XS/Harley Joke for a bad situation

[TonimusMaximus]

Sorry I've been gone so long. Work has me really busy.



Ever wonder what an XS sounds like running on 1 cylinder? A Harley.

I found out that I'm not running on 3 cylinders, but 1. And cylinder 3 isn't making enough compression. Looks like it's time for a rebuild. Suggestions on complete rebuild kits? Any suggestions on what I should make sure I get?

[Geezer]

Re: XS/Harley Joke for a bad situation

Originally posted by TonimusMaximus
Sorry I've been gone so long. Work has me really busy.

Ever wonder what an XS sounds like running on 1 cylinder? A Harley.

I found out that I'm not running on 3 cylinders, but 1. And cylinder 3 isn't making enough compression. Looks like it's time for a rebuild. Suggestions on complete rebuild kits? Any suggestions on what I should make sure I get?

How bad is the compression and how many miles are on the engine?

Geezer

[John]

piston rings

Tony, there is a guy in the classified ads here that is selling over sized ring sets, and other XSstuff. Drop him an E mail.

[TonimusMaximus]

Engine has 17,000 miles, compression on cylinder 3 is about 40 psi less than it should be.

[randy]

Tony, have you tested the rings? Squirt a teaspoon of oil in the spark plug hole and do another compression test. If the compression comes up again, the rings are bad. If it doesn't, it's a valve problem.

Randy

[randy]

By the way, the grab rail looks sweet. Thanks.

[Ken Talbot]

Better yet, Tony, see if you can track down somebody with a leak down tester before you start tearing into it. This goes way beyond what simple compression test will tell you. It could pinpoint things right down to one valve in one cylinder if that's what the problem is. Going this way will let you be pretty sure which parts you will need to order before starting, thereby minimizing your down-time. With such a low mileage on the clock, and with only one cylinder being a problem, you might theoretically be be looking at only one valve shim that's out of spec. If that's the case, you won't even need a gasket kit. All you would need is some 'form a gasket' type material for the valve cover and you're back on the road.

[TonimusMaximus]

I wish it was going "back" on the road. It hasn't seen any miles other than in the back of a truck for 23 years. I'll see if I can get my hands on a leakdown tester at work and try that out. With the motor having sat for so long, should I just dive in to a rebuild anyway? Yeah, 17 thousand miles isn't a lot really, but it is in the 2.5 years it was actually ridden,

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Tony,

Wow, 23 years in storage! And if it wasn't proper storage, like oil squirted into the cylinders and such, then good chance you've got a lot of rust formed inside the cylinders. Mine sat outside for only 9 years(the shame ) and I hadn't sealed it properly, so I counted on having to do a rebuild, tore it down and found a considerable amount of rust inside it, so that's why I went with the BIG BORE, that and mine had ~50k miles as well ! I just did a topend job, along with the 1st/2nd gear fix, didn't have to split the cases, or even replace the cam chain!

If you've got the money and mechanic ability, you'll get plenty of bang out of the smallest big bore kit, and you'll be assured that you've got a pristine conditioned topend!

[Geezer]

Originally posted by TonimusMaximus
Engine has 17,000 miles, compression on cylinder 3 is about 40 psi less than it should be.

I'd pull the head and check everything out. I'm willing to bet that the valves that were open when the bike was stitting are pitted. Most likely a few new valves and a gasket set will bring it up to par.

Geezer

[TonimusMaximus]

So, am I correct that the consensus now is a teardown to at least the heads?

[randy]

Tony,

Barring any further expense or special tools, the oil-on-the-rings test will at least point you in the right direction. And it's free.

HTH

Randy