Leave Cali day 42

The 1979 oil pump still leaks. Never time to do it right, always time to do it over. I do it over.

So I put new cylinders and pistons on my 1979 Sportster on day 31. I worked on it again on day 32. I finished up on day 40. Once it is in the garage, I notice an ail leak from the oil pump. I thought I fixed that on day 41. Well, I fixed up the grody threads that kept the pump from compressing the gasket, but I forgot an O-rings. I took the pump apart and put it together right this time.

It seems everything on an old Harley takes three tries. First time you use the wrong parts and wrong procedure. They you get the right parts, but still use the wrong procedure. Finally you get the right parts and the right procedure. That is a bit of what is happening here. All this misery is because I am rushing to fix this bike in time to ship it to Florida in a few weeks.

The day after "fixing" the oil pump, this giant oil spill is on the garage floor. Even a few hours leaves a small puddle under the bike. In my rush the day before, I left out this O-ring that seals the pump housing.

I checked this O-ring on the check valve that goes in the pump body. This is where the missing O-ring seals against. I make sure it is clean and flat. The little gap shows the O-ring is there and will work once it is compressed by the bolts.

You can see a stain on the cover from where the oil was leaking past the missing O-ring. The pump finally looks tight and oil-free. The lower wires are for a home-brew brake switch. Everybody with an old Harley has kitty litter or oil absorbent handy. I buy the stuff in bulk.

Finally, not a drop of oil under the bike. It did leak when I wheeled it into the new house. You can see the unused foot-peg boss under the hose where is says "9.52". I needed to make a short bolt to plug that hole, it goes right into the transmission. Still making notes, to sell a hutch, buffet, compressor, 3-phase inverter, squat racks, and vacuum pump on Craigslist. Still scanning.

Leave Cali day 42

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