Mystery oil leak

W

werrd

New member
Hey guys I'm new to the world of harleys so please excuse my ignorance.

I have a 98 road king classic with 70000. After riding today I notice oily spots on the rights side cover(under the seat). nothing on the garage floor, my pants or anywhere else on the motor/bike. this is the first time that I noticed the oil and I look over the bike after each ride.
Any ideas
 
Sounds like your breather vents.
These are bolted to your heads, just behind the carb.
How does your air filter look?
If it's filthy, you'll get more blow-by.
 
I have a k&n filter that wasnt to dirty about 300 miles ago. Ill check in the morning. I have the efi so are these vents in the same spot? how do I go about checking/cleaning them?
BTW thanks for the quick reply
 
The vents breathe from the head, just behind the carb/EFI...right side of motor.
Some people breathe the mist back through the carb/EFI and burn it up in the combustion chamber.
Others, myself included, breathe it to the atmosphere.
The actual breather filters are inside the rocker boxes.
There are flapper valves just under those filters.
On a 12 year old bike, I'd say your flappers are pretty worn out, have little to no resistance.

Your best bet, change your setup and breathe it to the atmosphere.
 
You'll need to unbolt the tank and raise the rear.
It doesn't have to come off.
You don't need to remove the carb/EFI module, either.
You only need to remove the top half rocker box.
After that's removed, you'll see an oblong (sorta) contraption in the center.
That'll be your breathers.
Unbolt the 2 screws and you'll see what's needed.

2 breather filters
2 breather flapper valves
2 breather gaskets
2 top rocker box gaskets

I'd like to suggest buying a Service Manual for your year model bike, too.
These things are bibles to the Harley's.
 
You can remove the rocker covers without removing the tank, but it's a bitch. Removing the tank is pretty simple and would be your best bet. Usually, the gaskets can be reused, but given the age if your bike and her mileage it might be a good idea to replace them. You'll need a pair of rocker cover gaskets, a pair of breather assembly gaskets and a breather service kit. The pieces that get brittle and less efficient are commonly called umbrella valves. Explain what you're doing to the parts guy and they will most likely have all the parts on hand. If you don't already have one, the HD service manual for you particular bike will be an invaluable asset to have for this job and the future. Good luck
 
I have a service manual on the way from the dealer. I should get it by tuesday. Last question about this. Since this is labor day weekend I'm riding down to a friends house about 200 miles one way. dealers are closed so would this cause any serious problems for my bike?
 
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