Howdy, I've got a 93 ultra that I'm doing a frame up restore on. I have the crank case halves separated because I wanted to replace all the bearings. I was cleaning up the crank case halves and happened to find a nice crack on the primary side. It actually goes into the raised shoulder as shown in the pic. I could weld it but I would have to machine the radius back in. s far as I can tell the crack doesn't go into the crank case itself. My question is should I try and fix it or should just spring for a new crank case? I don't want to half ass something that's not goal here.http://www.harleychatgrouhttp://www....attach/jpg.gif
Mike
couple thoughts....
you've kinda already answered the question in part as you said you don't wanna half ass it. with it torn down that far, the cost of a new case is parts only. that would be the ultimate. however, let's look at repair options...
not unusual to see a rubbermount evo with a crack here. main issue is torqueloading and misalignment. this can be addressed during assembly. engine alignment is crtical and you should never have to use a mallet to pound the inner primary on- if you do, it will do what you have here eventually.
genuine james makes a gaket kit that replaces the stock oring with a stamped gasket to repair issues like this. additionally, carlini makes a "torque arm" that ties the right side of the trnas/engine together and strenthens the unit assembly against torque loading.
hope that helps-
j
Junior thanks for the advice. It looks like the motor has been out before and it's got persuasion marks on the case guess they didn't have dead blows back then. One other thing I've never had to replace a crank case before who besides Mo Co sells one without breaking the bank. I've looked at S&S, pretty pricey I've looked at Delkron also don't know too much about them.
Again thanks
Mike
s&s and delkron are the most common and likely best quality. ultima makes a less expensive option. revtech will offer them, but my experieince with their stuff is that their manufacturing tolerances are, well, generous. moco will sell you a complete engine for @$3600, about twice what they want just for cases. go figure.
j
isn't that with a core of a rebuilt-able engine, when you buy it from Harley, not sure but I thought I once read that
Bucket list are for Sissie, men do it while they can enjoy it
i've bought engines from hd of west virginia through the "new era" motor program. the ones i got were in the box new. however, they also have an exchange program that will have them rebuild your core and return it with your numbers intact. for what they charge for a new evo, you can buy one, put 2500 into it, and still be money ahead on a new build.
i think if i was going to keep it forever i'd invest in the cases. if i was going to ride it a couple of seasons and turn it, go for the gasket/brace (i'd put a brace in either case- especially if the HP is pumped).
as evidenced by his current issue, the real issue is attention to detail on assembly. whichever route you choose, don't rush and measure twice. some thoughts on assembling-
-build/buy an engine stand for assembly. much better than 2x4's. i made mine from a bed frame....
-use the correct tools. some of this requires using specific tooling- it's worth the investment.
-looks like you did a thorough inspection already to find this. also look at bearing bores and tapped holes. run a tap through the tapped holes to clear out old loctite, etc.
-use a timken inner cam bearing and not the stock ina
-when assembling case halves, try using yamabond (i know, but it's good stuff)
-if you are going to pump it up, take the time to make sure the components you pick work together. sounds like this ain't your first barbecue, so i imagine that's done.
- engine out? look at the frame. check for cracks.
-with the trans out and on a bench at this point, i'd pop the cover and look at the drum/forks. replace the shift shaft seal, 5th gear seal, main drive and quad (under the spacer) seals.
-clean an inspect anything else.
j
Thanks Jr., Yeah this isn't my first and I will be buried with this bike so it will be done right. What's sucks is that I replaced the right side inner race, took it to work and jig ground it to oem specs and now it's pretty much a black wrinkle paper weight. I got a little ahead of myself and should have inspected the cases a little closer but such is life. At least I noticed it before I put the halves together. Yeah I wouldn't work on a motor without an engine stand and your spot on everything else. Have a great day man
Mike
glad to help- keep us posted...
j
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