Also, might I quickly add...the valves were out and I cleaned them up and relapped them, is it at all possible one is bent? They looked straight but v blocks and an indicator aren't things I have laying around so I never checked them, I feel though if they were bent I'd see some unusual wear or a nick or ding where they met the piston but I saw nothing

 

I have a tick in the front cylinder of mine too that is driving me nuts and have done most of what you have to date. In my case though, I have plenty of oil in the rocker boxes when I pull them apart.

You said that you have hydro cam chain plate so I doubt it is the tensioners but the oil pump could have gone or is going, that would cause a racket. Another thing that I have yet to check is the rocker shaft bushings. They are brass and can wear out.

I would also doubt a bent valve since you have good compression. I get approx 170-175 on mine but I only have 3000 since rebuild so yours sounds about right for having a few years on it.

I know I'm not much help but I'll be watching to see what you find.

 

My two-bob's worth....

If the compression is OK (as in, same as the rear cylinder, more or less) then wouldn't that indicate that the valves are seating OK and the piston-rings are fine?

In which case, maybe it's further down you need to look. As in the small-end & gudgeon pin.
Wrist pin, I mean...

Andy
'95 XLH883
Hampshire
Englande

 

man!!

 

Alright, the first time I admittedly was lazy and stopped when I found a bad lifter assuming that was the problem, I tore it down further and found what I believe was 1 good lifter, 2 collapsed lifters, and 1 lifter that feels really spungy. Both cylinders are scored bad enough I can feel it, the pistons are so scored I could file my damn nails on them, lots of metal flakes floating around in the oil, stick to a magnet so I am assuming most are from bearing surfaces. What I believe is the biggest issue here is that there is a lot of play in the crank pin-con rod on the front cylinder only, Although I know its not the most accurate, I held a machinist rule to the piston and measured how much I could push it straight up and down and got around .093" and the largest tolerance is .0012" I am thinking an entire rebuild is in order. If you guys want I will post pictures tomorrow.

 

Post some pictures.

 

The rear cylinder was worse than the first so I took pictures of those components.




After about two days, nearly every drop of oil has drained back into the bottom end, don't mind the glittery metal shavings look, that is actually just the flash mostly:


lifter on the left is collapsed, the other one is so squishy I can compress it with barely pressing on it at all:

Now this....the lifter on the left looks differently than any other HD lifter I have ever gotten before, the cup is a different color and looks to have slightly different chamfering, the oil hole also doesn't have that broad flat machined surface around it like the usual factory ones, it more looks like a hole was drilled in the just deburred. It was bought at a dealership though I figured it was just some sort of rebuilt lifter...anyone seen these floating around?

 

I know the pushrods are a different color, maybe an identifer? I know the last time I cleaned the carbon out of my chainsaw exhaust the piston looked like yours. I am not even sure your pistons are OEM. I though they had a black Teflon coating on them? What is that 4th picture. Got to give you credit for one thing, your not afraid to dive into it?

 

The pushrods on TCs are all silver now, I was taught to tell the positioning of pushrods by the length. The pistons are wisecos, OEMs have the teflon coating. The 4th picture is the oil tank, nothing really significant about it besides I filled it up, probably OVERFILLED it and a day or two later its all gone to the bottom end. Not afraid one bit, I have been through tech school with factory master mechanics as all the instructors and have torn down and built up more engines than I can count...I am definitely no expert but I have a firm grasp on what I am doing as far as how to assemble/disassemble these engines though. Diagnostics is where I do not have experience though.

 

I guess you mean engine sump? Obviously the oil pump is gone also. With all the trash in it, it's obvious what is not replaced needs cleaned. If you cannot see into a cavity it probably needs replaced. Is there a screen in the oil tank for the out going oil. Never been real sure about that. There is no way to get to it on my Softail.