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Help! Oil suddenly puking from the air cleaner – stock 1450

Got a buddy that had that happen on the way to Sturgis. The vent hoses from the head pans were the culprit. They are suppose to clear the oil "vapor" out of the head pans into the back of the air cleaner. He had went to an aftermarket air cleaner and the diameter of the hose was smaller and too close to the barrel, for some reason under a hard pull they started pulling oil out of the pans or condensating the vapor. The further he rode the worse the problem got because he was contaminating the air cleaner with straight motor oil, hence more plugging, hence more vacuum, sucking more oil.
What's the fix.......the Arlen Ness "Big Sucka" backing plate, the problem will go away.
 
OK…I might be onto something here. Over the weekend ride I was again obsessively checking the oil level, and noticed the level changed a lot. Sometimes it would be just above the “add a quart level” and I made a mental note to top it off when I returned to the hotel, but when I returned the oil level was halfway to the full mark. I elected not to top-off.

On the way back, directly following the massive puke the oil barely registered on the dipstick. I was not surprised at the time considering the white cloud I produced. I dumped in a whole quart of oil (but did not check after filling) and rode about 1.5 more hours home.

Took the bike for its first short run today. Checked the oil level both before leaving (cold) and when I returned (hot) and both were grossly overfilled to about to the T on HOT. All checks were done on the jiffy stand and never on much of a grade. It looks like ¾ quart overfilled today.

I have owned the bike for about 1600 miles (current mileage 35,850). During my ownership it has puked three times, and the first puke was before I ever added oil. The bike will be great or puke massively, nothing in between. I have only added oil twice, adding a full quart each time.

I cannot comprehend how the bike can puke so much oil, but appear to consume so little.

I now strongly suspect the puke is caused by an intermittent oil backup in the motor. When this happens the oil collects in the engine and drains the reservoir. I assume this would suggest a bad oil pump and/or clogged return line? Is there a method to test instead of just blindly replacing parts?
 
have you changed the oil at all ? might drain it all and then fill it with the reccommend amount .. not by how full on the stick and see if you havent been overfilling it
 
A couple of comments/questions.

How is the oil temperature? Does the engine seem to be hotter than normal? How does the bike run? Does it feel sluggish? Have you ridden enough others to compare?

Oil puking is not normal and "they all don't do that". You don't need to spend a bunch of money on aftermarket stuff to solve the problem; the stock components will get the job done.

The thing that bugs me is the inconsistent dipstick readings. From what I have read, you have overfilled but sometimes when you check during a ride, you can barely touch the oil with the stick?? That oil is hanging out somewhere.

Just to eliminate the possibility of sumping, the next time you go for a ride, as soon as you get home, drain the crankcase and measure the oil that comes out. Check you service manual for the location of the crankcase drain plug and when you reinstall, apply a little anti seizing stuff to the threads. If more than 4-6 ounces drains out, she is sumping and that can be dealt with. If 4-5 ounces or less drain out, she is not sumping and you can move on.
 
Do not have a temp gauge but nothing seemed overly different during the last puke. However the day was very hot and I was riding two-up. Might be related…when I originally bought it was the longest non-stop ride (4-hours) and the fastest (75 MPH) and it did not puke. But that day was not as hot, and I was riding solo.

Otherwise the bike has always performed well, I rented a 2009 Ultra and Road King and it has comparable power. Also remember mine has the MM fuel injection so has higher gearing, it runs about 3500 RPM at 75 MPH. I’m sure higher RPM compounds the problem. The engine is the stock 1450 and I have no desire to hotrod or find more power. I just want it to stop puking on the highway.

The varying dipstick reading confuses me too. We still can’t rule out operator stupidity because I’m still learning the bike, it’s my first big twin.

I can attempt to check the crankcase for oil, however I assume I would have to check immediately following a high-speed puke? Once I complete the ride at lower speeds wouldn’t the oil eventually be pumped back into the reservoir?

The last puke made the engine miss and create two contrails from the exhaust. I shutoff the engine, visually checked the bike, and upon refiring the engine it cleared in a few seconds and it ran fine all the rest of the way home. Likely any sumped oil would have been pumped back into the reservoir well before I return to the garage.

Afterthought: If heat could be contributing problem I’m going to try 60 weight oil. It’s been approaching 100F here and summer just barely started. My manual recommends 60W for over 80F.
 
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Anytime I see or hear of a bike puking oil out of the aircleaner the first thing that comes to mind is that they probably got a fresh oil change and somebody might have put just a wee bit too much oil in the crankcase. Then, if the bike got ridden kind of hard in warm weather, the oil tends to swells up in the crankcase and when it gets to spinning real good, it pukes out the aircleaner. Kind of like when you are drinking something and you start to laugh really hard. Invaribly it comes out your nose. Ya know?
 
be careful removing the sump plug that has loctite some have cracked the oil pan ..

i would still warm it up good than drain it measure it and see what is supposed to be in it by manual to make sure your not over filling that's the easiest way to start .. before tossing parts at it
 
If the engine is hot and you are careful, you shouldn't have a problem removing the crankcase drain plug; I haven't cracked a case yet and have opened up a few.

If you do drain and refill, which is a logicval place to start, you would want to know if any oil is hiding out in the crankcase. You do not have to wait for the next puke to chek the crankcase. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't check it after a puke. Just take if for a ride, get it up to operating temp, go home and drain the crankcase. The drain the pain and, like Bud says, measure what you got; you might be surprised.
 
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