Copyright American Iron Magazine www.aimag.

com TECHLINE
BY

DONNY PETERSEN

HARLEYS AND OIL LEAKS

Part V: A history of marking its spot

Little did anyone know that H-D, in another stroke of marketing genius, would increase the engine displacement on all Big Twins from 88 cubic inches to the time-honored 96".

E HAD ANTICIPATED IN THE LAST Techline that Harley-Davidson might introduce new measures for the 2007 model year to combat oil carryover, also known as blowby or external venting. Little did anyone know that H-D, in another stroke of marketing genius, would increase all Big Twins from 88 cubic inches to the time-honored 96-incher. Why 96" instead of 95, which is achieved safely and simply by increasing the stock TC 88 cylinder bore from 3-3/4" to the very safe and reliable 3-7/8"? Increasing bore to achieve more cubic inches does not affect reliability one iota since piston speed remains the same as the stock configuration. Methinks there are two reasons. First, S&S, the venerable big-inch guru from Viola, Wisconsin, has offered 96" kits and built its own V-twins from stock displacements to this size since the early Shovelhead days, four decades ago. For all the old Harley Dawgs, 96s were the safest big engine that anyone could build during the Shovel-Pan era. Of course, now engines are routinely offered up to 124 cubic inches, with special offerings of mega sizes such as 145 cubes that do run well and hard. This availability is due to improved materials and especially to the manufacturing of custom engine cases with larger, specially reinforced spigot (cylinder) holes that will handle mega-bore

cylinders safely. Again, bigger bores do not increase piston speeds like stroke increases will. Big bore is the safe way to more cubic inches. Put simply, 96" has a special place in historical Harley go-fast lore. We all know that Harley is based upon the past like no other company. The other reason Harley-Davidson might have gone with a new Twin Cam 96-cubic-incher is that it has the same 3-3/4" bore as the 1999-2006 Twin Cams, so it can easily be taken out to 103 cubes by the very same big 3-7/8"-bore package used to go to 95" on earlier TC 88s. The wrist pin location and piston deck heights can simply be changed to handle the increased 2007 Big Twin engine stroke. Here we get back to the mystical engine sizing that makes us all feel warm and cozy. Again, just like on earlier models, new cylinder purchase is not required since the stock cylinders can be bored out to fit the new bigger pistons. The bigbore cylinders marketed by the Motor Company are based on the same stock cylinders that come with the bike. They are the same cylinders except for being hogged out to the larger size. The word hogged has a negative connotation, but the boring procedure is extremely precise, utilizing torque plates that simulate actual cylinder shape when torqued down on the engine. Although the 103" in recent Screamin Eagle Custom Vehicle Operation (CVO) offerings has a much shorter history than the decades-old 96", it does evoke an aura of power, anemic as it turned out to be, since it was the topof-the-line factory H-D engine offering that few could afford. I also think that a bigger bore was not used in the stock factory 96" configuration because it would have eliminated an upgrade that was sure to be popular for

viding more guidance and stability than their shorter 2007 counterparts. A stroker dealership up-selling. Profit rules in a piston has to be shorter so that it does not capitalistic society. Outside of the hit the head on the upstrokes or the flyScreamin Eagle air filter and exhaust wheels on the downstrokes. Now, we upgrade, the top-selling engine upgrade could decrease the diameter of the flyin recent years is that of the big-bore 95" wheels, make the cylinders longer, and use displacement increase. the same contact area pistons, but that leads to frame modifications, which leads S T R O K E D , N O T BO R E D to and on it goes. Not considering capitalistic motivation, H-D has moved the wrist pin closer to it would be foolish, in my opinion, to the oil ring lands, in effect making the increase engine displacement via stroking top of the piston above the wrist pin as opposed to big-bore displacement. The shorter on its 96" pistons. Since the pisreason is very simple: Piston speed is ton is compressing more fuel/air mixture increased, which lessens engine longeviinto the same size combustion chambers, ty. The 2007 Twin Cam A and B models the stock compression ratio has increased have their strokes increased 3/8" from the to 9.2:1, which is a good thing for 1999-2006 4" stroke to a 4-3/8" (4.375") power. The Twin Cam can easily handle stroke to achieve a displacement of 96 10.25:1 compression (performed by a cubic inches (1584cc). Although that skilled mechanic) with no loss in reliastroke is now stock on 2007 Big Twins, bility and a good boost to power. And, of the 2007 96ers are technically strokers course, the piston must be made shorter when compared to 2006 and earlier modbelow the wrist pin to allow clearance els. with the flywheels. The pistons weigh As we have discussed many times 10 percent less than the 1999-2006 ones before, strokers create more swept volbecause they are shorter. Any drop in ume to produce more power because more internal weight of reciprocating parts fuel and air can be drawn into the cylinwill allow for higher revving and less ders and combustion chambers. Stroking stress. The factory also further is short form for increasing the piston The longer stroke (4-3/8") in the 2007 Twin attempts to reduce another bogeyman: stroke and it involves using flywheels Cams, which is how they get their displacement vibration that might otherwise be that place the crankpin closer to the outer of 96 cubic inches (1584cc), is achieved by amplified by this stroke and, therefore, edge. As the flywheels rotate, the con- moving the crankpin (arrow) closer to the outer increased displacement. necting rods, which are guided by the edge of the flywheels. The factory reduced the flywheel crankpin, push the pistons farther up and assemblys reciprocating weight (parts then pull them farther down the cylinder Cam to produce some of the most reliable that go up and down as opposed to rotatbore than on a stock-stroke bike. engines ever. Furthermore, the traditional ing) by designing new connecting rods The stock 1999-2006 Twin Cams Twin Cam weak spot of timing chains and pistons that have been lightened in stroke is 1/4" less than that of its prede- and their rapidly wearing adjusters has ways that, according to the engineers, do cessor Evo, so the crankpin is moved in been addressed in the 2007 models. The not reduce their strength. The con rods a little closer to the center of the rotating molecular structure (hypereutectic) of pis- have tapered top ends where the wrist pin flywheels. Since the crankpin moves in a ton materials is compacted closer to pro- holes are located, while the pistons have circular motion, the distance it is moved vide the best stock pistons ever. Break-in been redesigned essentially like many on the flywheels would be 1/8" closer to materials like a Teflon coating from the stroker pistons. This redesign accounts the center for a 1/4" decrease in stroke. oil ring down are applied to piston thrust for a 6 percent reduction in the flywheel However, the 2007 Twin Cam has a surfaces, and bottom end crank bearing assemblys reciprocating weight. stroke that is 3/8" longer than earlier cages are However, the smaller 4"-stroke pistons Twin Cams and 1/8" longer than the copper-coated to aid in break-in and to did not have to travel at the increased 1984-99 Evolution models. Comparing extend wear limits of the moving and speeds that the longer 4-3/8"-stroke pis1999-2006 Twin Cams with the new 96- interacting parts. Piston cooling jets tons must. The 2007 shorter piston must incher, the crankpin is 3/16" closer to the spray oil on the undersides of the piston move farther up the cylinder and farther edge of the flywheels on the 96-inchers, dome to relieve 50 degrees F of heat for down the cylinder in the same amount of resulting in a 3/8" longer stroke (3/16" x cooler-running, longer-lasting engine. time, so it must move faster to accom2 = 3/8"). However, when all is said and done, it plish this! Increased piston speed is the Moving the crankpins location is not should be understood that, all other factors enemy since it creates destructive heat. If a minor adjustment. Different flywheels being equal, the 4"-stroke Twin Cams the factory had increased the 2007 Twin must be used with the crankpin mounting from 1999-2006 will last longer before a Cam to its 96" displacement through holes bored in a different location. In this necessary rebuild than the longer 4-3/8"- bigger pistons using the same 4" stroke, case, the holes would be bored 3/16" clos- stroke 2007 models simply because the reliability and engine life would remain er to the rim of the flywheel to achieve a earlier pistons will have greater contact the same, all other factors being equal. 3/8"-stroke increase, resulting in the area with their mating cylinder walls, proTwo last comments before we go into

TECHLINE

greater swept volume of 96 cubic inches. Before we get into how increased stroke affects reliability, I should state that a 3/8" increase over the 1999-2006 Twin Cams 4" to the 2007 96s 4-3/8" stroke is a mild increase that is safe. I have said many times that the array of quality parts available gives a multitude of safe options for going faster compared to what was around only 10 years ago. This is an indisputable fact. H-D has taken advantage of superior metallurgy since the advent of the Twin

O IL B L O WBY Speaking of air, lets get back to the ongoing problem of oily air reaching the outside world (known as blowby, oil carryover, or venting) and allowing a Harley to mark its spot. This is not the same air required to produce more horsepower. Air needed to aid combustion is confined to the intake system: the air cleaner, carb/EFI body, intake manifold, head ports, combustion chambers, and cylinder area located above the piston rings and below the sealing valves. The oily air that can cause blowby is found below the piston rings and above the sealing valves. These areas are connected by the oil return holes from the top end and the empty space in the pushrod tubes that house the valvetrains pushrods. This air, which is displaced by moving internal parts (such as the spinning flywheel assembly) and combined with oil mist (again caused by churning and rotating parts), must be vented outside the

the oil carryover conditions (venting, blowby) that are exacerbated by an increased stroke. The first is that the heads on the 96" 2007 engine are the same as on the TC 88s. I believe that this will remain the same bottleneck to true power potential for this engine. Ever since the introduction of the Evo engines excellent flowing heads for that size engine, the Twin Cam has been hamstrung by insufficient airflow into the combustion chambers for that increased size engine, whether it be 88", 95", 96", 103", and we will see about the 110s. Once again, engine breathing capability will be the area that needs addressing most for those who want the most efficient engine producing the safest horsepower per cubic inch. The second is that if we disassemble the 2007 engine, split the engine cases, and bore out the cylinder spigots to accommodate H-Ds new 4"-bore cylinders, we can build a 110" engine that will be pretty reliable. It will also be very fast if appropriate camming, pistons, heads, and ignition/fuel mods to the fuel injection system are used. The 110-cubic-inch displacement will be the same as Harleys new CVO (Screamin Eagle) fleet. Again, the difference for the high-performance crowd will be breathing capabilities. If you want more speed, you need to burn more fuel efficiently, and for that to happen you need lots more air!

TECHLINE

engine, minus the oil mist. As the pistons descend in tandem on the intake and power strokes, there must be somewhere for the air in the bottom end of the engine to go, since its being compressed into a smaller area. The compressed (pressurized) oily air must go somewhere, and it does through a vent. If there were no vent, the pressurized oily air would be forced through the next area of least resistance, such as a seal, which would then lose its effective-

Though the inner cam bearings are 0.125" larger in diameter than what went before, the outer front cam ball bearing and the outer rear cam roller bearing have been removed from the cam support plate.

ness. The descending pistons force air out of the crankcase, into the gearcase, up the pushrod tubes, and into the area over the heads. It can also be forced up the return oil holes that go through the cylinders and heads, which allow oil to drain into the gearcase. When this happens, it can disrupt return oil flow, which exacerbates the problem of too much oil in the heads. The excess oil may be forced through the breather apparatus that is supposed to separate the oil mist from the escaping air, so only air is expelled through the vents. (Theres one in each head.) On the piston upstrokes, a different problem occurs, since a low-pressure area is formed as the volume of the bottom end increases. Air must be sucked through a vent to fill the now-larger area created by the sealed pistons moving up their respective cylinders. Now, if it were only air we were talk-

H-D S N E W S O L U T I O N We have discussed many times that blowby is created by the breather separation apparatus failure to separate all the oil from the air before the latter escapes into the atmosphere. The breather works very well on a stock 88-cubic-inch engine in most instances with normal riding. However, sustained high-rpm riding, even on a stock 88, will create much more displaced air inside the engine, since the pistons are ascending and descending at a faster rate over a long period of time. Increased swept volume via stroking, a bigger bore, or both results in much more air being displaced by the moving pistons, even with normal riding, thereby increasing the poten-

ing about, there wouldnt be too much concern about it, since the displaced air would move gracefully with the pressures created by the moving pistons. That is, as long as there was a clear path or vent to the outside of the engine. The problem is that oil is mixed in with the air in a gaseous and semi-gaseous state. The churning flywheels, the whirring engaging gears, and the forcefully sliding pistons all work to mix the free-flowing air and oil into an oil-laden mist. When the engine is venting, there has to be a mechanism to separate the oily mist from the escaping air, at least in an emissions-free world. This separation process, which was never a problem in the old days where marking its spot on the pavement was a time-honored Harley tradition, is a crux in modern engine design that helps to develop a cleaner environment. The bigger the engines get, the more aggravated the blowby potential becomes because theres more swept volume to deal with. Swept volume is the size of the engines displacement. The new 2007 Twin Cam has a total swept volume of 96 cubic inches or 1584cc. The area above the sealing piston rings when the piston is at bottom dead center (BDC) of its stroke to where the piston is at top dead center (TDC) is the swept volume of that particular cylinder. If the engine is stroked whereby the piston travels lower on the intake and power strokes and higher on the compression and exhaust strokes, then there is more swept volume. The same goes for bigger bore modifications, since the diameter of the cylinder is increased to create additional swept volume.

tial for blowby. Combine more swept volume and sustained high-rpm riding and the potential is exponentially increased. So, it was only natural that HD had to do something more to reduce the chances of blowby with its increaseddisplacement 2007 Twin Cams. And it did. The Motor Company believes that if less oil were left in the engine waiting to

TECHLINE

be sumped back into the oil tank, then the rushing displaced air would not be able to mix with it and pick it up so easily, or at least not in the same quantities. This is all about making the breather apparatus job easier and less strained. H-D has a redesigned and upgraded oil pump in the 2007s. Increased stroke means more heat, so H-D did a good double whammy: It increased the 07 oil pumps feed flow by 8 percent. This ensures better lubrication and cooling, since one of the engine oils major func-

tions is to remove heat. On the blowby side, the new pumps oil scavenging ability (from the bottom end) has been increased by a whopping 23 percent. So, we have the potential here for some good results, both in cooling and in controlling a source of blowby oil to the outside world, thereby preventing the new Harleys from marking their spots. But will it work? Time will tell. DONNY P ETERSEN HEAVY DUTY C YCLES TORONTO, C ANADA www.HeavyDutyCycles.com

RELIABILITY

I HAVE STATED THAT AN ENGINE THAT HAS AN increased (4-3/8) stroke like the new 96-incher, all other factors being equal, cannot be as reliable as a 4 stroke like that used on all 1999-2006 Twin Cams. Put in proper perspective, this is not to say that the engine will be unreliable, because a 4-3/8" stroke is still considered conservative in the performance world. However, the 2007 Twin Cam may become much more reliable in another area. In 1999 and early 2000, Twin Cams were plagued with bearing failure in the gearcase. H-D corrected this in the late-2000 and later models by replacing the problematic rear cam ball bearing with a roller bearing. Different bearings are designed for different stress loads. The rear cam bearing was originally fitted as a ball bearing because it is quieter than the proper roller bearing. However, the gearcase still presented random, as well as predictable, problems into the 2006 model year. We have found cams with premature wear from inadequate hardening and stepped cam lobes resulting from machining malfunctions, and on it goes. The random situation revolved around how long the spring-loaded cam chain tensioners would last. A prominent factory engineer, whom I respect, told me in 1998 that these tensioners would never wear out. Well, everything wears out at some point, especially internal engine parts. The question is how long it takes them to do this. We have seen worn-out, spring-loaded tensioners with as little as 1,500 miles on them. All kinds of tensioners, in our experience, wear out before 4,000 miles. However, we have seen good ones after 30,000 or 40,000 miles, so it is a crapshoot to figure out where the true service limit actually is. When tensioners wear out, debris is introduced into the oil and chain tension is affected, which, if not treated, can lead to total destruction of parts inside the gearcase. The insidious part is that there is no detectable noise that warns of impending doom until it is late in the destructive process. The beginning of this major change actually began in 2006 in just the Dyna models. The redesign consists of hydraulic tensioners with a new nylon shoe that provide an even amount of tension

to the cams drive chains. They are similar to the tensioners successfully used in the counterbalance drive chain in the lower end of a Twin Cam B motor. Hopefully, this redesign will eliminate the excessive wear found on the tensioned shoes in many 1999-2006 engines. The bearings on both ends of the front and rear cams have also been changed. The inner cam needle bearings are 0.125" larger in diameter than what went before. The outer front cam ball bearing and the outer rear cam roller bearing have been removed completely. The chains that drive the cams have also been changed. The old (1999-2006) silent cam chains are very quiet, hence the name. However, their outer 90-degree sharp edges contribute greatly to the old spring tensioner pad wear. In order to reduce problematic shoe wear, the new roller chains have rounded edges. Another piece of good news is that the cam journal ends that fit into the bearings have also increased in size and, therefore, load capacity. The earlier Twin Cam cams were one piece. The 07 cams are two pieces with the intake lobes cam timing increased a full 12 degrees, which helps in the horsepower department. From a reliability and reduced-wear point of view, H-D has made the cam lobes from a material suited to the stresses of that elliptical motion driving the valvetrain. The cam journals are designed for their particular stresses in a round, rotating support role. This should be good news. However, some early independent dyno readings indicate that there may not be the horsepower increases that I, for one, would expect with such a dramatic engine displacement increase. We will see. The aftermarket is working on 2007 gearcase components that retrofit to 1999-2006 models, as the parts are not interchangeable. However, it will be necessary to use special cams because the inner journal ends need to fit into the early (small) inner cam bearings that are pressed into the right crankcase, while the outer ends would fit into the new cam support plate. Early evaluations suggest that the gearcase compartment will become much more reliable than what went before, which would make this new engine impressive in terms of longevity. D.P. n AIM