Yep, that's the one, held in by grease. Since no one has been able to give me a good reason to leave it out, I'll put it in this weekend when I assemble the pump.

 

That is exactly what I would do MW.......... pg

 

As PG wrote -77 and newer has new oilpump and there isn't breather valve between crankcase and primary. Primary breather is hollow bolt (with hose) in engine rear bracket.
There isn't screen but there should be..

 

I'm sorry but why start a thread asking specifically for one persons help? if you thought you knew the answer or you just wanted the opinion of one person why not try private messaging?

Here's a few things for you to keep in mind.

1. The screen has a high probability of coming loose being chewed up by the CAM gears and then being small chunks of sure hell.
2. The screen only protects from the oil being delivered from the tank.
3. What about the CAM shims? Those tear up all the time and have the possibility of being delivered through the system. There's no screen to protect against that.
4. The chance of that screen coming loose and doing more damage scares me more than actually putting it in there.

 

Well, if you read the original post, I'm not asking for one person's help. I was just interested in Pinion's and Patrick's opinions in particular because they work with the early bikes. You make some good points, by the way. Thanks for weighing in.

 

1. Absolutly impossible, it cant come loose and by some freak of nature it does, it will clog and blow your engine before it ever sees the cam gears.
2. That is the sole purpose of it.
3. Yes there is a screen preventing this, its the cone shaped one in the bottom of the cam case, preventing anything from getting into the oil system.
4. The chance of something comming out of the tank and entering the engine should scare you more.

Everyone has an opnion, mine is you would be foolish to leave it out.

 

I HAVE A 1975 iron head and when i took it apart there was no screen in it is there a chance that the screen was sucked into the lower half of the moter also im have a hard time finding the replacement screens part number 25276-52 any one know ware i can get it quickly have a trip to take on this bike in 5 days ?thanks ;]

 

Put the part number into the Google internet search. A few sources may come up. Here's one ...

http://www.narleychoppers.com/servle...-Harley/Detail

Otherwise, these are the suppliers to try for OEM NOS parts that i know of ...

http://www.tomsnosparts.com/
www.OldDude.com
www.SportySpecialties.com

rdns@genesco.net <- decals & transfers

www.NOSParts.nl <- does not ship to North America
www.JWBoon.com <- does not ship to North America

Do not get sucked into www.lawnmowerpros.com They have no parts.

 

I found two sources for the screen.
The big problem is you have to buy a package rather than a single screen.

J&P Cycles has then listed on page 243 of their catalog. It looks like a pack of 8 screens for $19.99.

The other place sells a pack of 5 screens for $25.40. Their site is as follows......
http://www.retrocycle.com/listparts.php#top
pg