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where's my trans fluid?

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glimmerman

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new ultra in oct. 1st service in nov. now have 2800 mi. rode a 540 this sat. and another 150 sunday. smelling trans oil all day sat. and sun. noticed a bad whine in trans after ches. bay bridge tunnel. whine got worse on sun. and very loud in 1st. checked fluid today (mon) and had to add approx. 28 oz of redline shockproof. no oil on floor of garage or drips when stopped. what gives here? changed out oil on advice of friends and no big furry magnet. few small pieces. trans is soft on downshift and sometimes won't get 1st gear. goes to stealer tues. for this service. what am i looking for here? where is the fluid? is it in the primary drive chaincase? it's not on the bike. ???? thanks, i need this sat. for a big ride. rk down for belt replacement.
 
Have you checked the level and the color of the primary oil yet? Did you originally have redline in the trans?

Do you know it was full originally? 28 ounces added was almost empty.
 
no, did not check primary. clutch is feeling sticky. no i had original h-d fluid and changed at 1st service to all synthetic. mobil-1, h-d formula chaincase, redline in trans. is it possible to leak into the chaincase from the trans? i'm floored to be this low in 2200 miles. i replaced the redline w/ a dino gl5 to get me to the dealer on tues. 85w-90. good level on stick so i should make it the 8.5 miles. do i need a new trans here or what? run it to failure? clutch is on the wrong side for a trans lockup at speed.
 
smelling trans oil all day sat. and sun. noticed a bad whine in trans after ches. bay bridge tunnel.
whine got worse on sun. and very loud in 1st.
checked fluid today (mon) and had to add approx. 28 oz of redline shockproof.
no oil on floor of garage or drips when stopped. what gives here? where is the fluid?

That is alarming,,, You can smell redline shockproof oil,a mile away, as it does have the additives for anti-wear, and I would think you should be able to see where it is leaking from... It isn't the redline for sure and 4 oz. left is not much.. but:

A good testimony(2) that I read is fitting for you here... One is that in a few bikes, the redline was DRAINED from a couple of guys bikes and forgotten to re-fill it. They were ridden for many miles and made noise like yours did.... After trany was torn down, they could find nothing wrong and just put it back together again and if worked fine..

Your leak would be covered under warranty regardless of the trany fluid you use ie; redline shockproof heavy, It is good stuff...

let us know where it went and the fix.. Sorry for your loss and hope things get straightened out in time for your ride.

signed....BUBBIE
 
Sadly, I would say Bubbie and Troy probably have the problem figured out...who ever was working on your bike, could have drained it, put the plug back in and then got a cell phone call, lunch break, girl friend visit and when he got back to the bike failed to top it back up. Depending on how dry it was, it could have gone for awhile before causing damage. And yes there was a post where tranny was dry after returning from the dealer...

http://www.hdtimeline.com/softail_models/16896-ive_got_a_mess.html
 
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Another good example and justification to do your own service. Its just not HD dealers, I picked up a Kawasaki ZX-9R after service once and checked the sight glass, no oil showing, checked the stick, it was empty. Can happen to any brand sadly.
 
Another sad story, sorry to hear this We have a program at Sears where I work that we hang an oil out tag on the vehicle. This means all fluids get checked before the hood gets closed. This doesnt help your situation tho. The Dealer needs to make this right, i would be firm on them replacing or rebuilding the tranny, if they are guilty , JMO Jack
 
Could it be the seal between trans and primary. The fluid could have migrated over to the primary. It it is high when you open the derby cover, then that is probably it. And it would also explain the sticky clutch.
 
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