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Thus one is a tough fix and I need a source for this work.
I'm assembling an XLCH motor with a set of H-D motor cases which were not manufactured together as a matched set. I'm also using a random transmission access door that I had in my parts inventory. The Timken-to-pinion race alignment was verified by a light lapping of the pinion race and the cylinder deck heights were spot-on. The flywheel assembly turns very nicely when installed into the cases, so everything on the 'motor side' appears to line up quite well.
The problem appears to be the transmission shaft alignment. I've bench-assembled a transmission and thoroughly checked all parts, replacing those that were even slightly questionable. The main shaft and all bearings are new, as are a number of other parts. When I insert the assembly into the case, there appears to be a slight misalignment when I tap the access door onto the locator dowels and tighten it up. The installed transmission turns freely but a slight gear engagement noise is heard when you turn the main shaft - almost like a slight ratcheting noise. Therefore, the gear engagement appears to be too tight. Most likely the shaft alignment is slightly off when the assembled transmission/access door is tapped onto the locator pins in the left case. This is further evidenced by the fact that the door must be tapped on slightly harder than it should. Setting this transmission door does not require a 'hammering on', but I've done many Sportster transmissions and from experience they usually require only a slight tapping to set once the shafts are aligned into the bearings on the right side. This one takes a little more force to seat using the plastic hammer.
I've occasionally seen this problem before when I still worked in the business and had to use mismatched cases and/or access doors. Because the transmission doors were factory-matched to the motor cases, shaft alignment was never a problem when using all-original parts. In fact, when you received a set of replacement cases from the factory, they came with a new, factory-matched access door as part of the motor case assembly. Problems occasionally occurred when we needed to replace a door, even with a new one from the dealership.
Years ago, we were able to correct this problem in-house because our sister-company was a very high-quality Harley machine shop. We would remove the locator pins, plug the old pin holes, line up the door to the right side bearing locations on our Bridgeport and re-machine the dowel holes. It worked out very well.
Unfortunately, I no longer have access to these resources and really need to correct this problem. Therefore, I need to find a reliable service that still does this work. Does anyone know of a high-quality machine shop that is Sportster knowledgeable that can perform the above described service?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
I'm assembling an XLCH motor with a set of H-D motor cases which were not manufactured together as a matched set. I'm also using a random transmission access door that I had in my parts inventory. The Timken-to-pinion race alignment was verified by a light lapping of the pinion race and the cylinder deck heights were spot-on. The flywheel assembly turns very nicely when installed into the cases, so everything on the 'motor side' appears to line up quite well.
The problem appears to be the transmission shaft alignment. I've bench-assembled a transmission and thoroughly checked all parts, replacing those that were even slightly questionable. The main shaft and all bearings are new, as are a number of other parts. When I insert the assembly into the case, there appears to be a slight misalignment when I tap the access door onto the locator dowels and tighten it up. The installed transmission turns freely but a slight gear engagement noise is heard when you turn the main shaft - almost like a slight ratcheting noise. Therefore, the gear engagement appears to be too tight. Most likely the shaft alignment is slightly off when the assembled transmission/access door is tapped onto the locator pins in the left case. This is further evidenced by the fact that the door must be tapped on slightly harder than it should. Setting this transmission door does not require a 'hammering on', but I've done many Sportster transmissions and from experience they usually require only a slight tapping to set once the shafts are aligned into the bearings on the right side. This one takes a little more force to seat using the plastic hammer.
I've occasionally seen this problem before when I still worked in the business and had to use mismatched cases and/or access doors. Because the transmission doors were factory-matched to the motor cases, shaft alignment was never a problem when using all-original parts. In fact, when you received a set of replacement cases from the factory, they came with a new, factory-matched access door as part of the motor case assembly. Problems occasionally occurred when we needed to replace a door, even with a new one from the dealership.
Years ago, we were able to correct this problem in-house because our sister-company was a very high-quality Harley machine shop. We would remove the locator pins, plug the old pin holes, line up the door to the right side bearing locations on our Bridgeport and re-machine the dowel holes. It worked out very well.
Unfortunately, I no longer have access to these resources and really need to correct this problem. Therefore, I need to find a reliable service that still does this work. Does anyone know of a high-quality machine shop that is Sportster knowledgeable that can perform the above described service?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
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