Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzz Kanter  Thanks. I have to assume there was a lot (too much) of oil in the crankcase, which is one of the reasons it smoked so much.
Is there an easy way to check and/or drain the crankcase of a J?
The bike has been sitting unstarted for at least 5 or more years. |
Before you started the bike you should have drained the oil from the drain plug on the left side of the case. Then after replacing the plug, pump two pump fulls of oil into the belly. Take the bike for a short ride of 10-15 miles. Then drain the oil into a measuring cup that shows ounces. You should have between 3-4 ounces in the cup. Once you get used to riding the bike and how much oil it leaks and or burns in a certain distance you will be able adjust how many pump fulls you will need to put into the belly after draining the oil and also how much to pump into the belly as you ride. This is how I was taught to operate my 1926 JD. I put 1600 miles on the bike using this methold and it was still running strong and healthy the day I sold it. Your J bike should be very similar to your V model as they both are total loss systems. As far as I know there is no way to check the oil in a J model. That is why after one long run or a few short runs I would drain and measure the oil to see how much was actually in the belly. That is one thing I did not like about the JD...not ever knowing how much was in the belly.
Also, I would not let the bike idle for very long in warm weather without having a fan blowing on the engine.
Video of my 1924 Harley running (finally) 
Linear Mode
