Time To To Tear Down

[WhipLash96]

Thank you Hammer Performance for taking the time to chat with me about this stuck lifter.

I have tried and tried to get this lifter out so my next step is take the cam cover off and go the opposite way. Fun.

[WhipLash96]

Not a lot of progress at the moment because of parent/teacher conferences but some has been made.

Here is a question. I am going to have to go into the cam chest and remove at least the rear intake lifter.  Now I won't be able to just take that one out will I? I would gave remove at least three of the four? Correct?

[andyxlh]

not 100% on the 5 speeds, but it should be the same as my older 4 speed case
when you remove the cam cover, the outboard bearing surface on the cams is a bronze bushing. the inboard is a roller bearing. the bushing tends to have a bit more stick than the bearings, and the cams may want to come out in the cam case not be left in the engine case. as you lift the cam case away just make sure to leave the cams in the engine case. you can push them back towards the cylinders with a flat screwdriver as you lift the case away. Be very careful of any shims which may be between the bushing and the camshafts as they must go back as they were.
once you have the cam cover off, you can turn the engine over to line up the dots on the cams and the pinon gear. then you can slide one cam out. The rear intake cam is also the one which runs the nose cone sensor but you will of course disconnected that before loosening the cover. it is the biggest one and probably the most awkward to get out on its own I would think, but I've only done them as a set (and a while ago too...!)

[WhipLash96]

Getting the cam cover off wasn't an issue at all it is just getting 3 lifters out that is pain. Yep, pretty much the same way, although I didn't have the shims that you are talking about. To get these three lifters out I am going to have to take the heads and jugs off. Don't ask me why because I can't make any sense of it. Dropping the lifter through the bottom just isn't going to happen.

[andyxlh]

Hmm.... your setup is different to mine, as my bike has separate lifter blocks so the lifters and the blocks can be removed from the cases, you lifter blocks are, I believe, part of the engine case. Either way, I'm pretty sure that you don't have to remove the barrels to do this job... crikey I sure hope you don't!
It has been 4 or 5 years since I had the last set of lifters in my bike so my memory is  little fuzzy....... I'm sure someone can chime in and sort out the correct procedure. What does the HD manual suggest?

[WhipLash96]

Hmm.... your setup is different to mine, as my bike has separate lifter blocks so the lifters and the blocks can be removed from the cases, you lifter blocks are, I believe, part of the engine case. Either way, I'm pretty sure that you don't have to remove the barrels to do this job... crikey I sure hope you don't!
It has been 4 or 5 years since I had the last set of lifters in my bike so my memory is  little fuzzy....... I'm sure someone can chime in and sort out the correct procedure. What does the HD manual suggest?

I guess I failed to mention that I do not have stock Harley cylinders on. Trust me, taking the cylinders and heads off were the best way.

[WhipLash96]

Go to www.bike-talk.com Look up a thread under the same title as this one. For some reason I can't get pictures to post on this site. The thread on Bike-talk is getting long. If you want to read the whole thread, by all means do. If not, go to the last few pages and see what I found. Very interesting.

[WhipLash96]

So I have been able to make a little bit of progress on tearing my Sportster apart.  So far the hole top end is off and I have the oil pump off and apart.  The oil pump is what is interesting.  I got it out and cleaning it down.  The inside of the housing looks ok as although there are dark lines across the upper side of the pump where the scavenging gerotor is. I can't feel any depth but makes me curious.  How ever when I was cleaning the gerotor's off, I noticed a CRACK going all the way across the gerotor.  Yes, it is on the saving gerotor too.

[WhipLash96]

Here is a good video of why my oil pump is junk. Not impressed.
Watch "Rod Slop. 1996 Sportster" on YouTube
Rod Slop. 1996 Sportster: http://youtu.be/aSvhKHcq85U

[akjeff]

Maybe I'm missing something. How does side play of the front con rod, translate to a trashed oil pump. I'd suspect that circulating debris from the loose wrist pin clip, is what ate the oil pump.

Jeff

[WhipLash96]

Maybe I'm missing something. How does side play of the front con rod, translate to a trashed oil pump. I'd suspect that circulating debris from the loose wrist pin clip, is what ate the oil pump.

Jeff

It doesn't,  not directly anyways. Sent a pm to you.

[akjeff]

Got it, and replied. Thanks for the PM!

Jeff

[WhipLash96]

Got it, and replied. Thanks for the PM!

Jeff

Email coming soon.

[Burch753]

I, too, am a little bit confused. Why/how did this rod play cause issue? I would assume certain some play is acceptable? As long as there is no 'up and down' play there should be little issue...?

Maybe someone more educated can answer?

[WhipLash96]

I, too, am a little bit confused. Why/how did this rod play cause issue? I would assume certain some play is acceptable? As long as there is no 'up and down' play there should be little issue...?

Maybe someone more educated can answer?

There are other major issues happening. I can't post pictures because Tapatalk won't upload them.  I have a trashed front cylinder. For some reason the pin clip worked itself loose. Either the clip or the pin left about a .100" gouge in the cylinder wall and cracked the cylinder.  I also have an oil pump that is trashed. The clip, that is still in my engine completely cracked the scavenging side gerotor.  I understand that some side play is normal however what i showed in the video seems excessive to me.  If you want, pm an email or phone number and I will be glad to show you other pictures.  At this point, I am speculating that what I think is excessive side play is a contributing factor to the cylinder.

[Burch753]

I see. Thank you for the clarification.

From my experience, the side-play you show is not concerning, at least not in a twin cam.

Good luck with your findings and build! I will continue to follow your updates. 

[akjeff]

I see. Thank you for the clarification.

From my experience, the side-play you show is not concerning, at least not in a twin cam.

Good luck with your findings and build! I will continue to follow your updates. 

Even if the side play weren't excessive, I'd still split the cases for a total cleaning/inspection. Those wrist pin clips are harder than woodpecker lips, and will wreck whatever they get into. A piece of that lurking somewhere in the motor, only to break free after a top end rebuild, would suck.... to say the least.JMO

I've only been inside two Twin Cams, but neither had side play even close to that in the video.

Jeff

[WhipLash96]

Was able to get some more progress done on my Sportster. I got the transmission out. Everything there looks really good from what I can see although I am now curious about something else and it does have to do with the transmission.