
So if the camshaft does not get that oil supply for whatever reason, it will ruin your bearings eventually. But, all the same, it looks like this problem occurs too easily, given the cost of the Harley Davison bike.Ĭamshaft normally requires sufficient lubrication to survive its constant rotation. Some H-D bikers have put this down to bad maintenance habits. The bearings are supposed to be lubricated each time there is a rotation in the engine.ĭamaged bearings can result in damaged rods, pistons, etc., when you choose to ignore the warning signs. That will happen because the oil is not having access to the engine. Usually, you start hearing an unpleasant sound coming in from the engine. With the cam chain tensioner taken out and the oil pump jammed, it’s not uncommon to see bearing problems surface. I have a feeling you don’t want that to happen. It may lead to damages within the engine that will be beyond repairs. I don’t need to start explaining how serious that problem can be. What happens is that the shredded plastic materials are sent flying into the oil pump, where it will prevent oil from flowing into the engine. When the failure of the plastic spring cam chain loader is evident, the next thing that takes a hit is the oil pump. Like many types of machinery, one damage in the Twin Cam will lead to another damage until the entire system collapses. You may end up spending more money trying to put the engine back in shape by replacing the damaged parts. At this point, a devastating engine failure could be very well underway. When you don’t notice this on time, it will graduate to metal-to-metal contact. Some say the reason for this design is to quiet any unwanted noise from the engine.īut when the plastic rubs off against one another after a while, the plastic wears out due to friction and constant contact. Whatever the case, it is what it is! The Twin Cam design employs plastic shoes that ride on the cam chains. Perhaps, they have adopted this design to cut down their production expenses. One would have expected them to do better. This is a poor design coming in from Harley Davison. We will highlight the Twin cam shortcomings in this section. The Harley Twin Cam was a daring move, considering the flaws that beclouded the predecessor evolution engines.įor example, the twin-cam featured improved cooling, no wasted spark, increased power and displacement capabilities, and a host of others.ĭespite all these brilliant improvements, somehow, Harley let the ball drop in a couple of areas. Finally, how long your twin cam will last will also depend on how much you maintain the bike. There is a lot of debate about this on various platforms.

Experienced bikers have put the life expectancy in a bracket of between 15,000 miles and 40,000 miles. It will likely collapse before that time. Please do not be so excited about that figure because it’s for the design that implements the new hydraulic system. After investigating the twin-cam, it has been discovered that the average life expectancy is about 40,000 miles. The life expectancy of a Twin Cam is something that should give you cause for concern. Extra cooling capabilities when compared to its Evo counterparts.


The two cylinders use pushrods to activate the valves while they remain air-cooled in the process. Twin Cam engines possess V-twin cylinders configured at an angle of 45 degrees. Harley Twin Cam is a term that is exclusively used to describe Harley Davison engines produced between 19.Īlthough these engines are significantly different from evolution engines, they bore few similarities to their predecessors. 14 FAQ’s Harley Davidson Twin Cam Engine Problems.2 Launching year & Model of Harley Davidson.
