First Harley
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5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Houston, AR.
First Harley
I am looking for some advice as to why oil blows out of the crankcase vent tube on my 77 ironhead while rideing but does not while sitting still. I called a Harley
dealer and they told me that the oil pump has a check valve that almost never works. He told me that I need to ride it untill it dumps all the excess oil out of the crankcase and then recheck the oil level in the tank. He told me that it is a common problem with the older bikes. This is my first Harley, and I dont want to Screw it up. It has been sitting for a couple years. I had to rewire the handlebars and replace the battery and starter solenoid. I modified the forward controles and a few other things, I am ready to ride it but I dont want to burn it up from lack of oil. I rode it around the block a few times and it left a trail of oil, I guess it was marking its territory. What do you guys think?
dealer and they told me that the oil pump has a check valve that almost never works. He told me that I need to ride it untill it dumps all the excess oil out of the crankcase and then recheck the oil level in the tank. He told me that it is a common problem with the older bikes. This is my first Harley, and I dont want to Screw it up. It has been sitting for a couple years. I had to rewire the handlebars and replace the battery and starter solenoid. I modified the forward controles and a few other things, I am ready to ride it but I dont want to burn it up from lack of oil. I rode it around the block a few times and it left a trail of oil, I guess it was marking its territory. What do you guys think?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,207
Likes: 0
From: East Texas
lotsa older HD's puke oil after bein' parked for a while...sometimes even a couple quarts...you can run it 'til it's done and then top it off or change the oil and fill on the low side and warm it up and top it off
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 990
Likes: 10
From: Redondo Beach, California
A bad oil ball check valve IS a common problem with many older Harleys and other older makes as well. What happens with a bad or weak ball check valve is that the oil that is in the oil tank is at a higher level than the level at the bottom of the engine is at. The weak ball check valve allows the oil to seep down into the engine after an extended time. (Months/Years) Running the engine will pump the oil back up into the oil tank. As long as the oil pressure light is working correctly and it is showing you (by going out) that there is sufficient oil pressure when the engine is running then you should be good to go. After the engine has been running for a while and it has had a chance to pump all of the oil back up into the oil tank you can stop the motor and then you can check the oil level to get a better idea of how much oil is actually in the oil tank. Then you will know if you need to add any more oil to the tank or not. It may take a while of continual riding to clear out the excess oil from the vent and please make sure that it is not landing on your back tire or your safety will be in serious jeopardy. What I mean by continual riding is more like every day riding and not every Saturday if it is a nice day out kind of riding as the length of time between when you actually ride the bike will allow the oil to seep back down into the engine again and your symptoms will continue to exist until you fix the original ball check valve problem. But, if you ride the bike every day or almost every day, you should not get the oil venting problem anymore even if you dont fix the ball check valve because there wont be enough time for the oil to deep back down into the engine again. Just something to think about! Imagine that, actually riding your Sportster to help it fix its own symptoms for you so you dont actually have to fix the real problem in the first place. What a deal!! Anyway, I hope that this information is useful to you. I LOVE my 77 Ironhead Sportster! S P O R T S T E R S R U L E !!!! 
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