Spitting out dipstick after engine work question

[kd]

Have you done a compression and leak-down test?  If not, it would make sense to do so as it's less work and a need to know thing.  If it has good compression (or not) and / but fails a leak-down test that can be attributed to the crankcase pressure it may answer some of the question.  If both are OK then the search hasn't ended. Do the suck and blow test on the breathers.  All 3 things are easy tests. If in doubt, pop the rocker covers and physically check the breather assemblies. It's also seems to be a common problem when they have just been changed. They do not come properly assembled and have to be corrected. 

[smoserx1]

I did mine a while ago.  Thought they were marked.. for proper orientation.. Maybe i imagined that..

No you did not imagine that.  They are marked (at least the newer OEM ones are).  Each gasket will say front on one side and rear on the other side.  I remember this from doing my 95 inch top end job in 2016.  I also remember the dipstick popping issue being discussed a bunch on the forums I frequented right after I got my bike in 1999.  It never happened to me but my dipstick has always fit very tightly in the fill spout.  I have always wondered if there were some tolerance issues on how tightly the rubber part of the sticks fit.  Now lots of folks seem to be going to vented dipsticks or filler spouts.  That seems to be one sure way to relieve the pressure.

To the OP, it may just be you didn't do anything wrong and there is just more pressure now from the larger pistons and new rings sealing better.  Do try the suck/blow test on the breather bolts...if this test passes you did not assemble the breathers wrong.  If the gaskets are installed wrong (upside down) exposing the breather channel(s) I believe the effect is going to be flooding of the breather channel with oil and lots of oil carryover to the air cleaner or external vent/catch can if so fitted.

[chipthedonkey]

Learned more when I had a little time late tonight.  Made progress and it's really ok that I got it wrong because it won't be a bad thing to fix.

First off for those that were asking about the gaskets.  I picked a pair of uppoer and lower rocker box gaskets this afternoon so I'd have parts in hand over the holiday.  The bottom ones are marked for which way they go.  Not marked real heavy but definitely marked.  Held them up against the old heads that came off this bike last week and its just like I remembeed when it got put together.  That channel is pretty obvious.  Someone could defiitely miss it but I saw that open channel when I was flipping the gaskets over and over just to see which way things lined up.  Plus if they are on backward it will have to make a mess.  This bike is bone dry.  Ain't got nothing leaking up on top and the air cleaner is real dry.  As sure as I can be that the bottom rocker gaskets aren't where I made a mistake. 

Did mess up the breathers.  Took an old breather bolt and drilled a center hole all the way through in the drill press.  That made it easy to test.  In the back head it's completely completely open.  You can suck and blow and you can hear it inside.  The front head is different.  Still wrong but its different.  If I blow in the front hole it's open and it comes out the breather hole in the back head.  If you suck on it it closes up solid.

If I read it rite earler that front head is backwards?  Should be able to suck but not be able to blow?  They're both messed up though.  I spent five minutes looking at those things when they came of of their packages.  Guess I should have looked at them five more minutes. 

Plan right now is to take the top rocker covers off and change the breathers again.  Then'll do a suck and blow test again and see if it behaves good.  If it does not going to change the bottom gaskets. 

Oh yeah, had already done compression and leakdown tests.  They were real even and good.  I'm really hoping now all the bikes problem is just a loose nut behind the wrench.

[FSG]

some of the drawings for those new breathers are wrong, some are partially assembled in the packing wrong

so it's a lottery getting them in the right way unless you're aware of it from the start

[tdrglide]

Make sure you push/pull the "tit" of the umbrella through the top of the perforated metal piece. It kind of pops in place.

[Appowner]

My 08 FXSTC popped the dipstick for a while.  On start up it would launch the thing 5-6 feet out from the bike.

Mine turned out to be a crummy after market oil temp dip stick.  Don't recall the brand.  The rubber stopper was a shade too small.  Metric size.  The stick would fairly easily go in and out.  Finally found one that fit right and tighter and have had no issues since.

Kind of miss having to catch that thing on start up though.

[aharp]

I apologize if i missed it, but did this bike blow the dipstick before the engine work?

[MikeL]

I checked in Ronnies micro fiche. The new part number is superseded to a 2002 part number 62453-02. This is the screw in dipstick? If it is then in my case the problem will be solved.

                                                                                                                                                                 MIKE 

[chipthedonkey]

some of the drawings for those new breathers are wrong, some are partially assembled in the packing wrong

so it's a lottery getting them in the right way unless you're aware of it from the start

It's definitely a lottery I didn't win.  Thanks very much for the pictures.  That is different than what was shown on the sheet I had when I put it together the first time.  When everything got cleaned up when I finished the first time I didn't keep that sheet.  Now I'd like ot look at it to see what name was on it.  Doesn't really matter though.  The tank is off and the breathers will get sorted out this afternoon or tonight.

[chipthedonkey]

I apologize if i missed it, but did this bike blow the dipstick before the engine work?

The spitting dipstick was new with the work.  Never did it before.

[chipthedonkey]

Think I'm good now with the breathers.  Want to thnak everyone for their help.  It really got me pointed in the right way.  Just in case anyone deals with this later here's what I found. 

Those pictures up above here sure helped and I appreciate who ever took the time to get them a lot.  Just like it shows in the picture didn't work right though.  Could still suck and blow.  So this didnt work.  At least for me.  But it was close enough to make me really look at everything and figure out how it workd.

[chipthedonkey]

This is what worked.  To seal the umbrella and rest of it would need to go this way.  After looking at it and figuring out the plumbing tried it like this and immediately had good suck and no blow.  So hopefully at least this problem is good now.  Thanks again everyone.

[Ohio HD]

FYI, if that motor had the old style aluminum breathers, and you use the new style, you need shorter bolts.


New style
[attach=0]


Old style
[attach=1]

[chipthedonkey]

FYI, if that motor had the old style aluminum breathers, and you use the new style, you need shorter bolts.

It had an aftermarket breather in it stamped "Doherty."  The new Harley breather kits came with bolts.  It is really nice now to know that I can suck and blow like I am supposed to.

[04 SE Deuce]

  reply #1.

[chipthedonkey]

I thinks it's licked.  Was blown and sucked and now its licked.  That means the bike had a better day then me.

Rode it 80 miles tonight.  All RPMs and light load to full load pulls just finishing breaking the engine in.  It still had the same dipstick in it when I got back that it did when I started.  That means I'm happy.

I still think I will put that Baker dipstick screw in thing on it.  Just knowing it can blow out its dipstick makes me worry for my brother in law.  He not only never checks oil he don't even look down.  He could ride from one oil change to the next and never miss it.  As long as the oil mess staid behind him he might not even care about that.  So a dipstick that can't come out may be a good idea since I'm not worried about doing other harm now.  If I tell him it's a performance upgrade he'll never even t hink twice.

[CVOThunder]

Haha, you sound like George Carlin and the anti-porn police. "It'll be hard on us but we can't lick it by being soft"!

Glad you figured it out...so I don't have to later on. Another great thread by all.