Working on a 50EL at the shop.....

[easyricer]

It a bits n pieces motor for sure. Got 55 heads, 65-69 gear cover, 3 7/16 bore, looks like 3 7/8 stroke, mid 70's oil pump. Guy brought it in for me to finish building for him, still had to assemble the heads and bolt them down. I told him I won't trust someone elses work so I'm gonna at least look inside the cam cover. Found all kinds of metal in there. The cam and shim are galled together and the thrust washer and bearing galled too. I got a small chunk of screen in the breather cavity just bouncin around. I have the manual and all but it isn't telling me much. I'm not gonna close this thing up until I have a look inside the oil pump. I'm waiting on the customer, who should be coming by today to show him what all is wrong and why I will not be putting this thing together with what we have here.
What else do I need to be on the look out for?
EASY

[Deye76]

If any stuff in the pump, and prolly is, I'd pull the cyl's have a look see.

[twincamzz]

If I pulled the cylinders to have a look, I would check the freeplay of the rods for up n down movement as well as side to side play. You're a good mechanic Easy, just check all the usual stuff while you got it apart. Might as well do it right the first time ( 1st time for you to work on it I mean )

[easyricer]

That small piece of screen that I found in the breather cavity, is it supposed to be there? It's about 1 inch by 1 1/2 inches long bent slightly along it's length. The breather itself is fine and has it's screen still. Is there supposed to be a tube off the gear cover going into the breather cavity? I know later models have it but this one don't. 
Twincamszz, I called him yesterday to tell him I'm gonna have to tear this motor completely down, but has hasn't returned my call yet. After all the crap I found in the cam chest I want to finger every last nut bolt and bearing. No telling what the last guy did here.
EASY

[easyricer]

This is what he brought me.

look around at the pics and you'll see the damage done.
EASY

[Snuff™]

That small piece of screen that I found in the breather cavity, is it supposed to be there? It's about 1 inch by 1 1/2 inches long bent slightly along it's length.

I can't see any pictures on this computer, but yes, mine has that screen in there (Breather Screen).

The screen is probably there to keep the oil from slushing around, which might introduce air, leading to cavitation in the oil pump.  Just my guess.

[Snuff™]

Easy,

I see the picture now.  Motor needs to be totally torn down, cleaned, tolerances checked, re-assembled correctly.
Just my opinion.
Is this the screen your talking about? (Breather Trap-bottom left).

[easyricer]

Ok so now I see how it's supposed to look. Never seen that little bugger before.  So far everything checks out. I pulled the jugs and flushed it out with some old gas then dumped it over upside down. I'm still not 100% convinced that everything is right but I will be once I hand it back over to him. I'm still not finding all the little bearing rollers and it's about to drive me nuts. I'll pull the pump off tomorrow to be sure there ain't something hiding in there too. All I could find was 4 rollers, I figure i'm still missing about 12 or 13 of them. Scary stuff! Motor spins freely and I had a magnet on the flywheels to find roller and stuff. Got lots of flaky rust and only one roller (along with a dead lizard.) Rods feel good, crank feels good.
EASY

[fourthgear]

That screen should be bent or bowed the opposite direction of the anticavitation or bubblier plate above it , That screen looks kinda messed up.

I agree with Snuff, complete disassemble & inspection . You don't want it coming back on ya .

[Snuff™]

That screen should be bent or bowed the opposite direction of the anticavitation or bubblier plate above it , That screen looks kinda messed up...

4th,
I'm I missing a picture? ...cause I don't see a screen in Easy's pic, or are you talking about my screen?

[easyricer]

Ok got to talk my customer today. I'm splittin the cases. I just don't have that warm fuzzy feelin about this motor yet. Once I got it, he can have his motor back and I'll gladly have my name associated with it.
I did get to talk to a friend of mine who forgot more about old Harley Iron than I may ever learn. He came by and explained that the rollers could be inside the breather cavity waiting to come out the scavenger pump. If it was started at any time after that bearing came apart, the flywheels could have picked them up and carried them around to the scraper and into the cavity.
Makes perfect sense to me and just as much to my customer, she's commin apart! And yes this is the first time for me playin with the inside of an early pan.
EASY

[Snuff™]

...I'm splittin the cases. I just don't have that warm fuzzy feelin about this motor yet. Once I got it, he can have his motor back and I'll gladly have my name associated with it....
EASY

 

Very wise choice.  Don't need to have your name associated with a grenade.

[Deye76]

"she's commin apart!"

Nothing worse than getting a bike together, only to have to break it down again. Better safe......

[twincamzz]

  Twincamszz, I called him yesterday to tell him I'm gonna have to tear this motor completely down, but has hasn't returned my call yet. After all the crap I found in the cam chest I want to finger every last nut bolt and bearing. No telling what the last guy did here.
EASY

can't say I blame you one bit Easy. If'n it woulda been me I would've did the same thing. Better safe than sorry.

[Pzokes]

I think that screen is meant to catch small debris, before it gets to the oil pump. It is very thin, and is bent to fit the cavity.

I would dissemble the flywheels too.  Many flywheels aren't set up right either. 

[easyricer]

WOW finally got the case open. The case bolts and studs were all frozen, so had to heat, oil, tap, heat, oil, tap, over and over again. 2 of the studs will not budge out of the left case half at all. Got new ones ordered. Glad I did it. found all the missing rollers and a dead lizard! I gotta get the studs out and the new ones in then I'll close her back up. The rotating assy is in fantastic shape so not gonna bug em.
EASY

[HogMike]

WOW finally got the case open. The case bolts and studs were all frozen, so had to heat, oil, tap, heat, oil, tap, over and over again. 2 of the studs will not budge out of the left case half at all. Got new ones ordered. Glad I did it. found all the missing rollers and a dead lizard! I gotta get the studs out and the new ones in then I'll close her back up. The rotating assy is in fantastic shape so not gonna bug em.
EASY

Should leave that lizard in there........where do you think OIL comes from???

[Hal64hd]

The Screen is the tappet screen, it is there to strain the oil (pressure side) before it feeds the tappets

[CraigArizona85248]

The Screen is the tappet screen, it is there to strain the oil (pressure side) before it feeds the tappets

They are talking about the screen circled in red in this photo.  The tappet screen is under the screw circled in yellow if I recall correctly.


Here is the tappet screen (#6 in this drawing):

[War Horse]

Graig you are correct, but the red circled screen isn't in there properly, the metal retainer needs to have the screen wrapped over the edges, weather its over or under doesn't matter. I usually put them on the top, tight to the metal.

[Snuff™]

Are you guys saying the ends of the screen should be folded over and creased (vs. rolled) as in the attached pic?

[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[HogMike]

from the Harley shop manuals:

[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[HogMike]

Another

[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[HogMike]

Last one.
Hope this helps a bit.


[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[War Horse]

Like I said, it doesnt matter top or bottom , but the metal piece with the 2 cutouts (facing in) hold the screen in place, or to put it different way, the screen wraps around the metal and then gets installed as a unit.

I prefere to wrap the screen over the top, its a tighter fit... first picture from Hogmike.