after doing motor mounts and a swing arm and many other things to get my Dyna ready for some engine performance parts, started pulling it apart to install Andrews 48H camshafts along with Screamin Eagle cam chest and oil pump.

background on the bike it’s low mileage 8100 give it take a few hundred.

after inspection of the OEM oil pump and cam plate I noticed very faint wear on the plate and some scratches on the oil pump gears, at first I thought that’s nothing compared to what I have read, so I pushed on and set up my Plastic Mitch Racing Dial indicator, after spinning the engine over I’m reading almost eight thousands of run out.

Guess it’s possible but would have thought the cam plate would have been scored more. Thinking the Chinese instrument might be off a few thousands so I ordered a stand for my digital Mitutoyo and will recheck it in a few days.

 

What scores the plate is typically crud.. Too far out and they rotors break apart.. Then you'll have some serious gouges. IMO I think 0.008 is excessive but IIRC HD says it's OK?

 

It does seem excessive, going to check it with a better quality dial indicator but no matter what the findings give or take - + it’s going together

my main bikes the last 16 years have been various V rod builds, not used to tolerances this loose.

 

JMHO but if .008" is true runout, you are likely to regret putting it back together and not addressing the crank; just a matter of time.

 

That’s the other side and really appreciate your response and looking out for me! and it makes total sense!

I’m fabricating an attachment for an accurate digital dial indicator, one that I use in our shop when cutting counter bores and checking liner height and a few other things that spin in the front gear trains. My gut is telling me that particular piece that I’m using is not accurate.

Last night retested and came back with three thousands and then five and a half thousands so it’s possible there is some movement there in the tool itself or that Chinese instrument is a crap shoot similar to HD choice of internals!

I like to think there is more to this crank run out then just poor workmanship by the guys and girls at the engine factory, how much effect do radial crank bearing add to the wobble? There are some other disappointments like machine screws to keep the bearing from walking out from the case, I need to stop looking Hahaha

Yes if the crank run out is that high I’m not going to rebuild what Harley calls a premium machine and set fire to four to ten grand to fix the biggest hoax in motorcycles.
Install my cams and billet cam plate and oil pump, roller rockers and ride it until it explodes not caring if parts fall out of the sky for a day, part it out and Go back to my V rod, Ducati Diavel

 

Nail on the head right there, the more you look the more you'll find I like to be precise too but at some point the budget makes you stop checking things that weren't causing an issue before

Stick with the oem plate, update the bearings, new shoes, check cam alignment and roll with it.

 

Think the tolerance is .012. With chains, it will work but the is a sad one.

Need to get indicator up were pump is. Some is the bearings. A couple at pump will be much more at sprockets.

If you just push up and down, what do you get?

What year motor?

 

Chinese indicator = junk.
Test with a Mititoyo .0005 test indicator securely mounted for a closer real #
Also unless you unload the primary side the reading is still not 100%
Then you have to take into account the crank is supported by non tapered roller bearings.
etc , etc , etc

 

motor is a 2011
Used my Mitutoyo after fabricating a small base, results were not exactly the same so after thinking about two large pistons and the primary all together and the roller radial bearings Harley uses cause they absorb oscillations I decided to use a plastic wire tie and attaching it around the piñon shaft using a extra long bolt and a cam cover bolt and pulling it tight to remove slack

Well I was a bit surprised but not surprised 😮

Holding the crank down and spinning it around

0.003 on the piñon side, still not good and pretty sure it was built with that tolerance.

Can only imagine what the primary side will show, so far my conclusion is you have cranks that have a wide range due to the machining of the shafts or the tolerances are not held when pressing or they move during rides probably all three?

put it together with radial roller bearings that are created for wobbly things, can only imagine the compensator, chain adjusters, trans bearings issues people have all tied to a root cause.

In Harley’s business they sell low RPM cruisers with a RPM cut off at 5200. Sort of like a big 70s Buick Electra 225 with a big slow revving 455 engine, that moved a mass!

Thousands of Twin cams running around never going past 4500 RPM running up the mileage.

then you get guys like us that want to make it faster and it doesn’t help that there is a whole industry supporting mild to eight second V twins

ordered a tool last night to check the primary side. Will keep you posted.

 

Most of us check runout by bolting a small piece of mild steel angle to the motor case and attaching a quality magnitized base to that to which an accurate dial indicator is attached for a solid mount that will not allow any movement. I made a simple attachment from aluminum years ago for this purpose; photo attached. Since then, I have modified an early cam plate by cutting off the top just above the pinion shaft bore where I can mount a dial indicator. Point being however runout is measured the attachment of the dial indicator has to be solid, no movement.

The OPs cam plate is a from a later model; no o-ring grove so hydro tensioners and roller chains? If true runout is in the .003" to .0055", I agree with Purehybrid, retain the OEM cam plate, upgrade inner bearngs, new tensioner shoes and ride on.