I think I have ruined the low end.

I just purchased this 1992 Electra Glide about a week ago. Yesterday I changed all oil and filter putting in amsoil 20/50 and amsoil filter. I could not get the tappet filter screw off so I wasn’t able to clean the tappet filter. I even drained and changed the trany oil and put new gear oil in.

I started it and got good pressure on the gage. I drove it for 25 miles or so and nothing was a miss. Got home last night and parked it. Nothing wrong…. Put a piece of card under it to see if any leaking going on. I got up this morning and the card board was clean. Started it up no problems, oil pressure was good as before, Except the starter held the first time, For the first time ever. It turned over when I tried again. I remember thinking mybe the battery needed changing cause I had the running lights on and it may have been to much draw. This time I drove it about 40 miles on the freeway at 70. During the drive It felt just fine. Nice and strong no noise or anything I could here. I got off the freeway coming home. As I stopped I could here a tinting or clanking sound coming from the engine area. It seemed to run fine so I drove home, about 1 1/2 . Parked it and located the noise. It was coming from the lower crankcase and sounded like the primary chain was loose. So I decided to pull the cover of the crankcase and have a look. When I drained the oil out of the crank unfortunately there was none to my surprise. The crankcase was empty and for how long I have no idea. Could have even been the oil in the crank from before was not circulating and the oil I had drained could have been in there for who knows how long. It didn’t look very good when I drained it the first time. But who knows when it stopped curculating.

The bottom line is, I drove it 50 or more miles with no oil in the crankcase. Now What? I have not really work on an engine for 15 years and never motorcycles. This is not the best time to be re-learning/re-visiting old memories.

Anybody got any suggestions….Help Please….

 

When you put oil in it and started it back up, what happened?

Mac

 

You thought the noise was from the primary,
Was it the primary cover you pulled off?
I believe there may be starter bushing in that primary cover, which might cuase the starter to hang.
I'm not familiar with the electra glide, so I don't know if you have a separate or combined oil and primary fill, but if you had oil pressure, then you must have had some oil in it for a little while at least.

 

Your bike stores its oil in the oil tank. There is no oil stored in the crankcase. Ain't sure about the V-Rod, but all other HDs are dry sump engines. Find the return line to your oil tank. Check to see if you are pumping oil back into the tank when the engine is running. If so, your oil pump is fine. After that, take it to someplace familiar with HDs and ask them to listen to your noise. Often it'll be something simple such as a good ol' hydraulic lifter tapping, or the primary chain needing adjustment. Not sure what you meant when you said the "starter held".

 

When I start the motor it starts right up but there's no oil in the crankcase. When I drained it there was about a quart. Doesn't the crankcase need oil in it. The tinting or clanking comes back but with the bike idleing it is not to loud. If the oil gauge on the bike reads 30 appx doesn't that mean the oil pump is working?

 

There is only a small amount of oil in the crankcase under normal operations. The oil drains into the cases and is picked up by the scavenge side of the oil pump and transferred to the oil tank. If there is more than a very small amount when the engine has been idle, it usually means the check valve is leaking by and allowing oil from the tank to drain into the bottom end.

Since you haven't worked on an HD engine before, it'd be a really great idea to get the service manual. It has an excellent pictogram of the lubrication system.

 

I have the manual and yes it does but It shoed oil being allowed in the crankcase. Maybe not a lot but some. So if the lack of oil isn't the problem then what is? As I said I can here what seems like a rattleing chain in the crankcase. This must have happened when I was on the freeway and I didn't here it until I got off.

But if your right then maybe the damage isn't as bad as I thought.

Everyone has a dream!!!!!

 

50 miles with no oil for motor lubrication would have seized the motor up. It's something else making the noise.

 

That is what I thought too. It's also why I couldn't understand what was happening. I'm still wondering why the crank doesn't need oil or very much.

Again If I start the engine, it starts right up and seems to be very smooth. There's the right amount of oil pressure according to the manual. So I assume the oil pump is doing it's thing. If I ride the bike it seems to run fine except the noise I here in the crank. Again it sounds like a chain rattleing.

I guess I'm going to have to take it to a place for service. This is a little out of my comfort zone. I have experience but long ago and I'm not sure I can handle the problem at this time.

I will check back here tomarrow and see if anyone one has anything else to add.

Thanks all for the help.....

 

It's possible that it is the primary chain, but could just be normal engine noise. Have it checked out like you said you're going to do and let us know what you found out.

John TN