I live in Australia and left my 2007 Fatboy Lo in the garage over the winter while I went to the US and rode 18,000 miles. I'm back home now and took my bike out today for the first time. After 10 miles I got pulled over by the cops. While they were going over my bike I noticed oil all over my pipes and oil tank and diagnosed the problem as oil coming up out of the filler opening. The cap of the dipstick was unseated and I tried numerous times to push it back down but it doesn't seem to seal or seat right down. Has anyone had this problem or know what might be the cause? Could it be anything to do with sitting unridden for a period? Any advice appreciated.

 

My Softail has the old style temperature with a needle dipstick. It got loose from heat shrinking it. I ended up slipping two o-rings that were smaller OD into the grooves on the stick.

Also be careful that you did not add oil before running bike to check level. When a Softail gets a few years on them, they will start to leak back thru the tank into the engine. Mine will drop the tank about 3/8" if it sits 3 month when I go out of the country. Pretty sure it's from oil pump wear or the o-ring in the pump. Long as I have enough oil pressure at idle (no light), I'm sure not going to fret it.

 

Good thinking Ripsaw. I'll see if I can find a couple of O-Rings to suit.

 

Yes, o-rings on mine as well. It seems the rubber plug gets hard with age and does not seal correctly.

 

Yes, as others have said, according to other Softail owners I've talked to, the dipstick O-rings can get tired after awhile and may leak. Heck, a new dipstick with temp guage is only $39 so not that big of a deal.

 

Do dipsticks screw in backwards down under?

 

LOL!

Like Ripsaw said, always check oil level after running the engine. After sitting for a while, oil leaks down to the crankcase from the oil tank. So if you top the oil tank up before running the engine to purge the crankcase, you will overfill.

 

Absolutely.

 

Someone on here a while back said the Harley dealer would replace it under some type of hidden warranty if you still had receipt. I did not have it to try but $2.00 for a couple rings was cooler then $39.

 

Yes. How do the new rings attach ?