How complicated is it to install the oil fix? Can it be done with the service manual and reasonable mechanical skills? Does the motor need to be pulled?

Thanks - DOM

 

Not particularly. You won't need to pull the motor, a lift is handy so you can spin the engine and get the pushrods right. As you figured out, you're gonna have to take the motor apart down to the crankcase. There really isn't much to doing this other than the apprehensions of stripping the motor. You'll need an upper end gasket set, a piston ring compressor, torque wrench, and a few 'sodas'. The only thing ya gotta be careful about in not dropping the oil 'jets' into the crankcase as they are brass and you won't be able to retrieve them with a magnet.

I think the dealerships hit you for around 5-6 hours of labor to replace base gaskets, which is about how long it'll take you.

 

This is a great thread for people who are able to tear the top end apart and then reassemble it. For those who are not able or feel they are not experienced enough I have an easy DIY fix for base gasket leaks... Go to the automotive store and pick up some Permatex flowable silicone windshield & glass sealer. The # on my tube is 65AR. Clean and dry surfaces to be sealed, apply glass sealer onto leak source, remove excess, let cure for 24 hours.

I used this product/method on my '91 FXRP and had no leaks after. Supposedly the glass sealer seeps it's way into the effected area sealing from the outside all the way to the inside and because it's silicone it can withstand the temperature of the motor.

There's your "Do It Yourself" for the day.

 

Several years ago, I put a thin bead of redRTV around the oil return hole on the "plain paper side" ofbase gasket of my 93 FXR (the otherside of the gasket has a factory installed bead of RTV). I then wiped offmost of the fresh RTV, leaving a film of residue, then set the cylinder, torqued the head bolts and finally ran a cloth swab down to the gasket through the hole in the head, to clear the passage of any RTV that may have oozed in. Five years later, still no sign of seepage and the engine didn't blow up.I am getting ready to do same on my wife's 98 FXD. I wonder if I was just lucky the first time? Has any one else tried this?
Tom

 

Other than dealer direct, where have you guys been buying your "oil fix"?

 

Hi all I have been reading this board for quite awhile now and had this same problem happen to my 91 softailat the base gasket on the front cylinderand tried this silicone and it works great


keep up the good work on this awesome site!!!!!

 

I'm going to try the Permatex flowable silicone windshield and glass sealer for the leaking base gaskets.

MikeyB

 

If you think the silicone will work...Give it a shot. You're no worse off and only out the cost of the goop.

You can get The Oil Fix off Haydens web site: www.haydensm6.com or have your local indy order it for you. If you've got to tear into the motor, I'd definitely think about having it installed.

I'll let everyone know how it's working once I get the bike out this year.

 

Did the sealer around the base and now letting it cure. The sealer flows very well. If this works it's the best $3.50 I have ever spent on the bike!

MikeyB

 

I am curious about the update. Did it work?