can anybody explain this one to me? bought a basket case, have heard it run before disassembly(engine was not broken down just removed the primary) but upon re-assembly it ran for 30-45 minutes, started blowing oil and seals from every seam and oriface and then the oil on the hot metal caught fire. anybody ever heard of any such? any help is greatly appreciated. i'm sure there is a simple explanation but it goes against all i have ever learned as an automotive mechanic. maybe i'll stick to chevys! too costly to experiment with bikes.[>:]

 

Hmm, not sure, not too familiar with that motor, but is the breathing system hooked up? Or plugged up? Maybe it's building too much pressure inside, just a guess, but can't see why it would leak everywhere............are you looking to sell it? If so, shoot me an email with some specs....

 

I'm sure you looked at the obvious first but I need to ask anyway. Is it over filled with oil? That will cause oil to blow out of every gap there is. I agree sounds like it's got too much pressure inside the motor. Do a compression check, I wouldn't think you would have that much blow by on the rings but you never know.

 

tipn8r, man if my bike looked that good i wouldn't change a thing. great look. i myself am not too savvy in the ways of v-twin motors so i have a mechanic who is " supposed" to be a certified harley mechanic doing the work. just don't wanna screw it up myself. i don't think there was too much oil but hey, anythings possible. i do know the bike had laid on its side for about a month prior to my buying it but has since sat upright longer since. also, i pulled the plugs and spun the motor over to clear the cylinders of any excess oil that may have been on top of the pistons. i knew to expect some smoke but not this. the mechanic claims the motor was bad to begin with but i know better and can't see how laying on its side could cause catastrophic failure. he now says it's seized up. i can turn the motor over so i know it isn't true. i believe he may be trying to gyp me out of a motor at a good savings and bill me as well. i hope somebody here can recognize the problem from the past. i'd hate to think anybody else is going through all this too. think the oil tank lines could be crossed up? if so, after running like that what are the chances it could cause catastrophic failure? hope it's not the case but knowing my luck...........thanks alot.

 

Id say oil lines crosssed up or breather line is plugged, take the manual and look at all the oil line routing. Make sure your pumping oil in the motor an back out.....if it isn't pumping out then the oil in the motor compined with the pressure of the piston movement oil will squart every where and out of every gasket surface.

 

First thing to do is get it out of that shop. If it turns over it ain't seized up brother. I'll agree that it sounds like he's trying to steal your motor from you, a expensive one at that.[:@] Laying on it's side will cause some smoke but it goes away pretty fast.Take the bike home and drain the oil out of it, and fill with the required amount and check the oillines beforestartingit up and see what happens and where the oil is coming from. He could have dissasembled the engine without you knowing it and left some stuff out/off. Wish you were closer I'd work on it for you.

 

You know the more I think about this andhim saying the motor is seized up and you say it turns over......... I'llsay if he is trying to rip you off then that would be the easiest way to make a motor look like it's junk byswitching the oil lines. That would take a whole minute or 2 to do. Just my .02

 

i haven't been able to shake the feeling for two weeks that this guy was lying to me. i know on most combustion engines, if it's blowing anything out it's something to do with timing or something related. this is the first time i have been made aware that all this can be caused by switching the oil lines. it makes perfect sense though. if by some chance the lines are right, is there some remote chance it could be anything else? i only ask because i want to have my facts straight when i go pay him a visit. knowledge is power afterall. and i will be looking into all possibilities. btw, he won't be pulling wrenches on it after today. if he's never heard of this he ain't much of a "certified" mechanic in my opinion. thanks for any and all info. sincerely.....

 

I have built and rebuilt many V-8's and straight 6's over the years and there's so many things you could do to a motor to make it run like junk, that said a V-Twin is like a V-8 only smaller. Same principle only 2 cylinders. Most parts in my TC 88" look like small block Chevy parts and probably are. Give S&S a call and see what they say. Any way take it another shop or tear into it yourself. That's the best way to learn. Buy a Manual and have at it.

 

GOOD ADVICE, WE MUST THINK ALIKE, I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH BOOKS A MILLION AND THEY HAVE SUCH A MANUAL. sorry bout the caps. but yes i believe i will do that. afterall, i sure can't do any worse than this hack. i pulled wrenches for years and like you have built many chevy motors and have been told some parts off a 350 chevy would fit a harley but i don't know it to be fact. but i'm not afraid to get my hands dirty to find this problem. i only hired him because i have started a custom paint business and try to limit my work to bikes so my mechanical time is very limited. besides painting a set of tins leaves room in the shop for my project chevys. thanks for the advice. i sort of felt like a motor is a motor wether a v8 or v-twin i guess i just needed to hear it. i just can't imagine anything else being the cause it just doesn't seem possible logically. going to get my book. have a great weekend.