Base gaskets leaking with 65K mile, so I disassembled my 98 FLHTCI and took heads and juggs to shop today. Shop telling me to replace the cam, lifters and cyclinder studs also. Looking for inputson the extra parts. Already over budget on the new pistons, bore and head rebuild parts and labor.

Should I replace the studs?
Should I replaces the cam and lifters?

Thanks

 

I just had mine rebuilt and we did replace all those items you listed including the studs. Put in a EV27 cam and new adj pushrods along with new lifters. You might want to throwing in a new Ign. system too. If your over budget, you might as well be broke.

 

A word on the base gaskets. If you use good ones you won't be replacing them in a few years. My guy used James gaskets on the base.

 

Studs I really don't know, I've heard both ways, Mostly not. Cam and lifters definitley, with out question. Check the lifter blocks while your there, any scoring, replace also. And don't forget the cam bearing, absolutley replace!!

 

If you are this far, go for the rest. In addition adj push rods will help with tinkering down the road.

 

Being that it is fuel injected, I am limited on cam choise. Anyone have any recomendations?

 

If the EV27 will work, it's a great all around cam.

Be sure to replace the cam bearing with something like a Torrington. Harley has been using junk cam bearings for decades.

 

While I was working at a Harley dealership in the service department I saw many base gasket replacement/top end rebuilds. The newer style gasketshave a much lower failure rate than theoriginal EVO parts. At our shop, replacing the cam bearings with Torrington was a no-brainer, defintely do it. This is a perfect time to improve power with a better cam, and we installed a lot of SE-3 HD cams (identical to the EV-27) at this time, although many cams with 65K are stillserviceable, often depending on how well the bike was serviced. If you've been contentwith the stock cam you'll probably flip out when you ride your bike with an SE-3 or EV-27. They are, in my experience and opinion,the best compromise for the average EVO rider, especially for those who weren't complaining about not having enough power with the stock cam. I remember a lot of happy campers who upgraded the cam, it seemed to take a lot of the bite out of the money they just spent. Replacing the lifterswas nearly always done as well, even with less mileage than you have, and like the base gaskets, the newest OEMlifters have a lower failure rate. I've seen bikes with over 100K that were still running original lifters but have also seen them fail with much less mileage than you have. It's a piece of mind thing as far as I'm concerned. I don't recall the studs being replaced all that often, but when my bike is ready for a top end rebuild I'll replace mine, again, for piece of mind. I think the advice with you got was good, if you go by it you really can't go wrong.

 

Agree. That Andrews EV27 spec gives you gobs of useful power where most people use it, (rpms) and you get a nice little bark from the lope. You'll notice an increase in power.

You'll get a real kick out of it, enough to take some sting out of the money you need to spend.

If you have to replace the cam, why go with stock?

 

If you replace the cam with an EV27 (or similar to stock lift height) you can save some money and use the stock pushrods since you have the top end taken apart anyway. Even if you don't replace the cam (which you will be sorry for later), at least replace the cam bearing with a Torrington and replace the lifters.