shvl oil leak. - Harley Forum

zoran27 · #1 08-02-2009, 04:30 AM

Hello to all,could sum 1 help us.shvl engine,has soild lifters,since all seals have been replaced it has made an oil leak from up the tube,,,were do we go from here

unclepsycho · #2 08-02-2009, 01:28 PM

Hi Zoran, welcome to the forum!

What year is your shovel?
and, exactly which tube are you looking at? is it the push rod tubes? if it is leaking there, and you say all seals were replaced, did one of them get pinched or cut during re-assembly? something to look at.
could be oil above there leeking down and onto the tubes?
let us know what you find, and if you can, post a picture or two.

Bigincher · #3 08-02-2009, 01:49 PM

Yes, more than likely the cork isn't seated properly in the rocker box. I don't use the old corks any more, James makes a blue silicon seal that is much better.

frisco-rigid · #4 08-02-2009, 04:28 PM

Hi Zor

No big deal at all..

There's a seal at the top in the head, one at the bottom in the Lifter Tower and one in the middle..

Very easy & small fix..

Did you do the work.?
No insult intended but there is hardly any excuse what-so-ever to screw up replacing these seals,,, I have Never seen one get pinched, cocked maybe (as was sugg'd) or simply the wrong size..
Any way,,, start doing as much of your own work as Possible..
YOU are that shovels Best Friend & Mechanic,,,,, Nobody else will care as much as you,,, dig-it.???

Simply slip out/off the retainer, push the cover together, rotate the motor to the low position on that cam lobe, loosen the adjustment screw enough to pull out the assembly, replace one or all of the seals, partly re-assemble,, re-adjust push-rod and finish re-assemble.. 15 min. tops..

Something to consider,,, sometimes all you gotta do is pull the retainer and push the cover together and make positive that the seals are correctly inserted in their positition, then simply re-assemble..

In a lazy moment I have cut a Lifter Tower seal diagonally and shoved it in without any dissembly with No probs at all, works for me, maybe not all..
I still prefer the cork seals,, whatever turns ya on..
Have a ball

zoran27 · #5 08-03-2009, 06:07 AM

thank you heaps gentleman for getting back to me asap.
ok what i do see in the front bucket is that the seal seems to fit but not tight and it does not cover the oil hole,so for a test i replaced the seals with a corbourn seal and MINT no leak but i could see oil, running down the push rod,Now is the bucket oil hole ment to be coverd with a seal?and thats one thing i didnt check when removing the old seal did thay fit tight and cover the oil hole in the bucket......