Drained wrong primary plug. Now what?
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
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Drained wrong primary plug. Now what?
I stole this pic from another thread. I drained the plug marked primary 1 of 2 by accident. It says not used in normal maintenance it was dark fluid. What should I do now? Where do I fill this? I'm going on a trip in the morning I need to figure out what to do. 2012 FLHTK. Thanks!
Last edited by bladeguy; Oct 5, 2017 at 09:37 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,067
Likes: 11,085
From: San Diego, CA
You are going on a trip in the morning and you change the primary fluid, something you've never done before & without a service manual, the night before...? You are a much braver than me.... 
You fill the primary via the derby cover... usually you take off the derby cover first, so if you run into an issue with the derby cover screws, you can still ride the bike... too late for that tip...
PS- Unless they've been changed to allen heads, they're #27 torx screws, not #25... they get stripped all the time when people mistake them for #25 torx.. and use a quality torx driver at that...
Good luck...
You fill the primary via the derby cover... usually you take off the derby cover first, so if you run into an issue with the derby cover screws, you can still ride the bike... too late for that tip...
PS- Unless they've been changed to allen heads, they're #27 torx screws, not #25... they get stripped all the time when people mistake them for #25 torx.. and use a quality torx driver at that...
Good luck...
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
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I added oil to the trans which was low. I overfilled it So I open the drain plug to drain a little bit but no matter how much I drained it didn't go down. Then I realized that I did the wrong plug. Now the question I have is this is not the normal primary drain plug. The normal primary drain plug is on the left. This is on the right. It didn't drain all the primary chain oil.. What did it drain? Is it connected? Or is it something completely different? I went ahead and change the chain oil which was a different plug. Doesn't seem to be connected to this one. The thread I read said this plug is not normally used in normal maintenance is not one of the three that you change. So did I drain something that needs fluid? Is it connected to the primary chain even though it's all the way on the other side? That doesn't make sense.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,216
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From: Central Illinois
I wish someone would ban that ignorant *** photo, it has been posted so many times and only one thing on it is correct, the transmission drain plug location. That pic is not only worthless, its dangerous and damage causing.
If you pulled the one that says "primary 1 of 2" then you opened the engine sump plug. You probably need a pint or so of engine oil put back in the engine oil fill. Start it and run it till warm, shut off then immediately check the level to determine how much you need.
Transmission drain is right about where that photo shows but will be accessed through an opening in the frame crossmember or just in front of it (like the pic). The actual primary drain is on the left side, under the large derby cover on the primary. The engine drain plug is the one marked "(mag plug)" in the pic.
Engine, trans and primary drain plugs will ALL be the same with a 5/8" hex and an allen wrench hole in the center. If any plug you want to remove under the bike does not have the hex AND the allen hole in the center, its the wrong one.
If you pulled the one that says "primary 1 of 2" then you opened the engine sump plug. You probably need a pint or so of engine oil put back in the engine oil fill. Start it and run it till warm, shut off then immediately check the level to determine how much you need.
Transmission drain is right about where that photo shows but will be accessed through an opening in the frame crossmember or just in front of it (like the pic). The actual primary drain is on the left side, under the large derby cover on the primary. The engine drain plug is the one marked "(mag plug)" in the pic.
Engine, trans and primary drain plugs will ALL be the same with a 5/8" hex and an allen wrench hole in the center. If any plug you want to remove under the bike does not have the hex AND the allen hole in the center, its the wrong one.
Last edited by Guntoter; Oct 5, 2017 at 11:09 PM.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 162
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From: Moorhead MN
That plug i believe is the crankcase sump and not the primary plug. Just reinstall it with pipe thread sealant and donât over tighten it since itâs a tapered threads and could damage the case. The fluid you drained was motor oil that sits in the bottom sump of the motor that doesnât get picked up by the return side of the oil pump.
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Tourer
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Let me rephrase the question. This plug is not the primary chain oil that is a separate plug which is on the left. This is not the trans oil which is what I was trying to change but I grabbed the wrong one if you look at the picture it says trans decoy. And it is not the crank oil. What is the oil where do I fill it?
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
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That plug i believe is the crankcase sump and not the primary plug. Just reinstall it with pipe thread sealant and don t over tighten it since it s a tapered threads and could damage the case. The fluid you drained was motor oil that sits in the bottom sump of the motor that doesn t get picked up by the return side of the oil pump.
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Joined: Mar 2012
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From: new caney, tx
Damn man.. Hope you get it all buttoned up.. I have a trip coming in November and I've been doin maintenance for a week already.. Little by little as time allows.... The good thing about what you did is you will never do it again... Hopefully lol
