I'm riding 05 Electra glide classic.
I just installed s&s sidewinder 100" big bore.
I been riding it over 1000 mile so far. Brake in. The compression ratio with stock heads 10.5:1. I did have some head work done. It just seems like the compression is not really there. I have reaper 574 cams. I even have compression release valves. But I never had to use them. You think with high compression it be hard to start. And would have to use the release valves. I even did a leak down test and it was in the green. So I'm not sure what going on. Anyone have an idea? All I'm trying to do is get 100horse and 100tq. Or more.

 

What's going on is that you have yet to have it tuned on a dyno by a competent tuning shop, I suspect. They will be able to advise you of any actual problems and remove any guesswork!

 

It does need a good dyno tune. And I like to put a 2 into 1 exhaust on it. If you know or anyone else knows. Should I keep the stock springs on or keep the heavy duty springs on. I been hereing i should kept stock springs on for that hight

 

I think there is a leak. I smell oil burning. And there's smoke coming out of the air intake. Anyone have any idea of this

 

Smoking from the intake while it’s running or right after you shut it down? Sounds like a blow by issue. Do you have an external breather or still stock? If it is excessive blow by, that could explain the low compression.

 

while riding i can smell it. And it smoke when i shut it off

 

I did some research on blow by. That's exactly whats going on. This hole time I was putting to much oil in.

 

Too much oil - windage? - all the crank gear splashing around will suck the power down and do all sorts of evil. Better to run a little low on the dip stick than too much.

 

First off, did you make sure to install the rings correctly (dot should be up on the top ring, and N should be up on the second ring) and adjusted the ring gaps correctly as well. Did you stack the gaps of the rings correctly.

Base gasket, what did you use, and if a thicker base gasket, then you just lowered compression.

Moving forward, while you where cleaning the heads with them off, did you replace the valve seals, and re-lapped the valves back into the seats once the valves where cleaned. Also, did you check the lash of the valves to the valve guides to make sure you did not have problems.

On push rods, are you using stock, or if adjustable, get them correctly adjusted so the pre load is correct. If cam found it way into the mix, did you double check the clearance of the spring to make sure you have the needed clearance for a cam that has more lift.

As for running the bike for 1k without re-tune, motors was running lean as hell, which causes the motor to run hot as well (fuel is cooling), and may have done some nasty damage to the parts. Hence it bad enough that steel liners in the aluminum cylinders are too thin to start with, which creates zebra stripping wear marking in the cylinders, but with the motor running way too lean/way too hot, did not do yourself a favor not having it re-tuned from the start.

As for breathers on the rocker boxes, did you replace them to the new style, or at least replace flapper valves since they get hard over time? Hence guessing that the oil is getting into the cylinder from either leaking vavle seals, or ring gaps all moved to a low spot in the cyclinder from the heat problems, but could be that the hardened flappers could be sending in a great deal of oil into the Intake through the PCV instead. Other area could be intake seals are leaking (change them every 3 years like clockwork), and if the rocker box seals are leaking, oil could be leaking out down the outside of the heads, and begin sucked into the intake at the intake seals that are sucking in air isntead.

So really, sounds like it time to pull the cylinders again, and check for problems. Hence with the cylinders running as hot as they have been from not enough fuel from not re-turning, could have some nasty problems with cylinder zebra stripping in short order, and if bad enough, could have pulled all the piston rings to line up against each other as well. Also, take the time to check the head as well!!!!

One last thing, and with the motor running way lean/hot, may have burnt up a the O ring seals on your oil sprayers (pray like hell that they are not burn up/leaking, since you have to split the case to change those O ring seals). Hence Evo cylinders where worse on zerbra stripping, and the twin cam and M8 oil sprayers help to hold the cylinder liners at a even even temp over all to help prevent that kind of cylinder wear; so long at the tune is correct with enough fuel (again, fuel is cooling) so the cylinder are not overheating to begin with.



Once you do have the upper end back together, go take the bike to have it tuned correctly from the start, so it's not running lean/hot as hell to just induce the problems over again.

 

I did a leak down test 3 times just to make sure. And it was good both cylinders. So it holding pressure. Im kinda disappointed in my self. I been checking the oil wrong the hole time. So I been adding to much oil. And i think I went overboard on the valve springs. I probably could used my stock behive springs. I'm using 574 cams. So I'm definitely going to tare it down again. I actually took my time and made sure everything was good. Before I put it back together. This was happening to when I had my 95 kit on and that was tuned correctly. I think I was over doing the oil also.
but thanks for the education. 🤘