I NEED YOUR THOUGHT'S..."90 DRESSER...108K MILES..MOTOR @ 75 HP...RIDE 2 UP...PULL A TRAILER..I USE WIX OIL FILTERS AND FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS I RUN 1 QT VALVOLINE 20/50 SYNTHETIC AND 2 QTS OF VALVOLINE 20/50 RACE OIL...DRAIN AT @ 2.5K MILES WITH FILTER CHANGE...ANY BETTER IDEAS FOR LESS THAN 15.00 A CHANGE ??? NEVER DONE A UOA ON THE OIL BUT THE HARLEY SEEMS TO LIKE THIS HOME BREW....
1990 HARLEY DRESSER
- Thread starter SKUNKY
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I don't know what Amsoil or Mobil 1 20W50 retail for in the US or the preffered customer cost but these are two you should really consider. I have been using the Amsoil AMV 20W50 bike oil in my ,02 Softail and just love it. No more adding oil in hot weather. I also run the 10W40 AMF in the primary and the 75W90 AGR in the tranny. I feel the extra cost of real (GRP IV,V) synthetics is really worth it in these types of motors. Without UOA I would recommend you change the oil between 3-5000 miles depending on your riding conditions and temperature etc. If you get into UOA I would run a short change or two on the new oil brand to flush out what you used previously before doing your first test at say 4000 or so miles.
THANKS FOR THE REPLY...ON THE EVO MOTOR THE SYNTHETIC OIL WILL SEEP OUT EVERYWHERE..AND I MEAN EVERYWHERE...THAT'S WHY I WENT TO THE ABOVE COMBINATION...USE TO RUN MI RED TOP...THE MOTOR LOOKED LIKE IT TOOK A BATH IN OIL...ANYWAY...I DON'T MIND CHANGING OIL WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE WAS A BETTER OIL FOR THE SAME MONEY...THE SYNTHETICS ARE A BIT EXPENSIVE AND I DON'T REALLY LIKE THE LONG DRAIN IDEA...I'M AN OLD GUY
THE NEW V-TWIN DOESEN'T LEAK AS MUCH AS THE EVO DID....THE BASE GASKET ON MINE HAVE BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES...EVEN WITH "THE FIX" INSTALLED...THAT'S WHY IF I GO TO ALL SYNTHETIC IT'S WORSE...IT'S NOT TO BAD WITH THE VAL RACE PLUS 1 QT OF VAL SYN...THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING IF YOU GUYS HAD A "BETTER" IDEA FOR OIL SELECTION ...
First off...I'm not mad at you or anything, but would you please turn your CAPS LOCK off?
Second, if you're are having leaking issues with synthetics, I really think your best choice in terms of engine protection, cleanliness, and longevity is gonna be a top-notch HDEO 15w-40.
You stated that you don't do long drain intervals, and with that in mind, I believe this oil will protect this engine very, very well. The $6/gallon price tag is also very easy to swallow.
I'd pick Pennzoil Long-Life since it's great at reducing consumption/leaking issues.
Second, if you're are having leaking issues with synthetics, I really think your best choice in terms of engine protection, cleanliness, and longevity is gonna be a top-notch HDEO 15w-40.
You stated that you don't do long drain intervals, and with that in mind, I believe this oil will protect this engine very, very well. The $6/gallon price tag is also very easy to swallow.
I'd pick Pennzoil Long-Life since it's great at reducing consumption/leaking issues.
I'd agree with Jelly on this one. Any heavy duty 15w-40 or 15w-50 will do the job. The diesel oils typically have higher detergent levels to keep the inside of the engine fairly clean.
Also, even if this engine is still running fine - it is time for a rebuild just to freshen it up if you plan to keep this bike for a while. While the top end may only have .002 of wear, there are other parts that need attention. The stock breather gear is plastic and slowly picks up metal shavings that become part of the gear. These shavings gradually wear the surrounding parts away like sandpaper would. The hydraulic lifters are probably completely shot by this point. The stator spline should be pretty well worn away (this can be fixed without an engine rebuild) and this will eventually leave you stranded.
Plus, the best reason to get this engine rebuilt (by somebody who knows what they are doing) is that it will eliminate all oil leaks.
FYI, the first version of the EVO engine was pretty much a shovelhead with different cylinders and heads. In '92 Harley released another version of the EVO. Externally, it looked the same, but there were many improvments inside the engine - the PCV system was greatly improved. Overall, I consider this to be a better engine than the TC88.
[ March 12, 2004, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: medic ]
Also, even if this engine is still running fine - it is time for a rebuild just to freshen it up if you plan to keep this bike for a while. While the top end may only have .002 of wear, there are other parts that need attention. The stock breather gear is plastic and slowly picks up metal shavings that become part of the gear. These shavings gradually wear the surrounding parts away like sandpaper would. The hydraulic lifters are probably completely shot by this point. The stator spline should be pretty well worn away (this can be fixed without an engine rebuild) and this will eventually leave you stranded.
Plus, the best reason to get this engine rebuilt (by somebody who knows what they are doing) is that it will eliminate all oil leaks.
FYI, the first version of the EVO engine was pretty much a shovelhead with different cylinders and heads. In '92 Harley released another version of the EVO. Externally, it looked the same, but there were many improvments inside the engine - the PCV system was greatly improved. Overall, I consider this to be a better engine than the TC88.
[ March 12, 2004, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: medic ]
It looks like what you are doing is working well for you. I'd just keep on doing that until the motor needed rebuilt. Then use some of the top shelf oil in the new motor. But from the sound of it this one has a lot of life in it. 108K, outstanding!
dear medic....thanks for the in-put...first off it's a '90...at 85k i had the tech install the metal gear...new lifters..base gaskets..."the fix"...jims roller rockers...valves and guides..cam...cambearings..plus a few other things...$3k worth...now the oil "leak" is really a mist ...it gets worse with syn....i run the 20/50 val race with 1 qt of val 20/50 syn...now tell me more about the stator spline...never heard of that little problem...thanks
I'm not sure how familiar you are with the internal works of the bike, so don't get upset if go too far into detail.
The stator (alternator) is in the primary case and runs off the crank. The stator is bolted in place while the cover rotates around it - this is what charges the battery and runs your accesories. The cover has a hole in the center where is slides over the crank. There are teeth that require it to turn with the crank. The stock covers fit over the crank with a about .005 inchs of play. Over time, the back and forth slamming of this setup will completely eat away all of the teeth in the cover and it'll stop rotating causing a loss of electrical power. I have seen quite a few that have been completely stripped of the teeth and now have nothing but a smooth hole in the center.
I'm sure that any Harley tech is aware of this problem and should have checked it at one point or another. If it hasn't been checked - it should be around an hour of labor and $100 for parts if it needs replaced.
Edit: I forgot, the Primary cover gasket runs about $18 so you can get up to around $120 - $130 for parts.
And the mist you are talking about - is it from the PVC breather hose running to the carb? This can be eliminated with the purchase of a breather that has a conister that collects all of the oil blown out by engine. J&P Cycles has a nice setup in their catalog for around $60. I run Redline in my Bike and it's a bit too expensive to be considered a clothing accessory. I do everything I can to keep it inside the engine.
[ March 13, 2004, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: medic ]
The stator (alternator) is in the primary case and runs off the crank. The stator is bolted in place while the cover rotates around it - this is what charges the battery and runs your accesories. The cover has a hole in the center where is slides over the crank. There are teeth that require it to turn with the crank. The stock covers fit over the crank with a about .005 inchs of play. Over time, the back and forth slamming of this setup will completely eat away all of the teeth in the cover and it'll stop rotating causing a loss of electrical power. I have seen quite a few that have been completely stripped of the teeth and now have nothing but a smooth hole in the center.
I'm sure that any Harley tech is aware of this problem and should have checked it at one point or another. If it hasn't been checked - it should be around an hour of labor and $100 for parts if it needs replaced.
Edit: I forgot, the Primary cover gasket runs about $18 so you can get up to around $120 - $130 for parts.
And the mist you are talking about - is it from the PVC breather hose running to the carb? This can be eliminated with the purchase of a breather that has a conister that collects all of the oil blown out by engine. J&P Cycles has a nice setup in their catalog for around $60. I run Redline in my Bike and it's a bit too expensive to be considered a clothing accessory. I do everything I can to keep it inside the engine.
[ March 13, 2004, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: medic ]
Have you checked your crankcase breather? If your breather is obstructed, a lot of pressure builds up due to both pistons rising and falling at the same time (on Harleys, both connecting rods are on the same crank pin). That pressure rise and fall can blow oil out of a nomally good gasket.
Medic & Gary..I should have told you that I'm on stator #3..everything looked good the last time I was in there..I understand what your talking about..The crankcase vent on the evo comes out the bottom of the motor and into the carb..I took a 1/4" copper line and stuck it into the throat of the carb to suck any oil mist into the motor..this works very well as very little oil is on the air filter when I clean it..the line was changed at 85k..Now, when I use all syn oil,I get a mist by the valve cover and base gaskets..after a long trip, the motor is oily looking..with the combo I now use It's not to bad..I've been thinking that the oil filter might be a small problem..The wix I now use is a 26 micron..the stock harley is a 30 micron so I have a little more back pressure in the crank..evo filter is after the oil comes out of the motor..I had thought's about a Baldwin filter but they are a 20 micron filter..the reason I started this post, was to find out if anyone else uses a different oil with better or same results..I'm comfortable with this oil combination I now use cause I change it every 2.5k..It starts and runs very well..I'm not sure that the penz 15/40 long life would be heavy enough..what do you guys think?? thanks
The filter very well could be the problem. I know there is an oil scavanging problem with Evo motors when folks would put on a filter meant for the new TC 88 motors. The filter for the TC 88 is a 10 micron filter, it created too much flow restriction, not allowing the pump to scavenge the oil in the crankcase quick enough. The excess oil would blow out the breather and either burned or sprayed along the side of the bike.
The problem is solved by going to a less restrictive filter. If you don't want to use regular Harley filters, J&P Cycles sell some quality oversize filters with very little flow restriction. Some even have internal magnets on the inner core to catch any ferrous particles that may have found it's way through filter medium.
The problem is solved by going to a less restrictive filter. If you don't want to use regular Harley filters, J&P Cycles sell some quality oversize filters with very little flow restriction. Some even have internal magnets on the inner core to catch any ferrous particles that may have found it's way through filter medium.
Thanks Gary...I'll check that out...
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