I also posted this in the DIY section under oil but I have noticed that it isn't a very popular thread and I am stuck not riding until I fix this...

Ok so before you all say it I don't have my manual yet but it is on order I am just waiting for it...

First of all it is a 2002 Fatboy. I know I should have waited for the manual, but I checked the oil today and it was really really low, and since I just got the bike and when I got it the guy said that is was close to being due for an oil change I decided to go ahead and do it anyways, after all how hard can an oil change be right? (rhetorical questions lol)

Ok so I went to the Harley shop and got the stuff needed no problem got home and went to work.

I located what I thought was the main drain plug and got it off (after a bit of work that sucker was in there really tight) but hardly any oil came out at all. That plug is marked 1 on the first pic. I then attempted to get the other plug that I found there off but that was a total no go because of where it is at. Now my question is what do I ahve to do to get ther freakin oil out? Is it that second plug that really needs to come out and the first one was just to drain residual oil in the pan or what? Or do I take the first plug out and then pull the filter?

If it is that second plug that has to come out is there some kind of trick to it because I have broken 3 allen extensions trying to get it off and a regular allen wrench just will not work.

Ok in the two pics I have attached the first one shows the plugs the second pic shows approx where they are located(on the bottom of the bike) from a side veiw. Just to make sure I am not totaly discombobulated.


Thank you advance for all your help.

 

I don't ride a softail but I really, really think your are pulling the wrong plugs. I think the oil drain is somewhere up between the shocks under the center of the bike. Go to the nearest public library and look in the Clymer manuals or chiltons that might be in the reference section. Ask the librarian assistant for help if you get lost in there. That's all I have

 

From what I have been able to find searching on past threads and different forums is that the plug you are referring to is the transmission drain plug. But then again I am very new to bikes and still waiting for my manual :-(

But thank you very much for your help

 

You have to remember that your bike has a dry sump system as opposed to a wet sump. Unlike your car, no oil is stored in the motor itself. Look on the bottom frame rail directly beneath the oil tank for the drain plug. Or better yet look for the oil line coming down from the bottom of the oil tank and follow it to the frame rail. The drain plug is in the frame rail, and recessed a little bit; access it from the bottom of the frame rail. If you removed the plug from your motor I think you'll need to reseal it with thread tape and torque it back in there.

 

That's the transmission lubricant drain plug..........

 

I have done a buddies fatboy it was a 2007 and one drain is inbetween the two shocks up under the bike and the other under the tranny i believe and points strait to the ground. the ones your pulling are not the right ones and the way i mentioned it may be backwards but thats where there at and then the primary drians under the derby cover.

 

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/1...le-oil-one.htm

here ya go watch this.

 

I am getting two totally different locations here. Anyone happen to have a diagram or something? LOL.

I have done some research adn everything points to the plug between the shocks being the transmission drain, the primary drain is under the cover, and the oil drain should have been at the bottom of the motor, I found 2 plugs there and one there is just no way of getting it off at all, and the other just didn't drain hardley any oil at all.

man if I had even an inkling that it would be this difficult to do an oil change with out the manual I would have waited but now I am committed since I can't ride until it is completed LOL so I am going to scoure the internet see if I can' find a diagram or something. Thank you for all your help and please keep giving me more

 

As stated in a previous reply, follow the line from your oil tank, on the right side of the bike, to the frame. Look under the frame and you will see a 5/8" plug for the engine oil.
Between the shocks at the forward end is the transmission drain plug, which is also takes a 5/8" socket. There are 'O' rings that go on each of these drain plugs. Put 3 quarts of oil in the oil tank, then take it for a ride until the engine is warmed up. Check your oil level, with the engine warm, within a few minutes after you shut it off. Top off as needed
My 2005 requires the bike to be on the jiffy stand to check the oil level. I think your year the bike should be straight up, but I'm just guessing. You are better off having a little less oil, then too much oil in the tank.

I use a strap wrench to remove the oil filter. Put a piece of cardboard or aluminum foil under the filter, so oil that drips while you are removing it doesn't puddle on your engine.

Your transmission fluid level needs to be checked, when the bike is standing straight up.
Good luck.


Tom

 

my bad yes the transmission is between the shocks and the oil is where you have been told and maybe the vid will help you out. Its not a hard job and once you get this first time under your belt it will be cake walk next time.