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Good Rule, When in doubt, follow the directions......Maybe the primary oil should come in 38 oz and 45 oz containers so the tightwads that don't wanna buy a second bottle to put the correct amount in will be satisfied. I'm often amazed at how often that is really the issue here. You buy a $25,000 bike but don't wanna spend an extra buck to put in the correct amount.
Resurrecting this thread for posterity. I followed part of the manual and added 38. Unfortunately, I glossed over the part where the oil is just touching the "circle thingy". Adding 38 puts me 1/4 to 3/8ths above the bottom. Now my clutch is slipping. I'm going to drain some out and get to the level specified in the manual and see if that helps. Stay tuned.
Last edited by nevada72; Apr 18, 2017 at 08:25 PM.
ok.....so I drained some oil. I did it cold, so watching the level drop and putting the plug back in was easy because it's so thick. I wore surgical gloves so I didn't care if I was getting covered. I have a turkey baster just for stuff like this. Did I think to use it? Of course not. Regardless, it worked out fine.
BTW - My situation was pretty much as depicted in this diagram as found with a Google search, and from V-Twin Forums -
I buttoned everything back up and took her out for a test ride.
Drum roll......
It stopped slipping. For the most part anyway. It felt like there might be just a little, but if what I read is correct, the plates get soaked (more than usual) and it takes time to dry off. Or short of that, I can pull the pack and clean with Lacquer Thinner. I'm also considering the Screaming Eagle spring.
The definitive test was pretty easy. I 1st discovered that the clutch was slipping when hitting "resume" on the cruise. I had the cruise set at 85 MPH (that's just keeping up in Chicago) and sometimes I would have to slow down to 70 or so. I would hit "resume" and the bike would immediately rev up, and the cruise would kick off. At that point I noticed whenever I got on it, it slipped badly. The engine would way over-rev the gain in speed. Eventually it would catch up, but slicing and dicing in Chicago traffic isn't fun without full power.
So the moral (to me anyway) is - the level is critical. I don't know where the 38 ounces comes from. On my bike it took it above the recommended level as shown on diagrams.
Nevada & Idaho. Anything over 32 oz on a drain and refill can cause clutch slip and or chatter and hard shifting. I have insisted on this on many posts, 32 oz, it works every time, good clutch feel and no slip and smoother engagement. I have done this on 3 TC's since 2005. I have run 15w40 Rotella for the last 8 yrs with good results, no compensators or mechanical issues
Here's an idea. Fill the primary with just 32oz and take the inspection cover off and start the bike. Wear eye protection for this because there's going to be a lot of oil flying outa that opening. Now after a couple of minutes, shut the bike off and fill it to 38oz and do the same thing again. Can ya tell the difference with the way the oil flies around inside the primary? Probably not. I fill to the bottom edge of the derby cover, whatever that amount is.
I follow the owners manual religiously.
to make sure I am getting the EXACT amount per the manual, I bought a measuring cup, obviously, used only for my primary and tranny oil changes.
I follow the owners manual religiously.
to make sure I am getting the EXACT amount per the manual, I bought a measuring cup, obviously, used only for my primary and tranny oil changes.
Same here, manual says 38 I put 38, never quite understood why anyone wouldn't follow the manual. Tryin' to re-invent the wheel I guess...
Same here, manual says 38 I put 38, never quite understood why anyone wouldn't follow the manual. Tryin' to re-invent the wheel I guess...
I guess I would counter that statement with - The manual shows the correct primary level as being at the red line in my diagram. If you add 38, and the level is at the green line in the diagram I posted, you are not doing it according to the manual. Sort of. And that's how threads like this get started - There's an inconsistency in the manual.
In my case, 38 ounces induced clutch slippage. I guess you could doubt my mathematical abilities but I can post up a pic of the second bottle of Formula Plus with 26 ounces left. Or you could doubt the accuracy of my comments on clutch slippage, but it was bad.
Regardless, I reduced the level to the level as recommended by the service manual and the clutch stopped slipping. So no reinventing of anything. Just choosing which part of the manual I listened to because they contradict.
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Regardless, it worked out fine.
Same here, manual says 38 I put 38, never quite understood why anyone wouldn't follow the manual. Tryin' to re-invent the wheel I guess...