Softail Models Standard, Custom, Night Train, Deuce, Springer, Heritage, Fatboy, Deluxe, Rocker and Cross Bones.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

What did I do?

Old Feb 21, 2007 | 06:00 PM
  #1  
Rollie's Avatar
Rollie
Thread Starter
|
2nd Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver
Default What did I do?

Hey Guys and Girls. My dad and I just tried to start our Fatboy up and ended up unloading all the oil from the engine onto the garage floor. It is on a stand and we are freaking out trying to figure if we pinched a line or cracked the bottom end. We just cranked it over a few times without any luck and then heard the dripping. It looks like the oil is coming from right below the engine. Any ideas on what the hell we might have done.

Thanks
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 06:14 PM
  #2  
Luxe's Avatar
Luxe
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 415
Likes: 8
From: Langley, British Columbia
Default RE: What did I do?

Did you just do an oil change? Perhaps the filter is loose.
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 06:16 PM
  #3  
anubisss's Avatar
anubisss
Banned
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 17,265
Likes: 21
From: Los Angeles, CA
Default RE: What did I do?

Maybe one of the bolts wasn't tightened all the way. Do youi ahve a service manual. It might prove helpful in this situation. What part of the engine is the oil dripping from?
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 06:25 PM
  #4  
billvaughn's Avatar
billvaughn
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 367
Likes: 0
From:
Default RE: What did I do?

Need more info...Hope you shut it done right away.....

[IMG]local://upfiles/2670/F9D877E5AA1F4AC7A997C81E620917E4.jpg[/IMG]
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 07:04 PM
  #5  
FXST's Avatar
FXST
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: Gold Coast, Australia.
Default RE: What did I do?

What year model is it? If it is a Evo engine I would say it could be wet sumping...
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 07:11 PM
  #6  
southpaw's Avatar
southpaw
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,602
Likes: 0
From: Clark, New Jersey.
Default RE: What did I do?

did you put the bolt back on.? LOL i only ask this because i did that over the summer [:@]
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 07:24 PM
  #7  
Rollie's Avatar
Rollie
Thread Starter
|
2nd Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver
Default RE: What did I do?

It's a 93 Fatboy. We didn't do an oil change and yes we shut it down right away. It's hard to tell where it came from because after wiping the excess oil away we can't see any more oil. We're going to have it looked at asap but thought this might sound familiar to someone.

Thanks
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 07:30 PM
  #8  
bensonjv's Avatar
bensonjv
Stellar HDF Member
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,272
Likes: 10
From: Orange VA
Default RE: What did I do?

Why was it on the lift and what were you doing prior to starting it? Was the bike coming out from winter hibernation, when was the last time it was run?

Limited info provided. Hard to diagnose. If you are too curious to wait for a mech to look at it, put a drip pan under it and fll it up again and see if it leaks again and if so where from.
Rule out the smple stuff first before assuming the case halves have cracked open. Look at the oil lines, filter, drain plugs, etc, for obvious problems.
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-5

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 08:49 PM
  #9  
jakazz's Avatar
jakazz
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 574
Likes: 5
From: walpole, ma.
Default RE: What did I do?

I have read that since the oil tank is above the sump that the motors have a check valve inside them, what happens is the "ball" thats in the check valve gets worn after a while and leaks somewhat. Then when you store the bike for the winter the oil all drains into the sump. When you start her up you get a nice mess on the floor. ......This I read out of some v-twin,..type of magazine... some mechanics on here could chime in though.
 
Reply
Old Feb 21, 2007 | 10:20 PM
  #10  
pistol_pete10's Avatar
pistol_pete10
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 381
Likes: 0
From: Pocono Mountains, PA
Default RE: What did I do?

I had a similar issue with my first bike (87 Low Rider Sport). After the bike had been sitting all winter I went to fire it up. The battery was very weak and I had to kinda bump it along to start it. After a few failed attempts I hooked up a charger. I impatiently fired it up right away and oil poured out of somewhere near the carb(breather hosesI guess). Lost about half a quart before I shut it down. I freaked out and called my mechanic. He said that I built up pressure in the crank case by trying to start it the way I did. I let the battery fully charge, wiped up the mess, filled the oil back up. and it ran fine with no future problems. I hope this helps.
 
Reply

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:42 AM.

story-0
6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

Slideshow: From military-inspired singles to scooters and three-wheel utility vehicles, these Harleys took the company far outside its comfort zone.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-02 18:34:10


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-2
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-6
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-7
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-8
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE