Noticed what appears to be a leak at the two bolts that hold the backplate for my Harley Davidson Hi Flow Air Cleaner kit. There are two rubber o rings that sit in a circular groove in the backplate that bolts up to the jugs.


I replace the o rings but the leak continues for some reason. I have the bolts as tight as I dare wrench them.


What is leaking? Is this normal? I think not. Is this also an air leak into my system? See photo where arrow points. Both sides are leaking.

 

Just about to install one of these set ups, so tagging on, thanks

 

That's your crankcase breather. It's not unusual to have some misting there, as long as it isn't DRIPPING I would think it's OK.

 

What ever that black bracket is,between the a/c and the heads,I don't think belongs there. And no,a little seepage doesn't belong there either.

 

Thats the backplate that comes with the air cleaner kit. Its necessary.

 

Dickey
I suspected this might be the case. Its not dripping but its definately wet in the fins as you can see in the photo. I had hoped the o rings would seal and have no seapage. Maybe its been there and I just now noticed. The Screaming Eagle kit replaced the stock air filter housing hence the new backplate, breather bolts, etc. Is this leak a leak or by design?

 

The crankcase has to be able to breath otherwise you build pressure that will damage the engine. A positive crankcase ventilation system is the pressure relief system. There are holes in the heads for blow by and it carries oil from the heads. I believe the EPA says that blow by must be redirected back into the intake. You usually don't notice any dripping unless you have ridden the bike hard. I have seen bikes that will loose a pint of oil when ridden that way.
There is a vendor on this forum that sells either air cleaners that will remedy that or kits to modify your existing air cleaner to stop the oil drip.

dkcustomsproducts.com

 

the black bracket referred to in post #4 above needs to be removed. That is not the same as the backplate for the hi-flow kit. Also make sure the O rings are completely seated in the backplate or you will crush them when you tighten everything down and they won't work. There should NOT be any leakage.

 

The black bracket doesn't look right to me either. The back plate should mate against the head with an O-ring between them. There should be another O-ring at the head of the bolt for a total of four O-rings (two per bolt). By adding the black bracket you have created another mating surface that needs to be sealed with a gasket or O-ring. What is the bracket for? Can you post a picture with the filter removed so we can see what the bracket is for?

Dan

 

looks like you skipped a step in the directions. look at item 4 in the removal instructions, and item c in the diagram.