Is it possible to get a motor oil leak out of the pully seal from the oil tank? I've had this little bitty oil leak for the past few months since the rebuild. The oil winds up around the primary cover near the drain plug, and around the inner primary, and on the swing arm a little bit. At first I thought it may have been a primary leak, but then I put Redline in the trans, and ATF in the primary, and none of the oil is bright red, or the signature dark red of the ATF. The oil now does look slightly milky, like maybe oils are mixing, but how can that be? I don't have a crank seal leak because I dropped just about exactly 1 quart out of my primary when I changed it. I would think ATF wouldn't turn dark brown just by running down the primary and all of that, nor would the Redline in the trans, so I'm stumped. It's not a big deal right now... just have to make sure I don't slip and bust my *** on the card board under the primary.

The only conclusion I can make if it's a primary cover leak, is the ATF is mixing with some of the left over Formula + in the primary near the bottom, giving it that slightly chocolate milk color if it's seaping out of the primary. It doesn't smell like ATF, but you know how it goes. The gasket for the primary cover is pooching out at the bottom, and it never fit exactly right when I put it on.

Any ideas guys?

 

Check all your sump bolts, I posted a few weeks back about this very subject.

The best check to see if its tranny fluid is to sniff it....hypoid tranny oil has a distinctive smell to it.

 

i would check on the inner primary where it meets the trans. there is a main seal there which goes.. and when riding onviously it can throw oil around like its coming from everywhere

 

I checked the bolts on the oil pan before I made the run to Texas a few weeks ago, and some of the bolts needed a snugging but nothing serious. The bottom of the oil pan is a little bit wet.

Does the oil pan use a specific gasket or does it just use RTV? Like I said, I know it's dirty under there, but I don't think Redline or ATF would turn chocolatey brown just by running all over the dirty bits of the bike. It doesn't have that minerally smell of ATF or Redline either.

 

Sump pan uses a gasket, don't ever use RTV on a Harley unless you are stranded somewhere and need to get home.

 

Hmmm.... I'll have to get in there and check it all out next time I drop the oil. The leak is minor right now and nothing to be too concerned about at the moment.

Every gasket so far has been dry rotted from age and sitting, so it doesn't surprise me when new leaks pop up.

 

the bike sits on the kickstand HOT and oil is thin HOT so the leak is not always the location one might think -

simple green it, good and hard brush it and air blow the green in all the corners - hot water hose it off blow it off w/ air - take it for a 15 min ride and jack it up do not put it on the side stand - mirror the complete bottom and go looking - its the only way we do this ALL the time -- jz

 

I had a sneaking suspicion that it might have been the primary chain inspection cover. I took it for a ride just a minute ago (changed the jetting) and when I got into the garage a little bit of oil was coming out of the top screw hole, and down the side of the primary and under. I guess the road grime is turning it brown. I popped it off and sure enough it's warped. I will just have to deal with it for now.

 

Oh, I'm also very happy to announce that my front cylinder base gaskets are leaking only about 4k into the rebuild. Just wonderful!

 

re-torque the heads to 42 ft/lbs. don't loosen the first, just go to 42 and see if that fixes it.