• 86-90 Sportster Oil Pump:
  • 86-90 Oil Pump (26204-86) Removal and Disassembly
  • 86-90 Oil Pump (26204-86) Individual Parts and Pics
  • 86-90 Oil Pump (26204-86) Parts (approximate) Dims
• 91-96 Sportster Oil Pump:
  • 91-96 Oil Pump (26204-91) Individual Parts and Pics - cover casting number # (26487-90)
  • 91-96 Oil Pump (26204-91) Parts (approximate) Dims - cover casting number # (26487-90)
• 97 Sportster Oil Pump:
  • 97 Oil Pump (26204-91) Individual Parts and Pics - cover casting number # (26487-90A)
  • 97 Oil Pump (26204-91) Parts (approximate) Dims - cover casting number # (26487-90A)
• 98-06 Sportster Oil Pump:
  • Images of 98-06 XL Oil Pump - 26204-98 & 26204-91A (old design)
• 07-Up Sportster Oil Pump:
  • Images of 07-later XL Oil Pump - 26204-91A (new design)
• 07 Buell Oil Pump:
  • Images of 07-later Buell Oil Pump - 26357-02B
• Oil Pump Comparisons:
  • Comparing the (98) & (07) Style Oil Pumps
  • Notable Separator Plate Design Change / Flaw Between the BUELL (03-06) & (07 & up) Style Oil Pumps
  • 77-Present Sportster Oil Pump Comparisons
• Oil Pump Conversion:
  • 5 Speed Oil Pump on 4 Speed Models (Conversion for 86-90 Evo engines)

Note: Be sure to check the REFERENCE section for additional information related to Oiling, Lubrication and Mods.

Expected oil pump pressure per FSM's:

As checked with hot oil and a gauge at the plug hole on the engine case between the tappets.
The plug between the tappets has to be removed for the gauge to be installed.

1986-1990: ^{1) 2)}
Minimum: 1-7 psi (idle)
Normal riding conditions: 5-30 psi (2500 rpm)

1991: ³⁾
Minimum: 7-12 psi (idle)
Normal riding conditions: 12-17 psi (2500 rpm)

As checked with hot oil and a gauge at the oil pressure switch location at oil filter pad.
The oil pressure switch has to be removed for the gauge to be installed.

1986-1990: ⁴⁾
Oil pressure, when checked at the oil filter pad (oil pressure switch removed), will be 6-10 psi higher than when checked at the tappet plug on the case at idle.
See pressure figures above when checked at the tappet plug hole.

1992-2004: ^{5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11)}
Minimum: 7-12 psi (idle speed varies from 950-1050 rpm between the different FSMs)
Normal riding conditions: 10-17 psi (2500 rpm)

2013 XR1200X: ¹²⁾
Minimum: 16-20 psi (idle)
Normal riding conditions: 40-44 psi (2500 rpm)
Oil pressure relief (50 psi)

• It includes an oil cooler with a thermostat that starts to open at 190ºF (88ºC).
• The oil pump and the head breathers are a new design.
  The oil pump rotors are driven by the cams, the feed rotor is driven off the front intake cam and the scavenge rotor is driven by the rear exhaust cam.

1986-1990 Models - XL P/N = 26204-86
- pump body catalog p/n 26484-86
- pump body casting p/n 26485-
… casting p/n is in return cavity
… also has a “2” stamped next to casting #
… also has a “T” stamped into opposite return cavity
- bottom cover catalog p/n 26486-86
- bottom cover casting p/n 26487-86

1991-1996 Models - XL P/N = 26204-91
- pump body casting p/n in 26485-90
… casting p/n is in the return cavity
… also has casting #s 1 and 380 in opposite return cavity
- pump cover casting p/n 26487-90
… casting p/n is on the outside of the cover

1997 Models - XL P/N = 26204-91
- pump body casting p/n in 26485-90A
… casting p/n is in the return cavity
- pump cover casting p/n 26487-90A
… casting p/n is on the outside of the cover

1998-1999 Models - XL P/N = 26204-98
- From the internal P/N changes it appears that this new
… P/N was generated because of a change in the
… Gear Shaft and Gerotor Return set of gears
- has body casting P/N 26487-98 in the return cavity
- has bottom cover casting P/N 26487-98 on the outside

2000-2006 Models - XL P/N = 26204-91A
- P/N change appears to be related to a fitting (to oil filter) change
- has bottom cover casting P/N 26487-98

2007-later Models - XL P/N = 26204-91A (new design)
- is a different design w/same P/N (How crazy is that?)
- is retrofitable to 1991-2006
- has body casting P/N 26211-07 in the return cavity
- has bottom cover casting P/N 26213-07
on the outside

Buell P/N - 26357-02B
- same pump as XL 26204-91A (new design) but different fittings
- will bolt up but you need to change the fittings over to XL style
- has bottom cover casting P/N 26213-07

See these XLForum threads:
http://xlforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=135265
http://xlforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1738158

The casting date code is in a circle on the mounting surface near the return fitting.
A 'year of manufacture' number is stamped inside the circle with 12 hash marks around the circle.
Dots are cast around the hash marks to represent the month of manufacture.
Count the dots, add the year and you have the month and year of manufacture for that particular oil pump.

91-96 Pump assembly 26204-91 13)	97 Pump assembly 26204-91 14)

98-03 Pump assembly 26204-98 15)	07-Up Pump assembly 26204-91A 16)

• In addition to the upgraded Drive Gear (26391-06), there is also an upgraded entire Oil Pump (first installed on 07-later Sportsters). The new pump reuses the same full unit part number as a previous version, making it difficult & confusing to know to which version someone is referring. The old (& new) part number for the complete oil pump unit is 26204-91A (that P/N first showed up in model year 2000 and used for the older design thru model year 2006).
• The difference between the 1998-2006 version and the 2007-later version relates to the drive shaft, internal Gerotor return & feed gears and the body (which cannot be ordered separately). The internal parts for the new pump design are not backward compatible to the 98-06 pump design.
• The only known external indicator to identify that the 2007 pump version (using P/N 26204-91A) is currently installed is the cover casting number 26213-07 which is stamped on the bottom of the new version.
• The upgraded pump is compatible (and recommended) for use on 1991-later Sportsters.

Here are the internal servicing part numbers from 1998-2000 version and 2007-later version:

¹⁷⁾

• 2007 XB engines got a new up-dated oil pump which will retro fit to older EVO Sportster Engines, BLAST engines and older XB Engines … ¹⁸⁾
• The -07 XB oil pump is part number 26357-02b. The 07 part number seen on the housing is simply just for the lower housing. ¹⁹⁾
• The part number for a 2006 is 26357-02A. ²⁰⁾

• The -07 Sportster pump changed at the same time and got the same improvements and the only reason the part number is different from the Buell pump is that the fittings are different. And what's more, just a brief look at some parts books shows that the part number for all Sportster pumps from 2000 to thru 2007 + is the same (26204-91A). So they changed the pump in 2007 as Buell did. However, it doesn't appear that they changed the part number. So with the 07-up XL style oil pump, even though the pump’s part number didn’t change from the 2000 model year, the gerotor part numbers did.
• Both the Sportster 2007 Oil Pump (26204-91A) and Buell 2007 Oil Pump (26357-02B) have gerotors with the following same part numbers:
  • Feed — 26503-07 GEROTOR SET
  • Return - 26502-07 GEROTOR SET
• So, it does appear that the Sportster got the same oil pump improvements. Why they changed the Buell pump part number in '07, and yet didn't change the Sportster pump part number at the same time, I have no idea. Just to confuse us I guess. ²¹⁾
• The Sportster pump #26204-91A and the Buell pump # 26357-02B are the same ²²⁾
• The only difference in the pumps are the fittings that come installed on the pump ²³⁾ which can be removed and replaced with the fittings that you need for your XL.

• 1988-later Bronze Oil Pump Drive Gear Upgrade 26391-06

• You'll need a tool to lock the pinion gear to remove the nut that holds the assembly together.

Inspect your oil pump drive gear especially if you've gotten your gearcase cover off anyway to hopefully prevent gear failure before it happens.

• This is a common failure in Sportsters, even when nothing gets into the pump to lock it up first. ²⁴⁾ The teeth get sharp and then they break off.
  If something gets into the pump and locks it up, the teeth get ripped off the gear. ²⁵⁾
• The failure happens because of pinion shaft runout which causes the engagement depth of the teeth to change as the pinion shaft rotates.
  What happens is the gear will wear badly in one area. You'll see the teeth getting real sharp there. 180 degrees from that spot, the gear will look like new. ²⁶⁾
• So lots of people get fooled when they check the gear. They'll look at the visible portion from their vantage point only.
  You have to look all the way around the gear though. The wear will be isolated to one area only. ²⁷⁾
• With the gearcase on, you may be able to pull the oil pump and look up inside, and inspect the gear while slowly turning the motor. ²⁸⁾
• With the gearcase on, you may still want to remove the pinion nut and gear to get a good prospective on the health of the drive gear.
  The damage can be easily overlooked.
  It usually happens on one side of the teeth on the gear due to pinion shaft runout forcing the gear outward while it is moving against the rigid mounted oil pump gear.
  Read more about it in the upgrade article.

Teeth worn thin on the stock oil pump gear. 29)	Comparison with a new bronze gear. 30)

• Concerns of the carnage if the gear shrapnels:
  • Debris locking up the oil pump.
  • Scoring the oil pump cylinder, feed and scavenge gears which opens up the tolerances keeping it from pumping oil correctly in the future.
  • The debris is also exposed to (everywhere oils travels) as in all the inboard cam bushings ³¹⁾, rings, cylinders, rockers etc. so it can be catastrophic failure depending on the severity of the initial damage.
• Cleanup upon discovering broken / exploded metal parts anywhere in the engine:
  • Simple answer, check and clean everywhere oil can travel. Choosing not to has proven to be destructive to the engine.
  • You can run a magnet along most non-confined areas to check and remove metal particles.

Oil pump and drive gear damage. 32)

More oil pump and drive gear damage 33)

A chunk of a tooth from the oil pump gear fell out of the oil pump upon dis-assembly ³⁴⁾

You can use assembly lube on the pump internals once it's apart. ³⁵⁾