Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[LarryB]

oh I will say that the type of oil definately has something to do with the wear of the tensioners

[tazmun]

Excuse my stupidity, but how did you come up with that gem?  Last I heard, even H-D finally figured out what was causing all those tensioner failures, and it had nothing to do with the type of oil.  It has to do with poor design and even poorer part quality. 

Jerry

So, what I think your saying is the MoCo should send out a recall on 2000 thru 2006 Twincam,
for defective parts, and reimburse ALL owners who had to spend big bucks to get their
engines fixed? Wait, only car companies due that!

[HOGMIKE]

So, what I think your saying is the MoCo should send out a recall on 2000 thru 2006 Twincam,
for defective parts, and reimburse ALL owners who had to spend big bucks to get their
engines fixed? Wait, only car companies due that!

Yeah, but, THEY wait 'till someone dies!
Toyota!

 

[tazmun]

Yeah, but, THEY wait 'till someone dies!
Toyota!

 

You seem to have forgot Chevy trucks, Ford Pinto's (gas tank explosions), and a host of
other car fires from the big three!!!!! We must play fair here.

 But again, I'm still waiting for my Twincam recall.

[HOGMIKE]

You seem to have forgot Chevy trucks, Ford Pinto's (gas tank explosions), and a host of
other car fires from the big three!!!!! We must play fair here.

 But again, I'm still waiting for my Twincam recall.

You'll be waiting a long time.

Harley will change the specs again to bring it into a "non-issue".........or.........the service manager will give you his normal response:

"They all do that"!

 

[tazmun]

You'll be waiting a long time.

Harley will change the specs again to bring it into a "non-issue".........or.........the service manager will give you his normal response:

"They all do that"!

 

Oh.......I shouldn't add the cam bearing issue then either!

[RGS1966]

Excuse my stupidity, but how did you come up with that gem?  Last I heard, even H-D finally figured out what was causing all those tensioner failures, and it had nothing to do with the type of oil.  It has to do with poor design and even poorer part quality. 

Yes the oil does matter.  I ran regular Harley Oil in two Harley which both had over 80k miles each with no cam tensioner failures or extreme wear.  Since the Syn oil became popular it is a well know fact that the cam tensioners only last 10-15k miles instead of the 25-30k miles you get on regular oil.  Harley knows about the problem because my mechanic who attended MMI stated the motor company has tested the oil and is aware the Syn oil eats up plastic faster than the regular oil but they claim the benefit of the Syn oil in the motor controls the heat better and overall will reduce other issues and warranty claims in the motor.

[HOGMIKE]

Excuse my stupidity, but how did you come up with that gem?  Last I heard, even H-D finally figured out what was causing all those tensioner failures, and it had nothing to do with the type of oil.  It has to do with poor design and even poorer part quality.  

Yes the oil does matter.  I ran regular Harley Oil in two Harley which both had over 80k miles each with no cam tensioner failures or extreme wear.  Since the Syn oil became popular it is a well know fact that the cam tensioners only last 10-15k miles instead of the 25-30k miles you get on regular oil.  Harley knows about the problem because my mechanic who attended MMI stated the motor company has tested the oil and is aware the Syn oil eats up plastic faster than the regular oil but they claim the benefit of the Syn oil in the motor controls the heat better and overall will reduce other issues and warranty claims in the motor.

Seems strange that HD will sell the Syn oil, knowing they will have to do warranty repairs at "10-15K miles"
My '10 has 2 yrs warranty on it, and now 11K miles. Sounds like when the motor lunches, HD will give me a new one, huh?
Maybe that's why the bikes cost so much? If they replace motors every 10-15K miles?
Doesn't make good business sense to me, but, what the He11 do I know?
Seems to me, if they wanted us to check them, it'd be a "service item" in the owner's book.

 

[tazmun]

Seems strange that HD will sell the Syn oil, knowing they will have to do warranty repairs at "10-15K miles"
My '10 has 2 yrs warranty on it, and now 11K miles. Sounds like when the motor lunches, HD will give me a new one, huh?
Maybe that's why the bikes cost so much? If they replace motors every 10-15K miles?
Doesn't make good business sense to me, but, what the He11 do I know?
Seems to me, if they wanted us to check them, it'd be a "service item" in the owner's book.

 

Oh GREAT, now I have to worry about my car too!  I use synthetic oil in that too!!!!!!!!!

[HOGMIKE]

Oh GREAT, now I have to worry about my car too!  I use synthetic oil in that too!!!!!!!!!

Jeez. I never thought of that!!!!
Does anyone know where the cam chain tensioners are in a Honda Civic???
Thank God I use the drained oil from my Pan in my rider mower, it's straight 60WT......that engine should be ok, right??

 

[ragtop13]

 

[SteveFLHTK]

Excuse my stupidity, but how did you come up with that gem?  Last I heard, even H-D finally figured out what was causing all those tensioner failures, and it had nothing to do with the type of oil.  It has to do with poor design and even poorer part quality. 

Yes the oil does matter.  I ran regular Harley Oil in two Harley which both had over 80k miles each with no cam tensioner failures or extreme wear.  Since the Syn oil became popular it is a well know fact that the cam tensioners only last 10-15k miles instead of the 25-30k miles you get on regular oil.  Harley knows about the problem because my mechanic who attended MMI stated the motor company has tested the oil and is aware the Syn oil eats up plastic faster than the regular oil but they claim the benefit of the Syn oil in the motor controls the heat better and overall will reduce other issues and warranty claims in the motor.

Sorry, don't buy it.  My '99 went 80k miles before I went to gear cam, on the original tensioners.  60k of the 80k was synthetics.  A buddy went 80k on his 99, changed tensioners and they grenaded less than 20k later.  He runs nothing but Harley conventional oil.  Oil has NOTHING to do with the tensioners going, the change in material of the tensioners in late '99 DOES. 

This is emperical evidence that I witnessed myself, not heard someone who heard someone.

[HOGMIKE]

Sorry, don't buy it.  My '99 went 80k miles before I went to gear cam, on the original tensioners.  60k of the 80k was synthetics.  A buddy went 80k on his 99, changed tensioners and they grenaded less than 20k later.  He runs nothing but Harley conventional oil.  Oil has NOTHING to do with the tensioners going, the change in material of the tensioners in late '99 DOES. 

This is emperical evidence that I witnessed myself, not heard someone who heard someone.

There has been a lot of talk in the past about the cause of such failures:
Poor quality control of shoes, chains, springs.
H-D changed chains, shoes, went from springs to hydraulic, among other things over the years to try to correct these issues.
I agree that some have had 80k miles to somewhat less, before replacement.

My '09 had 30k miles with no issues.
I don't recall anything addressing type of oil causing early failures.
I'm sure someone has a "friend" who had a motor grenade because of some mechanical issue, but, not as a rule.
We have about 600 members in our club, very few have had issues with the newer bikes.
I usually hear about everyone's problems, I must be the club "dad" that they vent to??!!??
 

[SteveFLHTK]

07 and newer are obviously a different system.  My point with my experiences that it probably isn't the chain, as those weren't changed on either bike....the tensioners themselves changed color between the very early '99 and the later ones.  Color change, to me, is indicative of a change in materials.  I firmly believe the problem was a change in materials causing excessive wear on an accelerated basis.

[HOGMIKE]

Sorry, don't buy it.  My '99 went 80k miles before I went to gear cam, on the original tensioners.  60k of the 80k was synthetics.  A buddy went 80k on his 99, changed tensioners and they grenaded less than 20k later.  He runs nothing but Harley conventional oil.  Oil has NOTHING to do with the tensioners going, the change in material of the tensioners in late '99 DOES. 

This is emperical evidence that I witnessed myself, not heard someone who heard someone.

I would tend to agree!