2011 Sportster Engine FAILURE
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 784
Likes: 56
From: Eastern Iowa
[quote=ranchodeluxe; Carefully cut the oil filter housing apart. Cut it with hacksaw, or cutoff wheel, see what sticks to a magnet and post some pics of what you find. Don't take it apart until you do the oil filter and report back. Thanks[/quote]
Cutting it apart with a hacksaw or cutoff wheel will only contaminate what is in there.
Use a large tubing cutter like used use on copper piping.
Cutting it apart with a hacksaw or cutoff wheel will only contaminate what is in there.
Use a large tubing cutter like used use on copper piping.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 731
Likes: 7
From: Windsor Ontario
'04s had a problem, but 100k miles should be a reasonable life expectancy for anything newer with upgraded crank assembly. My '05 is at 45k today. Buddy's got an '06 that went 98k hard miles before he ran into this same issue.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 304
Likes: 24
From: Black Hills SD
I have used a cutoff wheel for years, just make sure it's slinging the metal chips away, instead of into the filter body. It's easy to differentiate between a metal chip from a saw or cutoff and hard metal transfer from rod bearings and crankpin, totally different texture and look. I would use the recommended tubing cutter, if I had one that large. I like the idea!
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 304
Likes: 24
From: Black Hills SD
No, actually the flywheel assemblies in all 04 and up are highly suspect. At the time I left, we were planning a running change to the XR1200 large dia crankpin, which worked much better. I used to be the guy who warrantied them. Do a Google on a lady named Suzanne Daniels. She's a nuclear physicist at Los Alamos who works at nuke plants around the country and rides everywhere she goes. I replaced five engines for bad crank bearings for her by the time the bike reached 100k miles. She is meticulous about her maintenance and constantly sent me oil samples so I could watch the engine head downhill. I told her to wear em out, it ain't your fault. the Enthusiast did an article on her. Of course being a factory publication, her trials and tribulations with engines was overlooked in the article. I think they gave her a bike after I left, but not sure.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,601
Likes: 4,041
From: San Diego, CA
I would be hopping mad if I were you, two engine failures? I have not even read about one engine failure on this site, at least not from a newly purchased (and warranteed) bike.
It's your bike, you need to be an advocate for getting this solved, not fearful of rejection. Otherwise, you're just crying in your beer.
John
Last edited by John Harper; Mar 11, 2014 at 01:01 PM.
Novice
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
From: Boston, MA
Flywheel assembly
What's the miles on the current engine? Were the results of the first disaster cleaned from the oil tank when the dealer replaced the first engine under warranty? If cleaning the tank is not on your work order, and the prev engine had a crank, or other hard metal failure, you may have an angle here. You would be surprised how many times this happens.
The flywheel assy in 04 and up XLs is garbage. They usually go about 18k, then poop the bed. This engine sounds like it has hard metal to metal contact. Carefully cut the oil filter housing apart. Cut it with hacksaw, or cutoff wheel, see what sticks to a magnet and post some pics of what you find. Don't take it apart until you do the oil filter and report back. Thanks
The flywheel assy in 04 and up XLs is garbage. They usually go about 18k, then poop the bed. This engine sounds like it has hard metal to metal contact. Carefully cut the oil filter housing apart. Cut it with hacksaw, or cutoff wheel, see what sticks to a magnet and post some pics of what you find. Don't take it apart until you do the oil filter and report back. Thanks
Thanks !
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
And, I do ride it hard.
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 324
Likes: 2
From: Near Fort Bragg, NC
+1 There are way too many 90-100+ hp Sportsters on here with 10's of thousands of miles on them not counting the 10's of thousands of stock rubbermounts that have never encountered such problems to be very concerned. I would think that if the crank on rubbermounts were very bad, the guys with the big hp numbers would be the first to know and then let us know. I'd like to know the source of the "garbage" statistics. My '06 has 70k and is just fine.
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Joe Kucinski
Novice
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
From: Boston, MA
Diddo on the thanks Charlie + Rick ! I have read a lot of threads on Sportsters and did not see that mentioned before. I specifically bought an 04 due to the changes made that year. With the trips I have planned this summer I will be over the 18K mark for sure. Was curious if running synthetic or more frequent oil changes would be a good idea if there was any history of probs. Also assumed the 1200's may be more prone. I am planning on a 1250 conversion as next winters project so will have a look inside then. Getting itchy to get out on the pavement !