Transmission Bearing failure

[iclick]

My '07 FLHX #8967 duplex bearing started whining at 16k and had it checked at 22k. It was still in warranty but the diagnosis was to wait, as at the time nobody was sure about the source of the noise. As it slowly got worse I had them go into the tranny at 32k after it had evolved from a whine to a constant growl. The plastic retainers of the Duplex "5th-gear" bearing had lost their integrity (broken) and one ball had fallen out. No damage to anything else, but several parts including a gear assembly near the bearing were replaced.

Although 10 mo. out of the factory warranty HD fixed it free and I've had no issues since, now at 48k. The tech who worked on the bike said he hadn't seen any returns on bikes with this problem that he's worked on, so maybe the problem doesn't have an underlying cause like a faulty line-bore.

Added to above post since edits can't be made >5 min. from posting small3d011:

Always used gear oil after first change at 500 miles, Redline Shockproof Heavy since 22k.

 

[randyman]

2009 Ultra been using Syn #3 in primary and Transmission. Couple of days ago at 16,000 miles drained both refilled trans with Amsoil 75-140 synthetic gear oil, and primary with Amsoil 10w40. Have been using Mobil One V-Twin 20W50 synthetic in engine. Bike is definetely quieter with Amsoil in trans and primary. Both drain plugs were very clean with hardly any residue on magnets.

 

[brownfoxx1]

sorry for your trouble.i switched to red line shock proof a while back. now thats some thick stuff.

 

[gusotto]

I believe that the Syn 3 had a major contributing cause here. It's too thin for use in a trans. Most (if not all dealers) have or should have stopped using it because of this. Many trans claims have been brought back to the dealers using Syn 3 in the trans.

I dropped by an Indy shop, just to see what they had for sale.
Conversation drifted to tranny oil. He said the Harley trannys were good to run but that year he had to rebuild three of them. All were running the H-D Syn 3 in them. Not the usual thing.
Good for him with extra work but bad for the owners.

I've been running Spectro 6-speed oil since I got the bike. I'm happy!

 

[Old Mike]

At 30,000 miles and a month out of warrenty the final drive bearing in my 09 UC transmission failed, and I didn't use Syn 3 to lubricate the "Made in Mexico" bearing! Is it just me or does someone else see how foreign made parts seem to be ruining our American made bike? The infamous rear brake light switch is another example of buy it cheap someplace else. I spoke to the dealership owner at our HOG meeting and first thing Monday morning I got a call from the service manager notiifying me of a credit I now have at the dealership. A good dealer does make a difference.

 

[glider]

At 30,000 miles and a month out of warrenty the final drive bearing in my 09 UC transmission failed, and I didn't use Syn 3 to lubricate the "Made in Mexico" bearing! Is it just me or does someone else see how foreign made parts seem to be ruining our American made bike? The infamous rear brake light switch is another example of buy it cheap someplace else. I spoke to the dealership owner at our HOG meeting and first thing Monday morning I got a call from the service manager notiifying me of a credit I now have at the dealership. A good dealer does make a difference.

It's not you at all, the prices keep going up and the quality keeps going down. I don't give HD long before they realize that the bikes are failing with the imported parts but whether they do something about it or not is a different story, I'm sure they have the bean counters busy at work weighing the cost of repairs verses the increased profit from the cheap offshore parts.. It's all about profit for them and not building a better and more satisfied customer base.

Very few success stories arew told when a major problem arises and the customer contacts customer support at the motor company. In many cases it's pushed back off on the dealer and this is where it pays to have a good dealer and a better relationship with them also.