Rocker arms Harley Engine Discuss Rocker arms in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; Just read Donny Petersen's article about CVO 110 engines. This thread has nothing to do with the CVO; but I am curious about the rocker arm "debacle" he mentions about ...

[jetamt]

Just read Donny Petersen's article about CVO 110 engines. This thread has nothing to do with the CVO; but I am curious about the rocker arm "debacle" he mentions about '99 and '00 88's. I recently purchased a '00 FLHP-I that only had 1400 miles on it. Without tearing into the heads is there anyway to determine if I have an engine with the rocker arms with pads? What type of problems would arise with having these rocker arms at about what mileage? The bike is down for the winter now anyway, probably not much trouble to pull the covers and look I guess. Would appreciate any input..

[frisco-rigid]

Hey Jet

Rockers with pads..----- I think you're talking about Non-Roller Rocker arms,, yes..???

I have run old-style Non-roller rockers for waay over 300,000 miles with never a single Zero problem.. They are an old proven commodity..
And if a Pad shows a wee bit of wear you can dress it up with a light grinding and polishing..
I would never argue with Donny but I do have my own Hands-On experience to draw from..

I have also run Roller Rockers for about 6 years on the 120" and for awhile in the 93" shovel, and of course the 127" has them.. If there is a diff in efficiency, power, heat,, I cannot tell..
To date I've had No probs with the rollers either with at least 70K on the 120's rollers.. Remember the rollers have needle bearings and there is always a possibilty of failure there..

Yes, remove the the cover and look..

[Wrightturn]

Hey Jet,

Like Frisco said there really isn`t a rocker arm problem. There was no rocker arm debacle. Roller rockers are a performance improvement and do reduce valve guide wear but flat tappet rockers will not grenade your engine. With a bike that only has 1400 miles (?????) I wouldn`t be thinking about it.

The 1999-2000 debacle was over cam bearing failure , cam bolt failure, tensioner failure, oil pump failure , warped cam support plate and just about anything else in the cam chest. There never was a recall and after litigation the MOCO offered a 5/50 warranty for a half ass repair job after the parts failed.

You should try to get the history of your bike and find out what upgrades if any have been made. I own a 99 and an 02 TC and have created a business out of doing the up grades. My 99 has an Andrews 26g gear drive cam. Torrington cam bearings, Delkron plate and acarefully aligned oil pump. The aftermarket has made this a completely reliable engine and has become one of my favorite motorcycles.

Lots of guys here have done the mods and will be glad to help you.

[myt evo]

Jet, this is not meant to be critical because this web site exists so we can help one another but there are some on this site that have to start to do a little bit of reading and research. To start get a service and parts manual for your particular bike. Donny Petersen is writing a series of books and I have yet to be disappointed. The first two have to do with the Twin Cam. The second book is over 800 pages and I've learned about things that you'll never find in a factory service manual. That's not to say you don't need one, you do! There's nothing like a hands on education the manuals and books just make it a little bit easier and less frustrating.