Pushrod tubes and cam tensioners
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Cruiser
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Pushrod tubes and cam tensioners
Last night I bought a 2004 FXST with 2500 miles on it (for $9,000.00). During inspection I found a few mods had been done that the seller was unaware of. The bike is carburetted, and there was a standard Stage 1 job done, obvious enough to identify. But I noticed the pushrod tubes have these little hat-looking things about halfway up that move when you touch them. In other words, I think the tubes are perhaps not the OEM tubes, which I seem to recall from my 2003 Fatboy were a single piece. I just learned about the plastic lifter thingies, which I had never heard of before. I think they might have been replaced when the bike was purchased beauce there were quite a few add-ons done at the dealership before the original owner even took the bike home (Stage 1, lowering kit, removable windshield and sissy bar, mini-apes, badlander seat, little chrome toolboxes on each side, chrome axle nut covers, and probably more I haven't found yet).
SO my question is:
How can I tell if the plastic things have been replaced (or even whether a cam might have been installed, since the seller mentioned cams but we got side-tracked before I could pursue the issue)?
Does the MoCo keep track of dealer installed mods by VIN in the computer so I could go to a dealer and have them look up what was done?
The bike is sweet. It is my first carburetted Harley, and it is kind of fun fussing with warming it up, and it sounds completely different than a FI engine. I am loving it so far but sheesh, there is a lot of bling that I have to take off this thing. He went nuts with this chrome stripping stuff.
Thanks
Beers around.
SO my question is:
How can I tell if the plastic things have been replaced (or even whether a cam might have been installed, since the seller mentioned cams but we got side-tracked before I could pursue the issue)?
Does the MoCo keep track of dealer installed mods by VIN in the computer so I could go to a dealer and have them look up what was done?
The bike is sweet. It is my first carburetted Harley, and it is kind of fun fussing with warming it up, and it sounds completely different than a FI engine. I am loving it so far but sheesh, there is a lot of bling that I have to take off this thing. He went nuts with this chrome stripping stuff.
Thanks
Beers around.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
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The stock pushrod tubes are not one piece. They have a clip at the top. It has a slot in it that you can put a screwdriver in to pop them off.
The only way to know the condition of the tensioners is to look at them. You can pull the cam cover and plainly see the outer. With a good light, you can see enough of the inner to gauge it's wear.
The dealer may or may not have records....Work may not have been done at a dealer.
The only way to know the condition of the tensioners is to look at them. You can pull the cam cover and plainly see the outer. With a good light, you can see enough of the inner to gauge it's wear.
The dealer may or may not have records....Work may not have been done at a dealer.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,395
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From: Utah
Plastic lifter thingies? You mean cam chain tensioner shoes? (They aren't connected to the lifters).
The lazy way to change cams is to use adjustable pushrods so that you don't have to pull the rocker covers off, move the rockers over, and pull the push rods.
If I am understanding what you are asking, the PO could have only put in cams and not worried about the tensioner shoes, could have done both, or could have just fixed the tensioner shoes. It isn't a big deal (depending upon your exhaust configuration) to check the tensioner shoes.
C#
The lazy way to change cams is to use adjustable pushrods so that you don't have to pull the rocker covers off, move the rockers over, and pull the push rods.
If I am understanding what you are asking, the PO could have only put in cams and not worried about the tensioner shoes, could have done both, or could have just fixed the tensioner shoes. It isn't a big deal (depending upon your exhaust configuration) to check the tensioner shoes.
C#
Unofficial HDF Chaplain
Joined: Dec 2009
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From: san diego
"plastic lifter thingies"..... I've asked you guys not to use all that technical jargan around here, it's confusing!!!
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
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ok so i understand the tubes are not originally one-piece, and i might be able to see if the cam chain tensioners ("plastic lifter thingies') have been changed by removing the timing cover. So, is that the whole right-hand-side cover with the aallen head bolts (ack, new gasket, torque wrench) or just the little round inspection port cover? (shop maunal on order from Amazon).
