cowboy

I started noticing a spray or mist like deposit of oil around
the area of the oil cap on the oil tank. (almost like if you were to put oil in a Windex bottle and spray it)

It is right around the oil cap and extending outward for approx. 2 "

At first I thought the oil cap was loose and vibrating at high revs, which might have caused the mist or spray like pattern.(no drops or runs)

After making sure it was in tight and even covering the outside of the cap with plastic wrap I still get the spray ?

So now I've eliminated the cap as the problem, any ideas ?

I don't think there are any oil lines close by, could it be from the valve covers or push rod covers, and at high speed the wind blows it back ??

Anyone seen this before.?

FatBoyRider

Check you back rocker box for leaks....could be a small leak there. If so you should be able to wipe your finger across it to tell, if not see it. That rear rocker box assembly is pretty close to your Softail oil bag and at speed any oil leak could blow back onto the bag.

FBR

PHAT-BOY

I had the same problem on my Fatboy, and it ended up being filter oil from the K&N filter spraying back. I over oiled. You have a K&N filter on that??

cowboy

The oil filter is stock.

Could it be oil collecting in the air filter ?

FatBoyRider

Cowboy, he's talking about the "air filter"....K&N uses a filter that you clean, and re-oil....

FBR

PHAT-BOY

Sorry, that's what I meant, the air filter.

cowboy

The carb is stock with the Hi-flow kit installed.

motorhead1

Wipe your finger in the opening at the bottom of the air cleaner. If it comes out oily, you've probably found the culprit.

Phu Cat

Cowboy, Suspect you may have a worn breather timing gear. You didn't say how mANY MILES WERE ON THE BIKE. aS WAS SAID EARLIER, IF THERE ARE DROPS OF OIL ON THE LIP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AIR CLEANER, (oOPS), then the breather gear likely needs to be replaced. It's a fairly easy job as it's located in the nose cone on the right side of your engine.

Phu Cat

cowboy

Mileage is 4000

FatBoyRider

Well **** me....that's the problem dude...you need to ride that damn thing. a 1999 anything with only 4000 miles on it should be against the law

FBR

PHAT-BOY

LOL, good one FBR. She's starved for attention.

cowboy

Fatboyrider,
I agree and plan on changing that, but I was glad of the low miles when I bought it this year like cherry. only had like 3200 when I got it.......
Liek 6k now or something.....

oldsailordbf

Cowboy you need to break it in once everything is seated then worry about leaks. This is a Harley it is not leaking it is marking its spot. enjoy your ride.

chesshirecat

I had the same problem with my 93 1200 Sporty... a fine spray left on the oil tank,,, which soon develouped into large deposits on the cam case (right side.)
I pulled the stock filter, removed the breather bolts, soaked them in kero to clean... vacumed the breather vent holes, used a solvent to clean the breather vents, (there was a bunch of crap in there... I couldn't beleive it,) I cleaned the carb... replaced the stock filter with a K&N.... bolted it all back togather and she is now dry as a bone. No sprayback... no drips... and Evos are not supposed to "leave their mark," at least not in this fashion.

Chessie

cowboy

I think is it the rocker box gasket,
I see a little oil coming off that area on the left side of
the rear head just above the plug.

Now tell me I can change that wihout pulling the engine ...

Junkyard

Hmmm....Don't know if you can on a FXSTC, but I was able to do it on my old sporty ('92). I know that I would sure as hell give it a try before pulling the engine out of the frame!

WooHoo!

screw that, keep adding oil. kidding.

cowboy

If it turns out to be the gasket, I'll wait til winter.

Meanwhile is there any kind of goo I could use to put on the seam to stop the flow ?


Its not leaking too much, just a nuisance.

PHAT-BOY

You could try to smear some RTV gasket on it, it comes in clear so it wouldn't bee too noticeable.

cowboy

Thanks.

Is RVT a brand name or a type ?

PHAT-BOY

Permatex Gasket I believe is the technical name of it. Comes in a small tube.

Junkyard

RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing. It's mainly a fancy name for silicone based sealants. Dow Corning or GE makes various RTV sealants. The only problem is they are not very resistant to oil. You would be better off going to an auto parts store and finding some type of form-a-gasket in a tube, such as Permatex. I think another brand is called "good stuff". I don't know if they make anything like that in clear. When you decide on whatever it is you're going to use, make sure you completely de-grease the area you want to seal, or nothing is ever going to stick. Use brake cleaner, alcohol or any other type of solvent that will dry and leave no residue. Electrical contact cleaner works really well. If you can get into the area, mask off above and below the seam you want to seal. It'll look alot better than just smearing the goo all over the place. Just remember to remove the masking tape before the sealant dries. Good luck!

SgtHollywood

Might be some Packing Cosmoline from the crate still on it.

cowboy

OK now I'm pissed, I remember the old Pan heads etc....
Take off the Pan, replace the gasket......

You got to be kidding me, this Evo engine has 3 rocker covers and 3 sets of
gaskets ......, and of course it looks like it must be set closer to the head,
not the last one, (I tested all of the outside screws, and they all seem tight
so it must be one of the lower gaskets and you can't get to those unless
you take off the top one,,,,,,,)

OK ranting done,
what I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this, if you found it
to be that the inside bolts/screws were loose OR that the gasket failed ?

Although its leaking more (a few drops per run) its still just a nuisance,
but I'm wondering if its because a screw is loose, maybe it could come out
all the way and cause damage.

So for those of you that have had this problem was it the gasket (worn,
eroded) or a loose screw ?

Junkyard

When the rocker cover on my evo sporty leaked, it was the lower gasket. If my memory serves me right (this was about 5 yrs ago), I had to remove the upper cover, middle cover/spacer, then the rocker arm, push rods, and finally the lower part. Nothing at all was loose. The gasket just gave it up. It sounds worse than it actually was to do. On my sportster, I did it in probably about 2 hrs.

HeavyDuty

A common problem that people have with the evo is oil seepage. I was told that the reason this happens is because the engines are being properly warmed up before riding.
Just remember that when you take the rocker covers off that you replace all the gaskets that you loosened or you could run into more problems later on. What sucks is that the head gaskets are expensive.

cowboy

OK, I'm going to have to change these sooner than expected.

Some questions;
- how long a job is this (for those of you that have done this)
- are there aftermarket gaskets that are better OR cheaper than the stock H-D
- any special tools required

HeavyDuty

The special tools I would really recomend would be a torque wrench and a service manual. Make shure you follow the tightening secuence and the torque values. As for aftermarket gaskets I'm afraid I don't know.

Junkyard

I used aftermarket gaskets (I think they were from Drag or Revtech) purchased from a local shop. They worked fine, and I guess they were cheaper than H.D. (didn't even bother to price them from Harley) I would also definately recommend having a shop manual and using torque wrench. Any shop manual for an evo engined bike near your year will do. Definately replace any gaskets you are disturbing. You don't want to have to go back in there twice. The top cover gaskets are rubber, and I think the gasket between the head and rocker box was paper. I always use gasket shellac on paper gaskets, just to make sure it isn't going to leak. It really wasn't that big of a deal to do. Just take your time, and you'll be fine.