Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,993
Likes: 57
From: St. Louis, MO
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
ORIGINAL: ajayrk
Check your transmission pulley to make sure it isn't loose. When the bike is upright and the mainseal is good it doesn't leak, but on the sidestand a little oil will seep past the quad seal behind the pulley spacer. If it is leaking upgrade to the pulley with longer splines and a shorter spacer and all new seals. Harley has a kit with all the necessary parts.
Check your transmission pulley to make sure it isn't loose. When the bike is upright and the mainseal is good it doesn't leak, but on the sidestand a little oil will seep past the quad seal behind the pulley spacer. If it is leaking upgrade to the pulley with longer splines and a shorter spacer and all new seals. Harley has a kit with all the necessary parts.
Novice
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
Hey SgtThump,
Let us know what you find. Like "96 wide glide" stated, it may be your derby cover leaking instead of the plug. These covers tend to warp sometimes when they are over tightened and could cause a leak. You may have got lucky when you reinstalled it the first time and it didn't leak. When this happened to me I got the gasket for the derby cover (Mine has a oring for the derby cover but Harley now uses a paper gasket in it's place) it leaked worse!! I ended up putting my old oring back in with the gasket over top of it and it never leaked again.
My derby cover has 3 bolts that hold it on, I'm not sure how many bolts hold your cover on (5 or 3) but if it does have 5 bolts then I would think it would have a less chance of warping.
Let us know what you find. Like "96 wide glide" stated, it may be your derby cover leaking instead of the plug. These covers tend to warp sometimes when they are over tightened and could cause a leak. You may have got lucky when you reinstalled it the first time and it didn't leak. When this happened to me I got the gasket for the derby cover (Mine has a oring for the derby cover but Harley now uses a paper gasket in it's place) it leaked worse!! I ended up putting my old oring back in with the gasket over top of it and it never leaked again.
My derby cover has 3 bolts that hold it on, I'm not sure how many bolts hold your cover on (5 or 3) but if it does have 5 bolts then I would think it would have a less chance of warping.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 942
Likes: 323
From: Grew up in Texas, moved to AZ
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
Look into what ajayrk mentioned. Check the fluid. Is it primary or tranny? Your paint scheme looks like a 94 FXDL like one that I have. Pain in the *** to fix the seals. Hope it's just the primary plug, but if you put teflon and screw it in (not all the way). You should be good.
I've got to get the sproket socket and bearing race puller tofixmy problem. Right now, I'm justdealingwith the leak.
dave
I've got to get the sproket socket and bearing race puller tofixmy problem. Right now, I'm justdealingwith the leak.
dave
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,826
Likes: 87
From: Cookson, Ok
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
I had been chasing a leak around for a while myself, thinking it was my drain plug. Finally spotted the primary gasket starting to push out at the bottom just behind the drain plug.New gasket will be here tomorrow. The teflon tape is not really a sealant, it's more of a lubricant for rough pipe threads. I use Loctite 545 hydraulic/pneumatic sealant and it doesn't set up and lock like the red or blue. The stuff will even seal fuel fittings without worrying about the tape unraveling inside and going somewhere you really don'twant it.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 1
From: S.W. Florida
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
Overtightening is a common mistake made by the home mechanic. Theoretically a pipe thread is tapered and should seal on it's own. As we discover, this is not always the case. I have had extremely good luck with the teflon type pipe sealant sold through most hardware stores.
There are a couple of different types, so pay attention when reading the label on the tube. The stuff I buy is impervious to oil, grease, gas and brake fluid. It also has a high temperature rating and since using the product I have never seen a leak on my bike, or a customers bike. The key here is preparation I spray the internal and external threads with brake kleen and then apply the sealant to all the exterior threads with a toothpick. After tightening the plug, I wipe any residual sealer off and let the bike sit for about 30 minutes before refilling the primary.
Good luck diagnosing and making your repair.
There are a couple of different types, so pay attention when reading the label on the tube. The stuff I buy is impervious to oil, grease, gas and brake fluid. It also has a high temperature rating and since using the product I have never seen a leak on my bike, or a customers bike. The key here is preparation I spray the internal and external threads with brake kleen and then apply the sealant to all the exterior threads with a toothpick. After tightening the plug, I wipe any residual sealer off and let the bike sit for about 30 minutes before refilling the primary.
Good luck diagnosing and making your repair.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,379
Likes: 226
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
I have a similar leak from the same area. While it could be the tranny main seal or the quad seal that both are behind the front drive pully on the tranny. Mine is actually the seal on the inner primary that the tranny mainshaft runs thru and the clutch bolts to inside the primary. While I've replace the seal twice and cleaned the race that is pressed on the shaft, over time the leak returns. Nothing to do now except ride it this season and next winter I'llremove the inner primary, pull the race on the mianshaft and replace it along withnew primary seals again.
To see where the leak is, it's worth putting your bike on the lift, sprayingunder the inner primary and tranny with brake cleaner till it is all clean and spotless and then taking it for a ride. Once you put it back up on the lift you'll know if it is leaking from the tranny(main and quad seal) or the inner primary(mainshaft seal) or if it is simple and luck and it is a derby cover, outer primary gasket ordarin plug leak. Good luck.
To see where the leak is, it's worth putting your bike on the lift, sprayingunder the inner primary and tranny with brake cleaner till it is all clean and spotless and then taking it for a ride. Once you put it back up on the lift you'll know if it is leaking from the tranny(main and quad seal) or the inner primary(mainshaft seal) or if it is simple and luck and it is a derby cover, outer primary gasket ordarin plug leak. Good luck.
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Road Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 942
Likes: 323
From: Grew up in Texas, moved to AZ
RE: Fixing a leak at the primary drain plug?
89 FLHT,
Looks like you've been in that sucker a few times. Have you tried the sealed bearing for inner primary made by Baker. I'm thinking about going that route just because I don't want to buy the tool needed to get the inner primary race on/off.
Any other special tools needed to replace main seal or quad seal? I'm still putting this job off. Thanks.
dave
Looks like you've been in that sucker a few times. Have you tried the sealed bearing for inner primary made by Baker. I'm thinking about going that route just because I don't want to buy the tool needed to get the inner primary race on/off.
Any other special tools needed to replace main seal or quad seal? I'm still putting this job off. Thanks.
dave
