:35 AM
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Default Hasn't ran in Three years!

I've been working on my old 1995 fxstc, I've turned it over by the compensator, after putting some Marvel's mystic oil in the cylinders and fogging oil. Had electric problems, trying to turn over with electric starter.
looking in the oil tank there is a little oil in it, I'm thinking that it might haved migrated to the crankcase, since Softails are known for that with the check valve. Don't remember if I checked it the last time I rode it. The top end was rebuilt and has 490 miles on rebuild.
Could it have gone thru most of the oil in 490 miles?
Should I put a quart or two in it, and risk it spilling all over?
I've turned it over about five times with plugs out, shouldn't some of the oil if it's in the crankcase, star pumping back into the oil tank?
 

Last edited by mikey95hd; Jul 24, 2023 at 09:36 AM.
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 09:39 AM
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If there is only a "little oil" in it, you may have lost oil pump prime. Keep cranking it with the plugs removed, if you get nothing back, then try bleeding your pump. Put a catch pan under your engine vent in case it pukes out there.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by chopper_man
If there is only a "little oil" in it, you may have lost oil pump prime. Keep cranking it with the plugs removed, if you get nothing back, then try bleeding your pump. Put a catch pan under your engine vent in case it pukes out there.
I've never bleed the pump before, so would need to research it.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by chopper_man
If there is only a "little oil" in it, you may have lost oil pump prime. Keep cranking it with the plugs removed, if you get nothing back, then try bleeding your pump. Put a catch pan under your engine vent in case it pukes out there.
I think I will try putting it in 5th, and turning the engine over rotating the back tire with the plugs out, and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders, might take awhile this way, but it won't wear the battery down, and starter just cranking it. And I'm not really sure how to prime the oil pump, never had to do that in the past, at this point anything could be the issue. The times I have cranked it over with the plugs removed, I would think it would have pumped oil back into the tank.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 05:37 PM
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Start with a charged battery,
Pull the plugs or just the plug wires and bump the starter about 10 times.
But don't kill the battery.
Unless there's a BIG OIL PUDDLE under the bike
it's in the sump.
Oil doesn't evaporate.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 05:41 PM
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Did you finally get the starter to work?
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by RANGER73
Start with a charged battery,
Pull the plugs or just the plug wires and bump the starter about 10 times.
But don't kill the battery.
Unless there's a BIG OIL PUDDLE under the bike
it's in the sump.
Oil doesn't evaporate.
The thing is I never checked the oil after the last time it ran, and it was rebuilt /top end 490 miles prior, I don't think it could have used that much oil. So logically it should be on the bottom of the crankcase. Since Softails are famous for this happening.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by QC
Did you finally get the starter to work?
It is working, when the battery has a good charge in it...the last thing I did was clean the solenoid contacts with sandpaper and tighten the loose solenoid bolts, they were only hand tight when I took the cover off the solenoid.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 05:59 PM
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Don't add any oil till you have run her over a good bit with a big pan under the bike, as mentioned already it's all seeped into the crankcase. Don't bother with the bleeding the pump bit, waste of time here as the lower end has plenty of oil it'll pick up grinding it over. If can fire it do so for several seconds at an idle to help purge the sumped oil. After she quits puking then you do an oil change and fill things.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2023 | 06:13 PM
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Originally Posted by TwiZted Biker
Don't add any oil till you have run her over a good bit with a big pan under the bike, as mentioned already it's all seeped into the crankcase. Don't bother with the bleeding the pump bit, waste of time here as the lower end has plenty of oil it'll pick up grinding it over. If can fire it do so for several seconds at an idle to help purge the sumped oil. After she quits puking then you do an oil change and fill things.
So put some gas in it and start it, it almost started with fogging oil in it yesterday. I've drained all the old gas and the pingel screen was rust free also. Con-

cern is there oil in the crankcase at all since very little in tank and I've cranked it six times yesterday with plugs out before I sprayed some fogging oil in, also not a drop out of the breather. nothing returned to the oil tank. put plugs back in and it almost started. No gas in system at this time.
What about pulling the timing plug and see if oil comes out the timing hole. Maybe with the timing plug pulled I could check it with a plastic straw or something stuck down thru the timing hole?
 

Last edited by mikey95hd; Jul 24, 2023 at 06:16 PM.
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