Excessive oil from air filter - Page 3 - Harley Forum

roadglider08 · #21 10-18-2009, 09:13 PM

Have you installed a larger air cleaner? ie Zippers? I have an 08 Roadglide stage 2 and use almost ZERO oil. Makes me happy since I've experienced the opposite. Mike Stegman at Latus Motors talks about the variables on his forum...worth reading.

coot · #22 10-21-2009, 10:20 AM

I have an interesting twist to this topic.
When I replaced my cam chain tensioners (2002 FLHTC carb model) I installed adjustable pushrods. By the time I got the clatter quieted down, I had lengthened the pushrods almost a whole extra turn over the 2.5 turns specified in the instructions. I began to notice that my "roll on" power at highway speed (34000rpm) seemed squishy. So I suspected that the increased oil pressure at 3400RPM was keeping my Intake & Exhaust valves open too long during overlap. So, I just went back to the original 2.5 turns. And now my "roll on" is better but the air cleaner puke is getting worse now. This old 88 twinkie has always puked a little out of the air cleaner. And I expect to get a little of it just because it's a big bore air cooled Harley motor.
My riddle is this..... why would it puke more now than it did when I had the pushrods adjusted too long? What just changed to make the crankcase pressure go up enough to do this?The carb should be sucking in most of the puke as it comes out of the heads.
Or am I just crazy? This is a real possibility.

roadglider08 · #23 10-21-2009, 12:27 PM

Pushrods: Adjustables take up the slack in the lifter and move the cup halfway in it's travel ability. My guess is you took it to the limit and essentially made a solid lifter????
Oil Puke: I fought oil consumption/puke on an 03 FLTR for years and valve train noise. I eventually went to Johnson Hi-Lift lifters from AMS in Dallas, TX. With them I went back to stock pushrods. Do you have a high flow oil pump like Feuling installed? High flow air cleaner installed? Reroute the head breather tubes out of the path of the carb overboard below the bike? And last the real possibility that your crazy and to let you know oil consumption drove me crazy as well!

coot · #24 10-21-2009, 04:53 PM

Good train of thought. But the lifter wasn't bottomed out at all. The puking may actually only be increased when the temps are up. I noticed today that I ran an 80 mile errand at 80mph and didn't get the puke. But the last time it puked, the air temp was closer to 85 and I was riding 2 up. Today was only me and the temp was about 70.
My air cleaner is SE/K&N and the oil pump is stock. But I did replace the oil check ball & spring when I changed the tensioners. That DID help keep the pressure up better.
As for the lifters, I'm just gonna buy some new ones when I put in gear cams this winter.
I haven't had to use a catch can in years. But I can learn again.
I guess I really am crazy. But it helps to noodle this stuff out on the forum.

roadglider08 · #25 10-21-2009, 07:36 PM

You used the spring to increase oil pressure? I did that too along with a Feuling Oil pump. I personally think there A: too much oil in the heads and nowhere to go but out or B: I exchanged my heads and cylinders in at AMS and may have received either bad valve guides or seals. My 08 Roadglide out to 103" does not use more than a drop between oil changes 2-3000 miles. Last trip to Billings, MT from Seattle at 75-80 no noticeable oil burning. I think heads have changed especially the seals. My 03 puked some so I got a the bigger Zippers filter....I drilled the breather bolts out too. After I sold it to a friend I've had the pleasure of working on it and routing the breather line down out of the way. My thinking was the suction in the engine was drawing oil out the head. I also have some Mystfrees in ....no noticeable difference. My latest thought on the bike : The 03 have an external oil breather between the engine and the oil fill cap.. connect the breather to it beneath the seat (kind of a recirculation system). Have you pulled plugs and checked if F or R has oil on it?

coot · #26 10-21-2009, 08:40 PM

Plugs are clear. And the recirculation idea is worth looking at. As is drilling the bolts. The engine really doesn't puke enough between changes to worry about and other than the vommit, it doesn't use oil. I always change the oil between 2500 & 3000 miles, and it never loses it's color. I never winterize nothing. I am too busy using it.
I am probably just being obsessive with my scoot. And I am a hopeless tinkerer. So, no matter how good it may or may not run, I will be messing with it. Perfection is never enough. Shoot!....I am even discussing the carb needle and my 110 CVO mufflers on another forum thread so I can get better mid throttle response. (Crazy)
But I did get bad news today. The Fishtail endcaps that I bought for my Nelly Bell won't work with the CVO 110 mufflers. This has me seriously bummed out.
Thanks for the ideas.

roadglider08 · #27 10-22-2009, 01:07 AM

Now I'm jealous too many bikes and a 110 to boot. Does the CVO have heat issues? I heard there was a major service bulletin where they changed heads and cylinders to promote better cooling? Which CVO? The Feuling Co makes the crankcase breather I referred too.. FEULINGPARTS - OIL PUMP CORP and search for oil tank breather perhaps one will work for your bike(or make your own).

coot · #28 10-22-2009, 09:21 AM

I am afraid that I haven't spoken correctly. I do not own a CVO. Just the mufflers that I got from an online seller. That is probably as close as I will ever get to owning a CVO.
All of my obsessions are about my '02 FLHTC. The only other bikes I own are a Sporty and an antique Honda. The Sporty & Honda are both trouble free. But I don't ride them near as much as ol' Nelly Bell.
I like your idea about the recirculating oil tube and drilling the bolts. That will help my puking issue for sure. The reason I haven't changed the pump or camplate to Feuling is because there is nothing wrong with my OE parts. All of the wear is minimal and well within specs. When I replaced the ball & spring in the camplate, the oil pressure came back up to a very nice level and stays there. So I have no beef with the OE pump as it relates to my style of riding. And I am not asking for greater performance from the engine. I rarely ever let the motor see revs higher than 3500. So when I add the Gear Cams next month, I will be seeking more grunt between 1800 and 3000.
In a perfect world, when I'm done with the cams, Nelly Bell won't puke on my wifes Chaps anymore.
The sun is shining. Gotta go ride.

roadglider08 · #29 10-22-2009, 12:12 PM

Do like the CVO muffler sound? It was a big deceission on which mufflers to buy. I choose the D&D Super Boss Slip Ons. Quieter than most aftermarket louder than stock yet they flow. In all I've been happy with them. For years I've been looking for mufflers made of carbon fibre for our type bikes. This week I found a set on the web...they weigh 6lbs each and look nice. They at Fuel Moto USA
In my 03 I installed Andrews 26G's nice for touring but the 08 has HD 255 they're ok but flatten out early.
OK Where do you live that the sun is shinning? I'm on Camano Island, WA (we have a bridge) 70 miles north of Seattle.

coot · #30 10-22-2009, 08:32 PM

I am looking at the 25G cams too. It should flatten out just about where I do. Somewhere around 90MPH. And .....yeah! I do like the sound of the CVO slip ons. They are way different from the SE 4 inchers. They flow better and they are packed better. Not to mention that they just sound so damned good on a carb model 88. Deep rumble but not too loud. I can talk to my wife while on the interstate. And we ain't got no intercom. My only bitch is that they don't have optional end caps for the CVO mufflers. I have really wanted fishtails for a long time. It seems that the mounting holes for the SE muffler end caps are at 10o'clock, 2o'clock, and 6 o'clock positions. They have several different items to choose from. But the CVO muffler end cap mounting holes are at 12, 4, and 8 o'clock positions. No match. Shoot! the regular end cap for a CVO muffler is $100 each. GULP!
The sun went down in North Georgia this evening about 30 minutes ago. And I won't see anything but rain for the next 36 to 40 hours.

I rode again today without any puke at all. Go figure.