96 inch stroker non magnetic chunk in top lip of oiltank

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

hi guys like to introduce myself im rick from upstate ny .ive got a 79 fxef custom with a 96 stroker motor ,it has a delkron block 3 5/8 bore with 4 5/8 stroke.took it outafter sitting all winter and it puked a quart of oil at startup. add oil and drive about 10 miles and heard a screeching sound and looked down and had no oil presser.had 40 lbs when started.stopped and checked tank and could see circulation,so turned around and headed home.no more screeching but top front cylinder sounded louder than normal.drained oil and there was a metal tint to the oil.on the surfice.opened cap for oil filter and on the inner rim there was a small chunk of metal.magnet would not pick it up.pulled cone cover and its really clean.pulled breather that's clean.oil pump inner housing has scratch marks around the gears .wondering where the chunk came from?

[Ohio HD]

How big is this chunk? Large objects can't get through the oil pump back to the oil tank. So maybe start at the oil pump and see what's going on in there.

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

the chunk was twice the size of a pencil lead .pulled the pump apart and noticed marks in te cylinder walls where the gears set.like hair line grouves.

[Ohio HD]

Hair line marks are normal from wear in a motor that has a few miles on it. Also tiny grit from gaskets, carbon, etc. can be moving around the oil flow helping to cause the marks in pumps. I doubt that the piece you're talking about would have made it through the pump without some severe damage to the pump. Had it even momentarily stopped the pump return gears, the pump shaft keyway(s) would have sheared off.

If it did somehow make it through the pump without damaging it, you're one luck guy.

So when you shut it down, it was still at zero oil pressure, but you have oil returning to the tank?

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

engine had 7000 dollars put into it aprox 3000 miles before I bought it.would think all oil lines would have been blown out and cleaned.oil return line comes directly from the pump to top of oil can and down thru filter.i believe the pump has high flow gears.

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

when I shut it down there was no oil return,just before I shut it down I checked it and there was movement in tank.

[Ohio HD]

My guess this chuck was in the oil tank when you bought it, from the "original cases". The fact that the cases are now Delkron indicates there was most likely a problem with the originals. Like maybe they blew the motor to pieces.

You need to start at square one, to find out why no oil pressure. Pump needs to be checked out for spec., oil lines for flow, oil passages in the motor, etc., etc. Your journey may even end up in the lower end. Hard telling who did what.

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

how do u check the oil ports in the motor?

[Ohio HD]

Sounds like you don't have a service manual for the motor. You need to get one if you're going to do this yourself. You'll need all of the specs for things like the oil pump, torque values for bolts, etc. You need the oil system schematic so you can track down the oil flow through the motor, make sure ports are not blocked or broken away. Having zero oil pressure all of a sudden, if not due to a keyway shear in the pump, or a stuck open by pass in the pump, is most likely going to be a result of damage to the motor somewhere.

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

will the service manual have the specs for the delkron  cases ?

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

am I going to have to tear this whole thing apart?

[Ohio HD]

Motor clearance specs will be the same using any cases, unless there was a specific reason for a change. Meaning the engine builder set something up differently for a purpose.

I have no idea how far you will have to go into the motor. I mean no disrespect to you, but maybe you should at least let someone who has Shovel engine knowledge look at it before taking it apart, and possibly getting over your head. But if you had a metal tint in the oil, that's not a very good sign. Do you know who built the motor? A shop, or was it the owner?

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

it was a shop in mass  motor medic  ive got a lot of receipts when I bought the bike ive put about three thou miles on it in the last two years ive owned it.and from what I could decipher from all the paper work it had aprox 3 thou when I got it from the dealer in Pittsfield mass.just paid the damn thing off last month so I didn't have two more years of payments.figgers for sure.

[Ohio HD]

Unless you or someone you know, has some experience with HD motors, you might be better off, and money ahead to take it to someone who does. Scott Palmer is in about the middle of the state. He knows a thing or two about them.

http://www.hillsidecycle.com/

and         

http://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php/board,61.0.html

Scott is on this board a lot, he'd be who I would chose in your area if I needed a great wrench, especially for older iron.

[Hillside Motorcycle]

Happy to lend a hand with that.
Scott

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

any idea what the cost is gonna be.?how much is that doggie in the window?

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

as per inspecting and finding out what the real problem is.under stand have to go from there.

[shovelbill]

pull the lifter screen........take a peek

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

clean as a whistle

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

got the new oilpump yesterday.Delkron high volume with baisley gears.gonna put this on after flushing oil tank out good,run some cheap oil thru it and drain again and put some 60 wt to her and see what happens.hopefully all cream and no puff.

[Ohio HD]

Have you determined that the oil pump is bad? They usually don't pump one minute, then not the next, without seeing physical damage to it somewhere.

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

well, got out my 25000000 candle power spot light and looked thru the cam area behind the nose cone and found a bunch of debree.real small metal chunks lying next to what looks like a bearing for the crank.this part of the motor looks sealed off from the crank case.the cam looks ok and the roller lifters seam to be ok.im thinking rocker arm melt down or something to that effect.like I said  the front cylinder sounded louder than usual.with this being a stroker there is not enough room to pull the head.so I guess im down for the summer anyways. might as well pull motor and dissect.

[HotRodShovel]

curious, did you do a compression test on both cylinders?

[Ohio HD]

If you have debris in the motor, and you need to take it out of the frame, it would be in your best interest to completely disassemble it, make sure you get all the debris. It's only some gaskets and seals, do it once, right the first time. 

[79 shovel fxef 96 stroker]

firm believer of doing it right the first time hate that doing it over  been there done that .ive rebuilt a few 350 chevys from the ground up and a couple 400 fords,my overhead lawn mower.basicly its roller bearings and brass bushings.and a lot of checking tolerances.just seams weird all the metal pieces are non metallic and there alittle bigger than sand.