1931 Harley VL missing #2 cam outer bushing, do I need it?

[Buster]

Just asked question about no oiling to primary chain on 1931 VL and pulled camchest cover to replace solid shaft #2 cam with hollow shaft #2 camshaft. Found outer bushing on #2 cam at cam cover is missing. I do not know that this bushing is still available. What is its purpose and, and if not available, will hurt to leave the bushing out. I have been running motor for about 500 miles without it. I will be using hollow shaft cam to see if that fixes no oiling to primary chain.

[kitabel]

My bad, should pay better attention

[Peter Cooke]

Is this the one you mean?
That's the "flutter valve/seal ring 551/2/3-30 was installed in the cam cover" that Steve mentioned in your other thread.
You have the steel ring & pin but not the spring/wave washer and brass ring.
I'll happily stand corrected but I believe the general consensus is that it doesn't hurt to run without it as it doesn't appear to make any difference.

Why not just use the chain oil adjustment on your oil pump rather than change out the cam?

Cam Cover1.jpg

[Buster]

Yes that is the one. I have tried significantly backing the needle screw out of chain oiler, but still almost no primary oil. Just pulled oil pump apart and primary pump spring and piston is working. I am getting plenty of oil from pump at pinion shaft. I have good lubrication in camchest. With solid camshaft, I have good compression from cam cover into breather pocket and thru tube to primary chain, but no oil. Put on new breather pocket cover and vent tube to primary. I have oil everywhere but primary chain. I wanted to be sure this missing flutter valve seal ring was not needed prior to reassembly with hollow camshaft. When I get camcover back on, I am going to crank motor over to verify I get oil in breather pocket before I put everything back together.

[Peter Cooke]

Don't forget you're only looking for mist not flow. Hold a piece of white paper near the end of the tube and see what you get.

[Steve Slocombe]

This is not a problem I've seen before, and primary chain/rear tyre oiling on the VLs is usually very adequate. That flutter valve was put in at 1930 engine 7290 and lasted until 1934 number 1200. I've had an earlier 1930 cam cover with the number two cam shaft seized into the bushing, so I wouldn't say the flutter valve does nothing. All my flutter valve take-offs from scrap cam covers are now gone, but maybe there are still some out there. If you can't find one then just run the hollow cam shaft. I still think the problem may be elsewhere. Is that copper pigtail from the oil pump to the breather pocket blocked? Do you have three pistons and little springs in the oil pump? Is the oiler hole in the plunger blocked? Is the swash plate that controls oil pump piston stroke sticky? The swash plate pivot pin was brass in 1930 then steel in 1931 and maybe you have an early one. Is the screw that adjusts swash plate angle too long? Have you set up the oil pump as per Rider's Handbook? It's a little tricky. Did you find the factory marks on the oil pump body and the oiler control ring?

[Buster]

I have blown air through the pigtail, took pump off yesterday and found three working pistons and springs, swish plate not sticky, correct swish plate screw length, pump set wide open at full throttle, and factory marks aligned at pump body and control ring. I am installing hollow shaft #2 cam. It will take a few days and I will report results.

[Peter Cooke]

What about the flow path through the housing after the piston & spring does its thing? You can see the 2 small holes either side of the brass fitting with the larger hole. The oil needs to go in through the inner one and come out through the one in the groove. Then it flows around the groove and out to the pigtail.


Housing.jpg

[Buster]

I really appreciate all the help. I took oil pump off and apart today and blew air through all passages. While I had apart, I did find the pigtail between oil pump and breather pocket was partially clogged so that explains why I was getting no primary oil pump Although I was in error about the oil pump pig tail being not clogged, I am glad I am changing the cam to hollow shaft cam to see if that works. I did not install the missing flutter valve. I have no replacement flutter valve and would have to but a cam cover with one in it, remove it, and switch to my cover. If this was a bad descision, I will be forced to address this situation later. I have ridden bike about 500 miles since rebuild and the #2 rear intake cam journal and bushing show no abnormal wear. Hope I don't regret the descision to leave the flutter valve out.. I have motor mostly back together (a long day in the shop} with the hollow shaft rear intake camshaft installed. Although I cant start yet, I have much stronger compression at breather pocket when I kick it over. Good weather tomorrow, going to ride. Hopefully can get it started Monday and I will report back.

[Peter Cooke]

Good luck Buster. To late now but it'd be good to know if the blocked pigtail was the only problem, prior to changing to the hollow cam.
Onwards and upwards!

[Steve Slocombe]

Yayy Buster! I'm glad somebody is out riding, even if it's not me. Keep having fun with old bikes!

[Buster]

UPDATE. Just got it back together today and running with hollow shaft #2 cam. I now have a mist of oil coming out of the crankcase ventilation pipe in the primary The solid camshaft was the problem and now I do need to block off the pigtail from oil pump. This going to solve two problems. I now have primary ventilation and with working primary ventilation I will be accumulating less oil in crankcase. I should be able to adjust the oil pump closer to factory setting. Thanks again for all the help!