using oil mystery
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Tourer
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 325
Likes: 1
From: missouri
using oil mystery
I'm doing the dreaded (as Seinfeld would say) double dipping...I posted this in OIL section but I love the softail area and it's much busier...so:
Greetings,
I have a 2010 fatboy with a 110 ci upgrade done by the dealership about a year ago...has 11000 miles, 6000 after upgrade. since then I have noticed that the bike uses about 1 qt of oil every 2000 miles or so (always have used syn3). There are no leaks (no oil on the concrete or engine), the bike doesn't smoke, the sparkplugs show no sign of carbonization/fouling...the bike runs great. Where the heck is it going? Is it just burning a little...such a small amount that the smoke isn't visible and the plugs aren't fouling but over time adds up? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.
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Greetings,
I have a 2010 fatboy with a 110 ci upgrade done by the dealership about a year ago...has 11000 miles, 6000 after upgrade. since then I have noticed that the bike uses about 1 qt of oil every 2000 miles or so (always have used syn3). There are no leaks (no oil on the concrete or engine), the bike doesn't smoke, the sparkplugs show no sign of carbonization/fouling...the bike runs great. Where the heck is it going? Is it just burning a little...such a small amount that the smoke isn't visible and the plugs aren't fouling but over time adds up? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.
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Well it does seem excessive however when you think about it 110ci is a pretty big piston and it vapourizes a drop or so of oil on every stroke. Seems plausible that it could vaporize that much. Just a thought
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,591
Likes: 68
From: Big Bear City, CA
If there's no oil leaks as you said, it has to be burning the oil. That seem to be burning a bit much, but probably still not enough to smoke or foul your plugs. I'm sure others running big inch motors will chime in to offer their opinions of oil burned on their bike. Maybe it's common place for the big inchers, I don't know. My stock Evo burns no measurable amount of oil after 3000 miles. Personally I think that's kinda weird too, seems that I should burn some.
Good luck finding the answer.
Good luck finding the answer.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 4,109
Likes: 9
From: Connecticut
If it's not leaking then it has to be burning it. Could be going through the valve guides or rings. If it were the rings it should show something on the plugs, look at them closely if nothing could be going out the exaust valve guide and right out he exaust. not that much oil is being used so hard to find. Some will go away in vapor but not that much. Just some thoughts hope it helps you
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
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From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
My cousins new Ultra last summer use bout the same, they told him that wasn't an unusual amount of oil added.
Our uses about 1/2 every 5k,
Maybe check compression also. might be getting a little blow by on hard accelerations.
Our uses about 1/2 every 5k,
Maybe check compression also. might be getting a little blow by on hard accelerations.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
That old saying is true for old cars...but not so much for Harleys. Oil could be leaking into the primary...easy to check, is the primary overfull? If you have a vent hose run to the ground...it could be blowing oil on hard acceleration and not leak a drop when parked. And lastly some motors will simply use oil when using synthetic oil and will not use a drop when running conventional oil...again easily to check.
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Tourer
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 325
Likes: 1
From: missouri
Thanks for the replies! Helpful and comforting lol. I had wondered about the oil perhaps finding it's way into a different compartment....pulled the derby cover and it wasn't overfull. I have a tendancy to goose it a lot...think I'll tape a paper towel to the vent hose opening and go hammer it a few times and see if the towel gets wet with oil. The exhaust pipe opening looks dry but I suppose blown by oil would tend to linger within the baffles. Thanks again.
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