Okay, tonight I was changing all three holes over to Amsoil. Engine oil, no problem. Check. Transmission fluid, drained and filled. Check. Primary fluid. Drained, adjusted chain (what a PITA I had with that one). Put in drain plug (for primary), with new gasket and torque to, middle of the line, specs. Manual is downstairs, so forget the exact amt. But between the high end and the low end, I went for the middle of the road. Filled up primary to just below the bottom lip (when on jiffy stand) of the derby cover. Went out for a nice evening ride, to check things out. Bike ran fine. Seemed to run a bit cooler, shifted great. Stopped to top off gas for my 10th wedding anniversary ride tomorrow (25th June). Found a couple of drops of 20w-50 leaking from drain screw. Thought, okay, maybe just a little left from around the hole that I must have missed. Went home, got off bike. Checked oil level. Added a bit more (now close to 4 qt.). Checked trans on jiffy stand. Had the trans dip stick resting on the threads, not screwed in, a bit low. Added some more severe gear. Looked through the manual, and forgot where I had read to check it this way. Does that seem right for a '05 rk custom? Bike hot, on jiffy stand, dipstick resting on threads, not screwed in? If not, I can easily drain a bit tomorrow. Just let me know. ASAP

Looked around to the primary drain plug, found a couple more drops of fluid. Fu**!! Grabbed the torque wrench, went to max setting, of recommended torque. Wiped everything down, again. Question I have is. Is there any danger of me cracking the primary? Is the primary aluminum like the oil pan? I am sure I did not cross thread the plug, at least I hope not. Maybe I ripped the o ring? Anyways, the bike was hotter than when I changed the fluid and replaced the drain plug, and still got a few more turns out of it before it was torque down. Did I miss something. Is MFT, to tight for this drain plug? I was very careful with the engine and trans plug, because I know the pan is aluminum and the drain plugs are steel. I am just not sure about the primary. As long as I don't strip the threads or the primary, should I just get it MFT (mother f***ing tight)? Help me out guys and gals. Leaving earlier than I would like tomorrow to beat the afternoon high of 98 degrees.

 

Sounds like you might have fubar'd the o-ring. The only problem is that to check it you have to take it back out and then there goes all of your fluid. How bad is it leaking? I would not put it on MFT as you call it. As for the levels of your bike I would put about 3.8 qts in the crank, 22-24 oz in the tranny, and 1 qt in the primary. I also use teflon sealant on the plugs (use the liquid stuff) as well as new o-rings each time.

 

Well, my friend, you were right. It was driving me nuts, so I went to see if it was still leaking, and, of course it was. [:@]Pulled the drain plug. I tried to stop all the fluid from draining out, figured I could just top it off. But after way to much came out, I just let it drain completely. The o ringwas ripped. Not all the way through, but just enough, I guess. Now, I have to pick up a qt of oil and a new o ring. Hopefully, I can get some early enough to not stop our plans. If, I can't make it to the hd shop, could I use the old o ring, it has no rips, but is stiffer than the new one was? Also, what type of fluid can I use, in a pinch? The Amsoil guy is way in town. Any thoughts?

 

I use Amsoil in the tranny and in the crank, but I always use HD Formula + in the primary. IMHO, it is not worth spending the extra money on synthetic for the primary and HD Formula + is actually very good for that. If you don't get to the dealer, you can simply use any 20/50 oil in it and you will be fine. I would definitely use a new o-ring pn#11324 (the little brown one). Don't use loctite on any of the plugs. Teflon liquid sealant is what you can use. Some folks even use Teflon tape and don't have any issues. And by all means when you put the plug back in, don't tighten it down really tight. Go by the torque specs in the manual and you shouldn't risk the chance of putting the plug in too far. Good luck. You can reuse the inspection cover gasket pn#34906-85D if it is still in good shape. I always fill through the inspection plate as it is easier than through the derby.

 

Thanks. I was just reading an old post of yours about when you had a stripped primary drain plug. LOL. So, teflon tape will work? I have that on hand. How much does hd formula+ cost a quart? Also, can it be any 20w-50 oil, even if it isn't for a v-twin. Thinking that walgreens is less than a minute from the house, and I can use that and the old o ring to get me through the day. I should have just gone with the leak until Tuesday. It was dripping a quarter size in about 10 minutes time. Just didn't want to risk being out all day tomorrow and frying my clutch pack.

Thanks Dawg.

 

Yeah Teflon tape will work in a pinch. Any 20/50 oil will work also. Formual+ is $6.95/qt.

 

You are not supposed to check the tranny fluid while the bike is on the jiffy stand. It Has to be standing straight up!

 

Why would you use teflon on something that seals at the O ring? Isn't that just for pipe threads that don't use an O ring?

 

The primary drain plug is torqued to 36-60 in-lbs.
The primary oil level is checked with bike level(straight up)not on Jiffy.Refill will take 32 to 36 oz. to get to the bottomof clutch spring,dont go higher.

The tranny fluid level is also checked straight up.Do not screw dip stick in to check.

These fluids should be checked with warm engine.

MFT could strip the threads in the aluminumcases!

 

Yup, the manual states for level checks of the tranny and primary the bike should be "STRAIGHT UP and LEVEL."