Oil from the Air Filter

[GaryG]

I have a 2003 1200C with about 1900 miles on it. I took a 300 mile ride last weekend and got oil on my exhaust and oil tank from the Air Box. I had the Tax done when new, so it has the S/E air filter, exhaust, jets. The oil doesn't look red to me, but it's hard to tell for sure. I was told that the oil used to lube the filter is red, as opposed to engine oil blow bye.

The dealer said not to worry about it until the next 2500 mile service, then mention it to the mechanic. He claims this is fairly common with S/E filters since they are not sealed.

Anyone else have this happen?


Gary

[02 Sporty]

I think this is fairly common on all the sportsters regardless of air filter, carb setup, etc. It is engine oil that's coming out.

I've read about some potential fixes on www.sportster.org but for me it's not enough of an inconvience to mess with.

[Doug]

Welcome to the world of SE oil filter blow by.... Common indeed, whats more common is wiping down the side of the engine after long rides.. guess you could say that's the dues you have to pay for this type of breather and jet kit setup... been there, done that, all stock for me from now on....

[Stefan]

Very common. You can ignore it, put the stock air cleaner back on, or get a puke can.
I have 15000 miles on my 2002. I've chosen to add a bit less oil (it still shows on the dipstick) and ignore it.

[Kjoe]

Hi All, I too have a 2002 XL-1200C... I had oil coming from the stock air filter before, I did the stage-1 upgrade to the Screaming Eagle breather/Jet kit and it has continued since the stage-1.

Just putting the stock filter/breather will not fix it.

yeah, I have heard it's a common problem. I hope that HD will fix this design defect in the future.

good luck.....kjoe

[ziggyhd1]

This can be a very simple fix. Just get a oil breather filter. aftermarket about $10, Take the oil breather hose off your filter box and route a longer hose to a convenient ( preferably lower on the bike) spot and bolt it on. I've been using one for years and rarely get any oil on the bike.

[murphdog]

The SE air cleaner for newer Sportys doesn't have a breather hose, the a/c backing plate is attached by the hollow breather bolts that thread into the head. Air and oil is vented directly through the breather bolts into the a/c. I drilled out the hex hole in my breather bolts (just the very end, not the entire length of the bolt) and tapped them for 1/8" pipe thread. I then installed 1/8" brass elbows with a short length of tubing aimed at the carb throat. This is similar to the new SE a/c for the Twin Cam. You will have to either mill or grind some flats on the heads of the breather bolts so you can get them on and off with an open end wrench, an allen wrench won't work now. Chick's H-D in Albuquerque sells a kit to do this for around $50, but you can do it yourself for less. It actually does helps the problem as more of the oil is sucked into the carb.

[ricky]

Here is what the Jaz oil catch can looks like on a Buell.

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buel...3842/11939.jpg