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[indcoltz]

just curious it seems i am going through oil, i have no leaks and no smoke coming out exhaust but it seems i gothrough oil any ideas or is it nature of this beast

Synthetic oil does not leave smoke or show smoke coming from the exhaust, you must remove the spark plugs and check for deposits on them. You will get people complaining about how rich your bike is running when traveling behind you, but it's the synthetic oil consumption

[shortdog]

I have an 'o8 Springer Screamin' Eagle and have had this discussion with the dealer since it was new. It uses a quart every thousand miles. I've been told that the MoCo's mantra on this is "that's acceptable". I talk to the owner and owner's son (AHDRA Champ Donnie Huffman) and they shake their heads and indicate that is high consumption. When I had the recall done at about 8,000 miles the valve guide seals were leaking, they fixed them under the warranty. At about 17,000 miles I had to have valve guide seals replaced again. Had to use my extended warranty, however MoCo gave me a $250.00 instore credit for 'loyalty'
which I appreciated. Still using about 1 quart every thousand miles. I am continuing to pursue matter as I think that is too high. My wife has the same bike and uses a little dab now and again. Go figure!
Shortdog

[speedydog5]

well i just changed oil and i,m gonna keep tract of what i go through exactly, and when i called dealer or had someone ask for me they told me that a quart every thousand is acceptable they even said 750 to a thousand is acceptable my warrenty expires on the 31st of this month so it looks like i,m forced into buying the extended for a couple years just to be safe my plugs are a light tan color so i dont know what to do if i go to dealer it sounds like i,ll be  so i,ll just throw away another grand to be safe after spending many thosands on bike this sucks

[Twolanerider]

well i just changed oil and i,m gonna keep tract of what i go through exactly, and when i called dealer or had someone ask for me they told me that a quart every thousand is acceptable they even said 750 to a thousand is acceptable my warrenty expires on the 31st of this month so it looks like i,m forced into buying the extended for a couple years just to be safe my plugs are a light tan color so i dont know what to do if i go to dealer it sounds like i,ll be  so i,ll just throw away another grand to be safe after spending many thosands on bike this sucks

That usage is bullchit on a modern engine.  Tell them to document that such usage is factory acceptable.  Not their word but something that can be cited from the manufacturer.

[grc]

well i just changed oil and i,m gonna keep tract of what i go through exactly, and when i called dealer or had someone ask for me they told me that a quart every thousand is acceptable they even said 750 to a thousand is acceptable my warrenty expires on the 31st of this month so it looks like i,m forced into buying the extended for a couple years just to be safe my plugs are a light tan color so i dont know what to do if i go to dealer it sounds like i,ll be  so i,ll just throw away another grand to be safe after spending many thosands on bike this sucks

Rather than just talk to someone at the dealership, get it written up on a repair order so you have proof that this problem was brought to their attention prior to the expiration of the warranty.  It is their responsibility to perform diagnostics and to verify actual consumption; it takes time to do a controlled consumption test and unless you ride a lot of miles per day it won't be completed by the end of the month.  So the repair order needs to be dated on the day you start, not when the test is completed.  If a controlled test indicates better than 1000 miles per quart consumption and they blow you off with the "that's normal" or "that's acceptable" BS, have them write that on the repair order as well.  In other words, document everything so there is no "he said, she said" if you have to take more drastic actions.

Assuming you have no leaks, and assuming you aren't overfilling and causing blowby into the air cleaner, there are usually two other areas that would create excessive consumption.  Most likely on a Twin Cam is valve guides and seals, followed by cylinder and ring problems.  Before you hand over $1000 to H-D and your dealer for an ESP that won't repair your problem either unless the consumption gets to the point of being ridiculous, you might want to find a good shop and get a quote to do a real diagnosis and repair.  $1000 plus will buy a lot of valve stem seals, or even a ring job.


JMHO - Jerry 

[Twolanerider]

Knew I remembered this from somewhere.  A 2005 era doc from Harley on oil consumption and diagnositics.  Came out when there was a lot of valve seal issue.

HD does CYA with a 1500 mile per quart statement for Twin Cam engines.  If that usage were repeatedly consistent I'd honestly not lose any sleep over it.  Can easily remember when a quart in a thousand on any engine was actually good.  But with modern machining tolerances and materials usage a qt to 1500 really shouldn't be deemed appropriate.  They might.  But it's a weak spec.

Doc is a PDF at the link below.

[KODAGRIN]

I've been closely involved with 7 different harleys since 1996 and none have used a significant amount of oil between changes until my 2008 110 inch.  I finally got the best mech at the dealership to address the problem after 2 years & 19,000 miles.  He looked into the cylinder with a scope and found the cylinder walls were dry and determined the afr was too rich...says the excess fuel was "washing" the oil seal away allowing engine oil to leak into the combustion chamber.  He did a dyno tune & leaned out the mixture, so far after 1000 miles, it seems to have made a big improvement.

[Beary]

HD does CYA with a 1500 mile per quart statement for Twin Cam engines. 

It’s not just Harley, many car manufactucers (GM, Ford) and other motorcycle companies have the same policy, give or take a 1000 miles.

Beary

[cmecatchu2]

My previous bike never hada a consumption problem, but my 2009 SERG is using way too much-- I am takin gmine to another dealer-- I had a whole service done last weekend and it was at the proper level and after only 400 miles it is down another quart-- Tech who did service cant find leak but something isnt right--- My bike is getting worse it seems to be losing oil quicker now. I currently have 7,000 miles on it.

I am going to use advice on getting it a new dyno and see if that helps but this is crazy. The bike had 3700 miles when dealer noticed that it was well over a quart and a half low after being completely filled after 1k service-- went on 2600 miles trip and had to use another 2 quarts after it was filled before the trip by the dealer. I took the measurement after they filled it and recorded the level. During my whole trip that level kept falling and didn't stop.  I can't understand how the MOCO can have no issues on other engines but claims this is acceptable. It is embarrassing when my non CVO friends have to watch me put in a quart of oil every trip.

Plugs were pulled and there really was no deposits on them. No visible leaks, no smoke and the pipes do not have any visible oil spots or wet areas. So if anyone gets an answer or can help please let me know.

[indcoltz]

Synthetic oil DOES NOT burn like other oils, you will not find it in your mufflers or any place else other than the combustion chamber if it's excessive. Mine was burning over a quart under a 1000 miles. I showed the tech the coffee and cream colored deposits on my spark plugs. It will actually ball up on the tip of your plugs, do not flick it off but show it to your tech. If they will not fix it take it to another dealer but don't tell them what your dealer said, they do not like to compete with each other on these issues.