| Author |
Message |
    
Burntwiches
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 08:44 pm: | 
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Apparently there are witches in all of the primary oils, because it always smells like I'm burning them.
But first, Hi all! long time lurker, first time poster, as it were. I've always found answers in the annals of the forum, and thus haven't posted.
I'm working an 09 Uly and I'm ready to give up on this thing. For a quick recap, here's what's happened and what I've done:
On an epic cross country journey from Louisiana to northern CA (2k miles each way) I lost random screws [self fix] in the first few days, then the rear bearings [self fix], then the clutch [tow and stealership]. When I finally made it home, the clutch was slipping and jumpy. I pulled it apart and found strange goop all over the plates, that I later discovered was melted stator epoxy.
As a result I replaced the clutch plates, and the clutchbasket (I broke it, long story), the stator, and for good measure the VR. while I was at it I threw in a new clutch cable since my sheath was cracked and screw corroded. New primary oil and BADABING! or so I thought.
I had a knock that turned out to be the primary chain, but when I adjusted it I found no butter zone between knock and harpy. In fact, I left it where it screeched and knocked simultaneously. Further, at lower RPMs it was jumpy, it felt like being pushed in a shopping cart, but going 50. I did some reading, checked the sparkplugs, replaced a corroded back plug wire, which reduced the jumpyness but it still felt wrong.
Today I drained the primary oil after only about 100 total miles of use and its black and smells of burnt witches. I'm at a loss. My uneducated guess is a bad needle bearing or a bad primary chain. I'll split the case tonight after work to see what all is fried now, but I'd like to fix the cause before throwing more money at it.
for quick reference this is the new stuff:
Stock stator, stock voltage regulator, clutch basket (stock XB12), clutch plates (upgraded to energyone), clutch cable (stock), spark plugs (NGK), spark cables (Ironmachine)
Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated. and again, Aloha. |
Buellistic
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 09:32 pm: |
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IMHO you should put HARLEY-DAVIDSON SYN3 20W50 in your transmission/clutch !!!
Adjust the primary chain to 3/4 inch play on the chain tight spot ...
Correctly adjust the clutch ...
Class 101's on this, just PM me for copies ... |
Burntwiches
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 10:10 pm: |
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I didn't swap the needle bearing inner race from basket 1 to basket 2.....I'll add pics for the betterment of Buell kind in a bit |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 07:42 am: |
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If they put in the normal sport-trans, or even the new formula+, then it will smell strongly of sulfur compounds. That is normal, and it is good.
The "black" part is probably just clutch and stator epoxy carnage getting cleaned up and carried off.
You can run normal 20w50 oil in the primary, but it doesn't wear as well as gear oil. Those smelly sulpher compounds last really well in "oil grinder" applications like transmissions. They would use it in engine oil too if they could, but you have to keep that stuff out of a combustion chamber or it will leave terrible deposits. |
Buellistic
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 10:54 am: |
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First ran H-D 20W50, then at 60K up-dated to H-D SYN3 20W50 ...
Have a 111.819.6 miles as of the last ride ...
Still running the OEM stator/rotor/voltage regulator, clutch, pri. chain, and associated bearings ... |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 05:55 pm: |
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It isn't a coincidence that HD introduced Formula+ in the same year (2006) that they went to helical gears in the primary and lighter force clutch springs in the clutches.
One anecdote:
I had an XBRR for a short time AFTER Buell had been shut down and Erik was cut loose from HD. They are BRUTAL on the primary and clutch...big power, porkchop crank that doesn't smooth the power pulses. The XBRR's ate primary chains and clutches for lunch, and that was with a higher spec primary chain to boot. The owners manual of course said to run Syn3 in the engine and Formula+ in the primary.
In the course of rebuilding the primary on this bike, I had to get a bunch of parts from EBR. I asked Erik what he would recommend for the primary now that he wasn't under the thumb of HD...he said "Formula+". I asked why, he said "Clutch Hookup". If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.
There are a bunch of fluids that folks have run in these primaries that I would definitely NOT run, some due to increased stator failure rates, some due to increased clutch slippage. Syn3 probably isn't horrible in the grand scheme, but Formula+ is a better choice, especially for the 2006 and later XBs.
I was always amused that prior to Syn3 being introduced, the HD party line was to NOT run synthetics in their products. The line of bull that was fed at the dealers as to why not was really amusing to hear...stupid things like it'll cause major leaks, or flat spot your bearings, or cause poor break-in, etc. But once they released Syn3, it was the best stuff since sliced bread...Use it in your engine, your tranny, your primary, it's a desert topping AND a floor wax....Pure BS. Syn3 is OK oil, but there are LOTS of better choices.
Fact is, I'm not particularly religious about my engine oil. Always synthetic, but I'm not hard over on any particular brand because I'm changing it before it's even half worn out anyway. But for the primary, ONLY Formula+ for me.
And 10K on the primary fluid per the owners manual? Not a chance, I change it every 5k, and adjust my clutch at the same time. It takes very little time to do as an addition to a normal oil change.
YMMV.
Al |
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