Hi
lovely sunny day here in england, just checking my oil before I went out and the dipstick has a big piece of thin plastic stuck on it. When I look inside the oil tank the coating on the inside of the filler neck has half peeled off and there's little bits of it stuck to the dipstick and god-knows-where else. It's a thin brittle see-through plastic, but thick enough to clog the oilways. Hmmmmm. What to do? Will the whole system need flushing?
I'm not much of a mechanic so I'm hoping this isn't gonna cost big bucks. Plus I got the day off today and I should be out riding!
Cheers
Jef

Damn, always happens when you get a day off.

I'd drain the oil from the tank using a siphon or pump. Then replace your filter and you fill back up with fresh stuff. Might pay to take the tank off and get it inspected and cleaned.

Hi, thanks predator. Is this a well known problem? The bike's only 6 years old, didn't expect this from Harley. Oh well, yeah I'll do as you say. Hope to be back on the road soon
safe riding
Jef

Maybe this is a good excuse to have the conversion done!!

Never heard of HD putting a coating inside their oil tanks (could be wrong though). You should never coat the inside of an oil tank, there is no reason to do it.

That said, did you have you Sporty since new?

I would remove the tank and have it flushed (at a radiator shop?) and inspect the tank to see how much of that stuff is in there.

Very bad for your engine if any gets in the oil passages.

Kong

Hi Kong
thanks for your reply. I'll try to get it flushed out tomorrow, bought the bike s/h so god knows what this stuff is?
Oh well ;-(

Good luck!

Keep us posted.

Kong

Hi
lovely sunny day here in england...
G'day Fatbloke.

Ummm...do they have "lovely sunny days" in England??

Sorry I couldn't resist :D

Since i live in the other wet weather area in the world, i will pass on the England sunny jokes.
It sounds like the tank needs to be replaced, a big flake could clog a line or block a port, and then your in deep sheep dip for sure.

If it were mine, i would take that tank to the dealer and see if there is a warranty issue, if they can not help, just buy a new one.
Then blow the lines clear and change the filter out.

Do not try to clean the tank out!
If the coating is coming off, you can not get it all out, and sooner or later more will and then your risking an engine.

BTW, what oil are you using?

Thanks for the replies everyone,
the bike is now 6 years old so I guess there's no comeback on the dealers. The bike came with low miles and a folder full or receipts from the dealer, so I assumed it hasn't been messed with. The oil tank was changed for a chrome one some years ago (sorry, forgot to mention), again with receipts.
Bike hasn't needed a change or top-up since I bought it as it had just been serviced so don't know what oil it has. Now the weather's changed was hoping to do my first oil change and enjoy the summer. Maybe not now!
It looks like the plastic they stick round the top of jars and bottles which is clear and flexible, but I guess over time it's gone more brittle. I don't remember it last time I checked the oil. Sorry for the long post guys, you should be out riding!!
Cheers

It sounds like someone has used a gas tank liner product similar to Kreem in your oil tank.

Be safe and just replace the tank.

It sounds like someone has used a gas tank liner product similar to Kreem in your oil tank.

Be safe and just replace the tank.

:iagree


Bart

:iagree


Bart

I don't actually find that conclusion very plausable. I cannot figure out why they would ever need too? I mean the only reason I have ever seen anyone use Kreem is to fix a rusty Gas tank and this tank has oil in it and that would pretty much eliminate that from happening... but I guess stranger things have happened.

Even in the above rusty tank scenerio I don't like it. It eventualy DOES flake out. I perfer a good Acid wash, flush and immediate oil or filling with gas coating of Gas tanks. I clean a bunch of em in restoring old tanks in Scooters. Works for me. Never a problem with that. And once Kreem is in there its impossible to get it all out. Some of it delaminates and some of it just will not. You end up throwing that tank away.

Its always possible the tank was tampered with or sabatoged for some inexplicable reason (them Mods is still around I do know that cause I got a bunch of Lambretta contacts over your side of the pond)... or even better...someone at some point dropped a Oil bottle seal or Oil additive seal in there while filling it...

a few of other possibilities I could come up with.

I would remove it and flush it out with Gas/Petrol (or some other nice solvent but if you use Gas it can be then used in a 2 stoke and burned rather than disposed of) and let it dry out and inspect it if it were mine.

And keep an eye out for them Mods...:laugh

Ah, so it was those pesky scooterboys!

Have done the oil change, the oil looked clean. It wasn't sabotage as it's a very neat coating. There's actually 2 layers of stuff coming off, 1 is a clear varnish, 1 is the black paint. It's only on the filler neck, so I've picked it all off and cleaned out the tank. Will change the oil more frequently from now on cos you never know.....

Thanks for your help guys,
cheers

If it were mine, i would take that tank to the dealer and see if there is a warranty issue, if they can not help, just buy a new one.
Then blow the lines clear and change the filter out.

Do not try to clean the tank out!
If the coating is coming off, you can not get it all out, and sooner or later more will and then your risking an engine.


I second this motion. If it's having problems at the neck, you don't know how deep the problem will go or how long it will continue. Also, you don't know how bad things are as you stand. First act of business is to get the entire oil system free of debre. Pull the tank, chuck it, get a new one. Blow all the oil lines clean. Change the filter. That is the only way it would be 100% problem free. The oil system isn't something to be messed with.