Prior to taking a trip from Chi-town to Az, I changed the (synthetic) oil on my 2000 bagger according to the shop manual which said to fill to about half way between the upper and lower marks on the dip stick (about 3-1/2 qts), run it until hot and then fill as needed to bring it to the top mark. This totalled almost 4 full quarts.
Half way through New Mexico, cruising about 70, not too hot, semi-hilly terrain, engine not working too hard, oil started gushing out of the throttlle body. What hit the pipes of course went up in smoke and the rest bathed the back seat and tour pack (lucky I didn't have a passenger) After letting things cool down I removed the air filter, wiped it dry, saw I was a quart down, added a half quart, started up, no knocking or smoking, and finished the remaining 400 mile trip with no mishap.
In Az I went to a mechanic that was well recommended by bikers that I know down there. He replaced the breather valves under the rocker cover. I believe he used S&S. I then did about a 1000 hard miles riding around Az, again with no mishap.
On the way home however, I'm on the downside of Wolf Creek Pass and she lets loose again, just like the first time. I repeat the routine and make to Pueblo. Now I'm thinking maybe I've got too much oil but since it's hard to check hot (on mine, anyway) I check it cold in the morning and drained it down to to lower mark. I check after about a hundred miles and it is way above the top mark but I know the oil expands when hot.
So now I'm cruisin along about 75 and 'thar she blows' again. Now I decide I'm not going to keep topping off unless I get dangerously low. So now I try 70, 65, then 60 mph, but sure enough, about every 50-100 miles or so I'm gushing oil. By the way, the oil pressure was the same (32#) at each speed. Finally I try 55 and she holds (I don't think I have to tell you what a long trip doing only 55 gives you). Anyway, I cross the state of Missourri at a constant 55 and stop over at a relative. I did not touch the bike for a day and a half. Before doing the last leg back to Chi-town, I wiped the bike clean, got more oil, said 'what the heck" and except for gas did not stop and ran at a steady 75mph. I did not blow out a drop of oil, not even a little mist.

I have talked to a couple of mechanic types since I have been back but they all seem a little befuddled by this one, and I certainly do not know what to think. I wonder if the new valves needed to 'seat' themselves and are ok now, or is the next 'gusher' awaiting me. I also wonder if maybe the problem is not the breather valves at the heads but somthing else.

I know some might ask why I am not going to the Harley Dealer, and I just might end up doing that, but I wanted to do a little homework first.

I would appreciate any advice, input, etc, on this. Thanks in advance

Sammy D,
Chicago

 

Tensioners biting the dust?

 

Tensioners? (I only have general mechanical know-how)

 

How many miles on your bike? Cam chain tensioners are the weak link in the pre '07 twin cams. If you haven't looked at those, you should or you may have to buy or rebuild the entire engine if you wait too long. I wouldnt even start it again without looking at them.

 

thanks for posting....certainly glad you made it home OK. You said the oil was "gushing", any idea how much oil loss you had? It would seem to me that if the refill qty was the same...that would be an important piece of info. I keep my levels on the low side when hot just because of stories like this one. I notice when I fill to book levels, I get oil in the wrong places. it's funny that when I was 22 I bought a new yamaha 1100 midnight special that I rode everywhere...even on 14 hour road trips...never worried about anything. HOWEVER, all of these kinds of experiences and there are experiences related to problems all over the map, makes me wonder if the coast to coast road trip which motivated me to buy my ultra, is ever going to happen. I wonder what mod we need to get rid of the oil leak thru the intake issue.

 

I don't see how cam chain tensioners can be related to this issue ,they have nothing to do with the oil flow , I have read often on here about this same problem (just yesterday in the 3 wheel section) and the age of the bike doesn't seem to matter ,the 3 wheeler was late model .....It has only happened to me once and only very minor amount ..a drip or 2 off the aircleaner when I stopped ...as to long trips with an ultra I replaced my cam chain tensioners on my 2002 and rode 17000 miles in 4 months with only minor probs. a speed sensor ..which I could still limp along to the end of that section of the trip ..
I would really like to hear from someone who has had this problem and has had it fixed to thier satisfaction .......

 

40.000 miles

 

aprox a quart each time

 

With all due respect, I am not sure how the cam tensioners could have anything to do with it. Since you say it puked a quart, you have a problem. If it's just had a little blow-by, a little can appear to go a long way. If you are sure it was a quart, I believe you are loosing the scavenge side of the oil pump. The oil pump has two lobes. The pump (pressure side is about 20% smaller the the scavenge (return) side. This is why you cannot get too much oil in a Harley if the pump is right. If you put too much in it's going to come out the oil tank ( bag) Unless your bike does not have a oil tank. I think all Harley's do. The one way breather valves in the head are one way out, so they do not block outflow anyway, just inflow from the breather tubes in the air box. The routing and filter block liquid before the valves. Just mist comes through. If you had an extreme amount of blow-by in the cylinders it could overwhelm it but you would have oil fouled plugs and low power problems.

It is possible that the passage way in the top of the head by the base of the valve spring has some trash in it. (like a hunk of rtv used for a gasket) This would prevent oil from coming back down and overwhelm the breather system. However it would not be coming out of the throttle body , just dumping into the breather box. I sort of think it may be coming out of the breather tubes. That much oil in the throttle body would lock up the motor when it inhaled it.

 

thats what I expected you to say. so isn't it strange that when this happens to folks, it's never 2 quarts low, it's always .5 to 1 quart low. I think you are fine. The speeds you indicate are probably foaming the crap out of the oil and just being pushed out the case vents which route directly into the air intake. I keep my oil levels on the low side hot, because of this and it seems to help reduce oil leaks and seeps into the intake. The case vents into the air intake is a great idea by design. because in theory. oil foaming will get sucked into the engine and just blown out as part of the combustible fuel mixture. I also think the guys running 60wt will less likely have this problem.