The MOCO has recently announced and shown us in pictures that they have made significant improvements in the compensator assembly for 2014 models. All of the improvements for the new compensator clearly show that it has primarily been a lubrication problem for years that has given us so many problems which has let to countless replacements of previous versions of the poorly designed compensator assemblies. One of the improvements in the new compensators is a "funnel" for lack of a better word that will essentially collect oil and funnel it downward for better lubrication. The MOCO has announced that this new 2014 compensator will be available as a retrofit for earlier models. This funnel is apparently made of plastic and will be glued to the top of the primary case where it will "catch" oil and direct it downward.

For some time now, I have been in the camp that this was indeed a lubrication problem all along. I got to that point after repeatedly removing the primary cover immediately after having shut down the engine and finding that there was little if any oil on much of the surface of the interior of the primary. Some parts were dripping with oil while many were not.

I have always keep the oil level to the bottom of the clutch basket (just like the service manual advises). The implication for this level was that the spinning clutch would gather up enough oil and sling it around to cover everything within the primary case. The manual further suggests that running the oil level at too high a level would lead to undesired consequences, one of which would be the inability to find neutral and hard shifting.

I am now wondering if the wide spread use of heavier oils in the last 5 years or so has made the problem worse. So many people are using 20-50 weight oils in the primary due primarily to convenience and the belief that synthetic oils were superior in all applications. I note that the oil recommended by the MOCO is their own which is a very light mineral oil and does not contain any friction modifiers. I am also wondering if it would now be prudent to indeed run the oil level in the primary just a little higher than the bottom of the clutch basket to allow more oil to be thrown around the inside of the primary case to aid in more complete lubrication.

Does anybody think we should be returning to the lightweight oil in the primary that the MOCO has been telling us we should be using? And, should we be running the oil level just a little higher than what they have previously advised us in order to allow better covering of oil on all components which apparently have not been getting sufficient lubrication in the past? Thoughts anybody?

 

Thanks for the well written thread. I've been on a road trip before the 2014s came out & haven't had a chance to look into all the improvements, other than twin cooled. I've had a comp spring brake in my 2011, but that wasn't from lubrication problems. You could be spot on with this. Thanks again.

 

I've been thinking the same way. If the compensators arn't getting enough lubrication using formula +, wouldn't a synthetic motor cycle oil that has no friction modifiers be a better choice? I like your idea of just a little more fluid in the primary, like only 2 to 4 ounces would probably be enough to sling the fluid around better without interfering with the clutch.

 

Well, actually it is my belief that the inside of the primary gets better lubrication using the light weight Harley Formula + than the 20-50 weight that many riders are now using. My theory being that 20-50 is just too heavy to be able to get into all the tight places that it needs to get into. I also think that it would not hurt anything to run the oil level a little higher than the bottom of the clutch basket like the MOCO has advocated for years. As I said earlier, I know from personal experience that there are things inside the primary that do not get a good bath of oil when you fill it to the bottom of the clutch basket. Add to that the fact that if you are running an oil heavier than Formula + (such as 20-50) you are going to have less oil going to where it needs to go. There are some pretty tight tolerances inside of the primary and I just have serious doubts that a 20-50 weight oil can get into those places properly. The new 2014 compensators appear to have addressed the lack of lubrication which has been giving us grief for years. I have not seen a 2014 manual yet but I doubt if it recommends using 20-50 synthetic oils in the primary, yet many, many riders continue to do so.

 

the upgrade kit for pre 2014 bikes http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...in-compensator
part # 42200064
you would need a new se rotor for some bikes and the adhesive to glue the plastic splachy thingy

 

So you want to do what you think the MoCo says to do as far as the "type" of lubricant, but you want verification from a bunch of users on a forum to dispute the "level" of the oil that the MoCo says to have in the primary? It's a free country, so use and do what you please.

The deflector is only one component in the new design of how oil is supposed get further into the compensator spline and other component surfaces. I am not confident at all that centrifugal force will allow the flow of oil in the direction they are hoping.

 

No sir. I fear you have missed my point. I am not asking for your permission nor the permission of others. Nor am I asking for verification from anybody to dispute the level of the oil. I have been a grown individual for a long time and I am quite capable of making my own decisions. I put forth my views because this is a forum for the exchange of ideas, some of them new. If you think that I am totally out in the weeds on my idea, then say so, but don't read something into my statement that was not there.

 

I agree with Joe, time will tell if the new design will work and those of you who bought a new bike will be the test subjects. As far as the oil viscosity, the Formula + appears to have the same consistency of a 30-40 weight and it would be safe to say a 5-40 oil like Rotella for example should do fine in there. The chain flow slings the oil to the back of the primary and by the time the chain comes back around to the compensator I don't believe there's a whole lot of oil left on the chain to 'drip' down the plastic 'tray' to flow oil to the components. It almost seems like some type of pumping action is required to get the flow they are proposing with the plastic 'trays'. Why don't they just put a damn gear in place of the chain and be done with it, that way part of the gears would be submersed in oil part of the time and problem solved.

 

I have been using mobile-1 T10w40 In the primary.

 

been using formula + for some time now , works good for me and cheaper than some of the other oils