I have experienced lately a problem with the tubular tappet screen filter on the cam chest stopping up and causing the bottom-end to have excessive oil and thereby cause an ugly vibration. When I remove the filter it is clogged with material that I cannot identify. I have a picture of this mornings deposits attached.( Magnified considerably) When I remove the trash the bottom end quiets down and all is good until the filter is clogged again. The first sign is of course the bike runs hotter(temperature wise) then the vibrations start and by now I know what is going down. When I remove trash all goes well. I have tried everything except pulling the top-end apart to get to the problem. No trash or very little in the cam chest and/or the breather valve, some small particles but not out of the ordinary. Any ideas? I am still having a small amount of oil coming from the breather (out tube) however, that ends when the filter and other two compartments are cleaned out. Could this be carbon? It looks more fibrous to me. It would mean that the bike is producing a great deal of carbon which is then getting circulated to the screen filter. I have looked thru the spark plug hole to get an idea if that amount seems present but it does not allow me to see anything which I would call excessive. I see a small amount of carbon on piston head but can not determine if there is more than normal. If you have an idea or have had this experience please let me know because I am tempted now to tear her down install the ev72 and get to the bottom of this problem if I can't get to the cause any other way.

Pinetop

P.S. Resolved the loose shifter problem once and for all hopefully. After two new shifters and many attempts to solve the problem I trimmed 3/16ths off of the shifter where the gap is located, tapped and installed stainless thread insert in the bottom half of shifter boot, and used a grade 8.8 5/16 X 18 bolt and clamped onto the shifter shaft with some significant force and all is well. I can't tell you guys all of the attempts because time does not permit but this solution does work and has worked now for two weeks and approximately 2200 miles so I think it is permanent.

 

Have you tried cleaning out your oil tank?
Could your oil lines be disintegrating on the inside?

 

The tappet screen/port feeds your tappets and top end. It traps crap coming from your oil pump.

Looks to me to be fiber, perhaps from the filter. I would drain the oil tank and look for crap in there. Flush it, change your filter, run the engine with the return off into a container until all oil is clear. See if this cleans it up.

 

I have asked this before here and did not get a detailed response but how do you run the flush which you describe. How do you set it up so that the engine has oil from a tank suspended connected to oil feed line? Will this remove this material if it is in the cases? If not then taking the heads off and getting underneath the cylinders looks like the only way to do it right? I have changed the oil three times since this issue has arisen and the problem still persists. My understanding is that to flush the cases without taking them apart you must gain access thru spigots for cylinders is this not correct?

 

I also changed the oil lines 2 years ago when I first did top end. They could not be disintegrating already?

Pinetop

 

ive seen this one time it turned out to be a defective K&N oil filter.
we cleaned the tank and changed the oil lines and installed a new filter

 

What he said, I would pull the oil filter and cut it open and see if its falling apart.

 

Filtered oil twice this evening pulling from oil tank no fiber. I will pull oil filter tomorrow I checked air filter last week.

 

fibre can come from two places and i have seen this before

first the cheap china 30 cent paper in the filter - outsourcing being done as we speak

DONT TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY

when you installed the cam you introduced the media your self using a rag to wipe the parts -- OR your parts washer fluid is filthy from not having a car oil filter in line -- OR you did not wash the stuff at all, it was wiped off or handled after wiping hands all the pieces going back in the motor --

been in a shop many many years seen Good guys not thinking do very dopey things -

 

purchased filter from Calente' Harley in San Antonio. my first lesson from the president of club was hot water and dawn followed by comp. air. i have to travel one and 1/2 hour to get filter today then I will open it up.