My buddy has a 78 Shovel with an oil leak that is giving me a workout!

It's an open primary, and it's weeping from under the stator cover. So he brings it by, and we pull it apart. Sprocket shaft seal looks dry, and splines are dry. There is some oil in between the bottom of the stator and the case, but it's just a film. Inside of the case is bone dry except a little tiny amount in bottom of cover. There is no cover gasket, so it just weeps out the bottom and doesn't stick around.

I tell him about the classic leak locations, and sure as can be, he has no sealant on the stator wire retainer screw holes (go through into case), and it's wet up there. He is impressed! I clean it real good and seal it. I then removed and sealed the 4 stator bolts to really hedge my bets.

Well........................he brings it over this morning, and it's still leaking. Not as much, but it's there. I just ordered a couple of sprocket shaft seals, and now I am going to swap it out. His sprocket shaft spacer is basically new (Jims) but I have a new spare in case it's worn. Funny thing is, it has ZERO telltale signs of leakage, there is no oil pooling at the seal base, and I even checked with a Q-tip.

I am not seeing any oil around where the insert meets the case, so I am ruling that out for now. Stranger things have happened, and I am hoping that it was a combo leak of stator retainer and seal. Runout is good, so it's not that. Good times.

Anybody see a seal leak so "clean"?

 

Is there a crack somewhere?

 

Not that I can see. It's bone dry all along the inner "face".

 

Just occurred to me, what if it's leaking from where the seal meets the case and not the shaft? That might explain why oil is not flung all over the place (from a leak at the crank shaft)....???????????

I have never seen that on a Harley, but there is always a first!

But it still appeared "dry" at that location.

 

i turn the sprocket shaft seal around when using a belt - the seal is designed to stop oil from going from the primary into the engine - since its open flip the seal around and add a tad of hondabond to the seal - maybe-- maybe not --

 

Seal is conventional with spring side in. Didn't leak for about 200 miles. Fresh build. I installed the seal for him, so I'm responsible haha.

I didn't goop outside of seal. Hoping it's this simple.

Conventional as in standard practice for bikes in general. Harley.......all bets are off.

 

we have seen over the years not often, the race that houses the seal will start to come loose and it leaks from the alloy to steel insert never seen with a closed primary

another spot we have seen is the splines throwing off some splash not much but some - between the back side of the belt sprocket and the race - or even the front side but that makes a different mess

and the one time a moron had drilled the stator screws out into the block to fix a stripped thread - and the stator bottom was leaking into the case well

 

Fingers crossed it's not a case issue. I just took my vacuum pump to the stator bolt holes, and they are blind (not through case) but I had those gooped anyway.

That being said, anybody have a more elegant seal removal method besides the self tapping screws? Hate doing that stuff, I like a split case so I can reverse press.

 

You can make a drill guide out of a piece of pvc to make sure you are drilling the spot you want in the seal.
I usually use a bit smaller than 1/8" and follow up with a body slide hammer with a small screw with a coarse thread.

 

The little plastic bracket that holds the stator wire will leak...especially if the screws aren't in the holes...those holes are usually not blind.