Are you talking about that plug that HD says never remove?

Then you put the plug right back in (before it drained completely) and put the oil back in.

I would think you may have two problems …

1) first the oil you put back in.
important: Unless you are **** like me (I clean the drain pain both after each use and then again before any use) you may have dirt particles left in there.
More important: because that plug is never removed dirt and some rust particles may have been around it which fell into the drain pan.
Most important: that plug has sealant on it (see #2 below,) and becomes hard after time. Bits of that sealant could have fallen into the drain pan.
Although there is nothing wrong with the oil you put back in, there may be particles that were added to the oil inadvertently which could cause a great deal of problems. At the very least I would have run that oil through some type of filter (old guys like me used to use a cheese cloth, but I have also used coffee filters that take forever!) before I put it back in.

2) That plug has a specific torque spec, and is supposed to be sealed with something similar to Loctite 565 Thread Sealant.
The Thread sealant is important because it not only prevents leaks, but it hold (”LOCKS”) the plug in place.
The proper torque is important because if it is over torqued, when the engine and oil heat up, the plug (which is made of a different metal then the oil pan) expand differently. If over torqued it may cause the pan to crack, if under torqued it may not seal properly and/or loosen and fall out under the vibration it is subjected to.

I don’t mean to be all doom-and-gloom, but thought you should be informed.
You should refer to your service manual concerning reinstalling that plug if there are any doubts
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Awesome info by IKnowNot and definitely worth heeding. If I were you.....bring it to a local indy and have him take care of it. I normally wouldn't recommend that as it's good to learn how to do that stuff on your own......but in this case it's really not a big deal (and will not be expensive) because you will probably NEVER have to do that again so you might as well make sure it is done 100% correctly.

Look at the bright side......now you know and you'll never make that mistake twice!!

 

 

Thank you. I appreciate your replies and certainly well-thought out.

Here's what I'm thinking...

I am most certain that when I re-poured the oil back into the oil hole that there were NO dirty particles being put in. I was right there watching every ounce transfer from the drain pan into the funnel. When it got close to the bottom I stopped the flow as it was starting to become a darker color but even then, I didn't see anything 'nasty' that I felt that the filter wouldn't catch.

As far as being "****" about my cars/truck/motorcycle - I suppose I would classify as that! Have been wrenching for many years on my own vehicles and trust me, this episode here has me pretty upset and being pretty hard on myself.

If I can get the correct torque spec for the oil sump drain plug I will set it and restart the motor (haven't yet) watch oil pressure for 20-30 secs and if there doesn't seem to be an issue with that, take it for a short neighborhood spin, come back and shut down and check for any leak. If good there, then I will continue to ride and check frequently to see if any seepage around the plug. If I do, I will take it in OR go ahead and do another total drain and dry out oil sump drain plug threads, apply Locktite, torque down and call it good - but again, keeping a watchful eye on it for a while.

Is this too risky to do or is it a reasonable approach?

 

No a bad plan of attack at all. Check and recheck you're oil level when hot and cold. I would still look up to see what the torque specs are for that plug. I'm usually not a huge torque spec guy as after a few changes you get the feel for it......but that plug is a different animal then the others so you just wanna be sure.

 

Thanks...

My 2003 HD TOURING MODELS Service Manual on page 3-2 shows "Crankcase oil fittings/plugs 120-168 in-lbs". I'm betting that's the spec as there's no other mention of "sump plug" or "crankcase sump plug" or whatever that I can find. I'll try to do a Search on the Forum but have already done a Google search that came up with this same thing.

 

If you are sure no particles or debris were in the returned oil then that sounds like a plan.

Not sure if those numbers are right.
The specs for mine are listed under oil pan removal/installation directions, and they just call it "plug", or "oil pan tapered plug."
It has a pipe thread which is why it is tapered, and why it can crack the oil pan if over torqued.

If you have an 03 touring bike it should be using the same oil pan and sump plug as my 09.
My manual lists torque for that plug at 18-22 Ft- Lb., or 24.4-29.8 N-m.
Hopefully you will find the correct specs for your bike.

Just be sure when you do remove it again to use the recommended sealer, not just a thread locker or pipe sealer. The recommended one does both jobs, as well as resists oil. And if you have to take it off a third time you will still be able to.

Good riding.
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So far so good. I called the local HD service dept to ask them for the torque spec for that plug and ironically they couldn't come up with a definitive value! Not like they didn't try...I was on the line with the one guy for several minutes while he was looking up everywhere he could think to look. Plus I overheard him asking a coworker - which was pretty funny because the coworker said "oh that one. You're not supposed to take that one out..."! So of course I had to hang my head and tell him what the heck I had done!

He told me that the 10-14 ft/lbs range would be good so I went with 12. Fitted it up, watched intently at the oil pressure and the red oil light to be sure the pressure returned quickly, and it did. Took it for about a ten mile run to get warmed up to drain the primary. Looked at the under side to see if that short ride produced any seepage around the plug but so far, so good.

I'll keep my eyes on it to be sure the plug is not backing out or losing oil.

 

The pic above seams wrong to me. Says crank the first one is the one I beleave you removed. Think this is just a spot to add something, this is why all your oil came out. If it was the crank sump you would get less than a quart. The one that says primary is the sump I believe

 

Yes, the one labeled "crank" is the one I removed. And I'm guessing I got close to 3 quarts out before I slammed the plug back in the hole to stop the madness 😳