Tonight I pulled the lifters out of my bike for inspection / replacement. I did this because I have had a ticking that is progressively worse and if the bike sits for a week it rattles like hell for a minute or two until the lifter pressures up. This is on top of my running issues or maybe even related. who knows lol. Visibly the lifters look fine, but Either way I am going to replace them as a precaution since one of them is loosing its prime.


Anyways while tearing it down I noticed the oil in the rear rocker box smelled burnt. Is that normal? I did have the rear get pretty hot at the LoneStar Rally while sitting in traffic. I am running Mobile one synthetic.

 

Burned oil will leave brown deposits on metal where it seems to condense- happens more with dyno oil than synthetic.

I learned this from a Pal who does inspections for one of the large national auto auction wholesalers.
they pull the dipstick or filler cap and look for signs that the previous owner used cheap oil ...that indicates similar deposits throughout the motor.

If you think you cooked out your oil, drain it and refill with new - cheap and easy. and the new oil will clean out anything left behind if the old oil got too hot

mike

 

I am pretty sure I cooked the oil. It smells about like the oil in some of the old bomber cars I used to revive from the junk yard to run on the dirt oval. Not a good sign.

 

==================================

" I am pretty sure I cooked the oil "

Well living in TX that has extreme heat at times can do that to the oil in an air cooled HD motor,thats for sure.

Since your having lifter noise issues and already know the motor cooked the oil making it smell bad/burnt like an old junk yard motor id do the following that helped my 09 FLHTCU a lot in heat that i know will help your HD out a lot too if you do & follow everything i rec using same products & mfgs i did that got me the positive results .

I installed wards dual cooling fans along with an ultracool oil cooler with dual elec cooling fans too that collectively together reduced my motors oil temp a whopping 50+ deg f on hot days which made a huge improvement in overall engine perf and comfort on the bike too.

Reducing oil temp 50+ deg also reduced engine temp x-amount at the same time too , but unfortunately i dont have pre/post engine temp data like i did for oil temp.

I also switched to spectro motorcycle oil thats specifically formulated for air cooled HD motors that also helped quiet valves and increase hot oil pressure too vs the oil i was running prior (hd's syn3 & m1 v-twin both syn 20w-50 bike oil) that both made valves & or lifters noisier and oil pressure lower when motor was hotter in temps of approx 75-80+ deg or higher.

See below for details on the oil and links to buy it from.


Doing all the above exactly like i stated using same mfg's parts & motor oil specifically formulated for HD's resulted in the following following improvements:

* Lifters/valves now stay quite all the time ,even on hot days.

* Hot oil pressure improved a lot going from 8-10psi @ idle & 32-35psi @ cruise in hot temp of 80+ deg with no cooling systems and syn3 and or m1 v-twin both syn 20-50 bike oil to now with the 2 cooling systems installed along with spectro 20-50 motor oil for HD's improved/increased hot oil pressure to now 18-20psi @ hot idle & 45-48psi (950-1k rpm) @ hot cruise (approx 2,550-2600rpm) on hot days with oil running 50+ deg cooler.

You dont have to install a new hi perf hi pressure oil pump or hi perf oil pressure spring to get decent oil pressure on a hot day when you address the true cause of low oil pressure and increased valve/lifter noise when oil & motor are both somewhat overheated that thins out some mfg's bike oil more then other bike oil of same grade and type from a dif mfg (Spectro) in same cond like i found was the case in my bike because i ran / tested all those oils in my bike.

* Reducing oil temp 50+ deg greatly reduced if not stopped the detonation it used to have when i used HD's rec 91 octane fuel in my 09 96" motor.

* There is now less oil mist exiting the external DKCustoms crankcase breather i installed on the bike because the oil isnt thinned as much thus cant get into the air exiting the crankcase as easy as it used to when oil & motor were somewhat overheated on warmer days.

* Little less heat is coming from the motor so little more comfy to ride esp on hot days.

* Hot starts like post fueling up are mush better/faster/easier which reduced the load on starter and battery too.

* Oil , motor & intake running cooler allowed the motor to maintain most of its pwr/trq & crisp throttle response that
it used to loose on warmer days when motor /oil/intake got all heat soaked & overheated that used to make the motor feel soggy and less responsive in general which dosnt happen anymore.

* Using the spectro motor oil for HD's (see below for details & links to it) was also an important part of reducing valve noise & oil mist emitted from crankcase vent along with also allowing the motor to maintain significantly higher oil pressure @ idle & cruise when hot too vs syn3 & m1 v-twin both 20-50 syn bike oil i had tried that thinned more when hot reducing oil pressure a lot vs the spectro motor oil that hold much betetr oil pressure when hot in my bike.

* You would think the oil running 50+ deg f cooler (motor in general running bit cooler too) as to not somewhat overheating & or cooking the oil anymore in hot summer heat would have to help extend srv'c life of gaskets/seals (esp valve seals & guides) along with also extending srv'c life of the cams/lifters/bearings/crank/piston rings /reduce cracking & premature wear & or failure of pads on the cam chain tensioners in the motor too.

Good luck.

Scott

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS SLIGHTLY HEAVIER 25W-60 STD DINO OIL FOR HD'S IS BEST FOR QUIETING A CRANKY/NOISY VALVE TRAIN
ALONG WITH ALSO HELPING MAINTAIN BETTER / HIGHER OIL PRESSURE WHEN MOTOR & OIL ARE HOT TOO.

http://www.spectroshop.com/heavy-dut...60/prod_60.htm


Product Information

Heavy Duty
25w-60

Spectro Heavy Duty Engine Oil is a superior motor lubricant designed specifically for use in American-made Harley® V-Twin engines. Crafted from superior petroleum stocks combined with the most advanced anti-wear, anti-carbon additive systems available, Spectro Heavy Duty extends component life, reduces wear, eliminates valve sticking. Meets all known OEM warranty requirements. Exceeds A.P.I. SF/SG – CD/CG - 4.
Be the first to review this product!
Price: $8.93

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http://performanceoilstore.com/products.asp?cat=65&pg=4

Spectro Heavy Duty Platinum Full Synthetic 20w50 1-qt
Spectro Heavy Duty Platinum Full Synthetic 20w50 1-qt. Enter quantity of 12 for case discount. Engineered specifically for Harley Davidson® high-performance engines and other high-output V-Twin motors. Spectro Heavy Duty Platinum Full Synthetic provides smoother shifting, reduces friction, offers tremendous lubrication and provides superior protection in extreme heat conditions. A.P.I. SF/SG – CD/CG - 4.
List Price: $15.00
Price: $10.95

--------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.spectroshop.com/heavy-dut...0/prod_24.html


Product Information
Heavy Duty Golden Semi-Synthetic
20w-50
Heavy Duty Golden Semi-Synthetic is the ultimate Semi-synthetic blended engine lubricant designed specifically for use in Harley® V-Twin engines. Our proprietary combination of world class Group IV synthetic lubricants, superior base stocks and advanced anti-wear additives provides lower consumption rates, extends component life, reduces wear. A.P.I. SF/SG – CD/CG - 4.
Be the first to review this product!
Price: $12.75

 

I knew this was a sales picture from the start

 

==================

And to add to that already good suggestion would be to not run that new oil & filter as long as you normally would so you could dump it earlier to get the crap left behind that may be loosened up from prior oil being cooked .

And that leads me to also suggest not using the same oil he used prior that was cooked in the motor because we already know it cant take the heat which could also be because he ran the oil too long/too many miles too which i dont know is the case or not.

Hd rec's 5k mile motor & oil filter changes which i dont know if OP follows ,but i dont rec going more then 4k miles (for a quality semi blend or full syn/3k for quality std dino) without changing the motor oil & filter on an air cooled HD.

HD also rec's 20kmiles for trans oil change that i do at max of 10k miles or 1x yrly (which ever comes 1st) or maybe if i feel frogy enough change the trans oil at the same time i do a motor oil & filter change too,which ever comes 1st .

HD rec's 10k for prim case that i either do at 5k miles or at 4k miles when i change motor oil & filter using spectro oils that are all specifically formulated & designed for each of HD's 3 holes being the ,primary & trans along with a special trans oil to help reduce 5th gear noise / wine in older 6 spd trans too.

I significantly reduced all HD's rec oil change schd's due to all the issues that have had with with bearings in general failing in the primary (IPB) ,trans & motor /cam & prim chain tensioners failing prematurely due to the pads cracking & breaking falling apart (partial cause could be excessive engine & oil heat )trashing some motors in the process to even excessive wear on pads due to them getting stuck in too tight a position causing excessive tension & premature pad wear that always having fresh cleaner oil may help reduce issues with sticking & or premature tensioner pad wear ,etc.

See my post for a good oil to try next time around that i know from 1st hand exp takes heat better then for example hd's syn3 & m1's v-twin both syn bike oil in 20-50 grade did when i tested multiple diff bike oils in my hd's motor in summer heat.

Now watch,with my frigging luck the oil that the op cooked in his HD will turn out to be the same oil i rec he try that worked great in my HD in hot HHH summer heat! / LOL!

Happy motoring

Scott

 

=================

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

MAN,some of you guys are so frigging paranoid & or need to grow up!!!!

No i am not making a sales thing here at all and am just rec he do/try something i know worked for me
when my bike was running too hot too,thats it!/GEEEEEESH!!!!!!!!!

Take a couple mins to actually do something positive & read the post , then you just might see why i posted what i did trying to help the OP out with his bike running so hot it cooked the oil along with rec a way to cool the motor along with oil i know from 1st hand exp testing in my bike preformed better then some other oils did too.

Again,i am doing that to help a fellow HD owner out here in HDforums because thats whats its here for weather you like it or not.

If you dont like it then dont read it & dont comment on it either because it shows you need to get something more positive and or better to do & or to add here that can actually help the op other then just bitching about me trying to help someone out .

Correct me if i am wrong here, I thought helping people out here is 1 of the main reasons this forum is here in the 1st place to do things like suggesting what worked and what didnt work to fix issues along with also stating how diff mfg's products performed in general and or performed against each other when we tried and or tested them on or in our bikes & so on.

Happy & safe motoring anyway! /LOL!!

 

Lonestar Rally this year? In the rain?

Stay off the Strand and that will fix everything!

Believe it or not, the bikes can take the heat and are designed for it. this link is to a video about their test facility in the Arizona desert. It doesn't show the heat testing the do very well but they basically ride the crap out of them and then pull them in a box so they get no wind and let them idle for log periods of time and then get back on and ride the crap out of them.


There are a million oil threads here as well that talk about the heat capabilities of the oil. But for piece of mind, if you got it real hot for a long period of tine, simply put some fresh oil of your choice in it. You'll be fine.


I live in Houston and ride almost every day year round. I get stuck in the bumper to bumper traffic all the time and my bike gets cooked on a regular basis. My 08 Road king is currently being rebuilt after 118,000 miles of mostly commuting in traffic. It was still running fine when I took it in, but like you, if my bike sat for three or four days, the lifters would clatter until they pressured up. Took 118,000 miles to find an excuse to upgrade to 103 and put some cams in it. I follow the book on oil change intervals. The indy rebuilding the bike commented on how little wear their was in the cam chest.

 

Burnt oil smell in the heads? Normal (for me anyway).
Every twin I'v ever worked on smells this way. Brown deposits in the corners and all like Mike stated.

Really is not a ton of oil flowing through the heads.
Some if it pools and when you shutdown the bike it pretty much bakes it where it sits.

 

Thanks for the replies. I figured it was somewhat normal but know it got really hot during one of the runs at the rally. I plan on new oil and filter before cranking it back up. I still have some tuning issues to work through. After that run, I added 10% more fuel at idle and it kept the temps at bay. Once I get it back together I will work with Jamie on the tuning.

Being that I live in such a hot climate I change the oil at 2500- 3000 mile intervals and the trans and primary every other oil change.