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Primary Oil Leak

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glimmerman

Active Member
I have been fighting this problem on a 10 ultra since 2,000 miles. don't ask about the warranty as that is another story. I have replaced the bearing 4 times, the seal 6 times and the entire trans at 18,500 miles. I currently have 37,816 showing and this thing is dripping badly. I haven't ridden it since it was shipped home by haulbikes.com in August.(another nightmare). I am about ready to tear it apart for the last time and need serious help with why this leak cannot be stopped. is the engine out of square to the trans or do I need a new inner primary cover that may be warped or machined wrong. no help from HD so I need real experts. I have all winter as I have an rk police I'm riding now with no problems. HELP!
 
glimmerman - I moved this post out of the Self Help section and into a thread of its own in the hope that it would get more responses.

You may have to add another post going into a bit more detail about what you're experiencing since its in a thread of its own now.

My apologies for creating extra work for you but I know you'll get more helpful replies this way - not everyone reads all of the new posts in the Self Help area.
 
Seems to me Redfish Joe had a similar problem, The MOCO never did figure it out sorry to hear you going thru all this
 
Not saying we can solve the problem but right now the OP has not presented enough detail to even start. I have a couple of questions for the OP.

1. Is the leak primary or trans fluid?
2. Has the inner primary race been replaced?
3. In the past repairs, which seals were replaced?
4. Does the drip continue dripping after a ride or does it drip and make a spot about the size of a quarter and then stop?

We really need more details; these leaks can be tricky to run down but at the end of the day, those fluids can only come from two places.:s
 
it is primary fluid. the leak started at 2,000 miles. 10 ultra, 37,816 showing. I have replaced the bearing 4 times and the seal 6 times. I replaced the trans at 18,500 miles because of another issue relating to dealer service or lack thereof. the new trans is starting to weep at the shifter seal but that is a minor issue at this time. I know this is primary fluid as its all over the inside of the inner case and the level gets lower. the trans fluid is red line shock proof and has a definite pink color. is the engine bored out of square to the trans, is the chain tensioner too tight, or is the primary housing bored off center of the trans mainshaf. I am at a loss for ideas. I have an 01 police rk that doesn't drip at bit with more mileage. hope this is more specific, thanks.
 
glimmerman said:
it is primary fluid. the leak started at 2,000 miles. 10 ultra, 37,816 showing. I have replaced the bearing 4 times and the seal 6 times. I replaced the trans at 18,500 miles because of another issue relating to dealer service or lack thereof. the new trans is starting to weep at the shifter seal but that is a minor issue at this time. I know this is primary fluid as its all over the inside of the inner case and the level gets lower. the trans fluid is red line shock proof and has a definite pink color. is the engine bored out of square to the trans, is the chain tensioner too tight, or is the primary housing bored off center of the trans mainshaf. I am at a loss for ideas. I have an 01 police rk that doesn't drip at bit with more mileage. hope this is more specific, thanks.
Click to expand...

I am not going to pretend I have an answer to what appears to be a challenging issue. However, I would offer a couple of comments.

If you are running the HD auto primary chain adjuster, chain tension could be a contributing factor. Many times those adjusters do tighten the primary chain tighter than specified.

There are only a few ways primary fluid can escape the primary chain case.

1. Poor seal between the inner primary bearing (IPB) race and IPB seal.
2. Poor seal between the outer primary chain case and inner primary at the gasket.
3. Leaking past the sealed bolts that behind the clutch pack.
4. Leaking past the outer primary chain case drain plug.
5. Leaking past the left side crank bearing into the crank case.

If the leak presents on the inside of the inner primary that should eliminate #2, #4 and #5; right?

So, when you changed the IPB seal, did you look at or change the IPB race? Did you use new sealed bolts to install the inner primary? If the answer is "yes", a more intrusive search for the source of the leak is required.

Cleaning the area where the leak exhibits, really clean as in no evidence of a leak and putting some dye in the primary fluid before the next ride would be the next step. Not a long ride but a ride just long enough for the leak to exhibit. With a dye in the primary fluid you should be able to pin point the source of the leak. Once you know the source of the leak, perhaps a solution will surface.:s
 
yes. always use new sealing bolts. leak is definitely through the IPB seal. have pressed out the bearing 4 times and replaced the whole and then just the seal. dealer parts guy did mention excessive tightness from the chain adjuster. when I did this at the trans swap, the compensator cam slider hub was cracked through the splines. did a liquid penetrant test and it looked like spider webs all around so I replaced those parts as well. I'm thinking of bringing the IP housing to work and let the machinists play with it on a flat table. I figured I'd get the best advice here first. time to get wrenching. i'll get back.
 
glimmerman said:
yes. always use new sealing bolts. leak is definitely through the IPB seal. have pressed out the bearing 4 times and replaced the whole and then just the seal. dealer parts guy did mention excessive tightness from the chain adjuster. when I did this at the trans swap, the compensator cam slider hub was cracked through the splines. did a liquid penetrant test and it looked like spider webs all around so I replaced those parts as well. I'm thinking of bringing the IP housing to work and let the machinists play with it on a flat table. I figured I'd get the best advice here first. time to get wrenching. i'll get back.
Click to expand...

A question you have not answered, I think. In the process of changing the IPB and seal, did you inspect or change the IPB race on the mainshaft? That is where the IPB seal rides to seal off the primary. Additionally, the IPB seal is quite easy to install backwards even with "oil side" marked on the inside face of the seal. Not doubting your mechanical skills, just wan to touch all the bases.

Checking the inner primary case on a flat table is a good idea; let us know how it checks out.:s
 
I know this is an old thread and you have it fixed already but I had a weird and strange experience with my leak on the inner primary cover transmission seal. When I removed the inner primary cover I noticed the shaft seal said "oil side" on it. Since the oil side of the seal was facing the sprocket which is the dry side I determined the factory had installed the seal backwards. I had 15,000 miles on it at the time. I installed a new seal and it hasn't leaked since. I now have 25,000 on the bike.
 
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