well now im at 1k on my 1st hd and i need to change the fluids. i have never wrenched on an hd and im used to metrics so this is a bit different then what i am used to.

so i have to change the oil+filter, primary and tranny fluids. so i have to buy 3 different fluids to do this? engine oil, primary oil and tranny oil?

can i fill the primary directly through the oval timing chain cover or do i have to remove the large round cover and fill from there?

when i buy my oil, do i need to buy a gasket for the tranny drain plug?

i know where to drain the engine oil and primary oil from but where do i drain the tranny oil from?

anything else i should know?

 

The primary & tranny are shared, not separate, and they use the same fluid. Yes, you can fill it through the chain inspection cover, it takes 1 quart (32 oz). I recommend you use a Gear Oil here like Mobil-1 75-90.

For the engine you will need something less than 3 quarts. Be sure and pre-fill the oil filter with 4 oz. of oil before installing it.

The primary plug O-ring is usually pretty chewed up when you remove it and should usually be replaced. I also recommend you use some teflon paste (pipe dope) on the drain plug threads to insure no leaks.

 

Welcome to the world of Harley. At least with the sporty it's only 2 holes instead of 3.

 

ok. got it! thanks!

 

Actually you will need 3.6 quarts. Fill the bike and measure the oil level with the bike on its sidestand.
Some have reported stator failures when using gear oil; they believe the sulfur in the gear oil causes this. You can just use Formula+, or HD says their synthetic is OK, probably any MC oil is OK.

 

Also, make sure that when you fill the primary/transmission that the bike is upright and not resting on the sidestand.

 

There should be an faq on this site for each model on how to's like changing oil etc. shoot me dead if there is one that I missed

 

WRONG - Do Not add 3.6 quarts.

This value in earlier Owner Manuals applies to a factory new engine that has never had any oil in the motor. The Owners Manual was corrected 2 years ago to reflect the correct amount for an oil change and now reads 3 quarts.

Your motor following an standard oil change should not take more than 3 quarts.

Add only 2 quarts of engine oil to the tank and crank the motor, let run for 1 - 2 minutes and shut off. Now remove the dipstick and use that reading to determine how much additional oil to add.

The bike does NOT have to be upright when filling the primary oil through the chain inspection cover as described above.

Synthetic Gear Oil as recommended is excellent in the primary/tranny. HD's Formula+ IS a Gear Oil.

Please, if you don't know what your talking about remember;
Wrong information is worse than No information.

 

thanks again!

 

Whatever you do, dont use the harley Syn-3. Very bad stuff. Check out all the oil sites and you'll see what i mean. Try Dynacycle oil , Mobil 1 or amsoil.