harleyKmodel

My recently acquired '52 K model hasn't been started in decades. The engine and transmission turns by hand but is stiff and hard to turn.
It appears the old oil has dried up and is more like tar than oil.
Since to access the transmission requires splitting the cases, I am trying to be creative.
I have removed the engine from the frame and removed the primary cover and the cover over the cams. I have disassembled the clutch, leaving the basket in place.
Next, I have placed the engine in a large plastic laundry tub. The engine just fits.
Now I plan on adding diesel fuel to the tub until the level is a little above the clutch main shaft. Once or twice a day I will rotate the clutch shaft.
I expect that eventually the diesel will dissolve the old residue and turn freely.
Diesel fumes should not be a problem and I don't think I am in danger of blowing up my shop.
So what is wrong with my crazy idea?

Sounds good, that should free up old oil etc. If you can it's nice to spray pressurized clean Stoddard solvent for last rinse and pressurized air drying should clean it fine. BRAKLEEN for last rinse in spray can works well also. Erik

After everything is freed up, check your rods for any considerable up and down and side to side play. You may have to split the cases anyway to replace the bearings and crankpin. Also check whether you can shift through all the gears and for any considerable play in the mainshaft. Ultimately you would want to examine all the transmission gears, shifter forks, thrust washers, etc. for any wear or damage, but in your case, that would also mean splitting the cases. I'm not sold on overhauling an antique motor unless you have to. If you read about the Cannonball Run in the recent issue of AMCA mag, only the bikes that were unrestored finished the race!

Thats impressive

Generally, when you find a bike that's been laid up for a long time there is a reason for it. It might have been an electrical issue or it might have been a mechanical issue. But either way I like to try to find the reason it was laid up.
The trap door was done because the first gearboxes were not that reliable. Dealers weren't happy about splitting the cases to deal with the gearbox problems.
The most time consuming part of splitting the cases on an engine is getting down to the cases in the first place. The replacement partsarn't that expensive when you consider the time involved in doing the whole job.
Just me, but if it was me I would just do the whole job.

75 cents for a pair of shift springs 10 hrs labor gaskets and piston rings

I placed the engine in a tub of diesel fuel yesterday afternoon. Today, everything turns much easier and smoothly.
However, I can't shift it. The clutch shaft turns fine and the shift lever moves up and down within normal clearance but not enough to shift gears. It is in neutral now and I can't get it into low or second gear.
So, if there is no change in the next day or so, then I will start the effort to split the cases and clean all parts for the transmission.
I hope the process described in the service manual for the early Sportster applies to the K model because that is all I have and I haven't split cases before.

When I removed the case covering the cams, a shim appeared from someplace. It is .010 thick, 1.060 OD x .780 ID. I don't have a clue where it came from.

One more thing.... If anyone is within 100 miles or so from Louisville Kentucky, I would love the opportunity to drive out and look first hand at a K Model and take some pictures and ask some questions.

K Daddy wrote:When I removed the case covering the cams, a shim appeared from someplace. It is .010 thick, 1.060 OD x .780 ID. I don't have a clue where it came from.

I suspect the shim you describe is for controlling camshaft end play. The standard shim is 0.006" thick by about 1.060" OD x 0.700 ID, that fits camshafts ~ 0.685 OD. Don't know why your ID would be so much larger, unless someone found this larger shim from some other application and thought it would do the job. Hard to imagine a stock shim wearing to that much larger an ID.

Look very carefully at both ends of the cams and you may find more shims, as they can adhere well to the large end of the cam and if you're not looking carefully would never notice they were there.

K Daddy wrote:However, I can't shift it. The clutch shaft turns fine and the shift lever moves up and down within normal clearance but not enough to shift gears. It is in neutral now and I can't get it into low or second gear.

Its possible that the shifter pawl carrier springs are broke/sacked/locked in place due to corrosion, etc in which case no shifting would occur. If this is the case perhaps once the subject springs are replaced you'll find nothing is wrong with the tranny.

Also possible that one of the gear shifter pawls may have hung up in its bore. I have no first hand experience with this but have heard from a friend that judicious tapping on the shifter arm shaft can sometimes free the pawl and restore shifting.

Why don't you just take it all apart and do it right? Diesel fuel in a tub?