Fluid is leaking behind the inner primary.

Just did 30T pulley, shifter shaft seal, and chrome inner primary. Didn't leak before, but now it does.

How can I definitively determine the source of the leak before I tear it open (once again)?

Thanks

 

spray suspect areas with drugstore spray on foot powder. fluid will wash it away from the source

aftermarket primary ? could be warped, or the edge have screwdriver gouge marks from a previous owner.

the H-D primary gasket does not well seal poor castings ( and does not work well at all on my evos, as the older casting were less accurate than the twin cam era)- the old style paper gasket can be found at an indy shop and works great.

sealing surfaces can be checked by laying the part on a sheet of glass and checking the edges with a feeler gauge- but since yours is already on the bike...


Mike

 

Is it even possible to get the powder sprayed around the shifter shaft seal? It seems pretty tight & isolated back there.

It doesn't seem to be leaking along the seam where the inner & outer primary cases mate. Seems to be behind the inner primary.

BTW, new chrome inner primary is factory HD.

Thanks

 

My first time pulling the inner primary to repair the shift arm I forgot to silicone around the 5 bolt holes where the inner meets the tranny and I had a leak for a year. I pulled it again and siliconed this time. It hasn't leaked since. Its a small but necessary step along with new gaskets and o-rings.
Just a thought, Good Luck

 

Sorry but if ya got a leaker then tear it down and replace all 4 seals.

 

you could try a colored fluid like redline in the tranny.

red drip = tranny leak

that would rule out the primary- unless you are sure that the primary is ok you could skip this step.

in which case you pull it off, and try to discern whether the leak is the shifter or the main seal

and have at it again.

you are sure that the tranny vent tube is not clogged ? that'll pressurise the tranny and push fluid out where normally it wouldn;t

Mike

 

I did everything by the book. When replacing the 5 inner primary bolts, I smeared the heads/rubber seals with trans. fluid, per serv. man. instructions.

Exactly what do you mean when you say to silicone these bolts?

Thanks

 

UV oil dye and a black light in one hole and red fluid in another....

 

I like your thinking.

Redline in the trans seems like the easiest course of action to confirm/deny a leak in that area.

Someone else also suggested it might be puking out the trans vent tube. They suggested I run slightly less than the recommended 1qt. of trans fluid.

However, I used 1qt. the last trans fluid change, and never had this problem. Seems unlikely.

How do I check to see that the vent tube is clear? There's nothing to it, is there? Just make sure it's not pinched?

Thanks

 

Without seeing it, I would say the most likely leak is the inner primary bearing seal. You have to be very careful putting the inner primary on as that seal can easily scrape along the transmission mainshaft splines and tear or nick the seal. A cheap way to prevent that is to wrap the splines with electrical tape before putting the inner on. Of course the shifter shaft seal could be leaking, use a mirror to look down or up from the bottom to see. If not those 2, then all that is left is the bolts or the engine to primary gasket, which is actually an o-ring. When I did my chrome inner the instructions said to NOT put oil on the 5 inner primary bolts, but to put them on dry.