Hi,
So, I had my 96 Road King to a mechanic for a badly leaking transmission. I purchased a transmssion seal kit along with race removal tool. I also bought the repair manual for this bike. I live in an apartment so I can't do the work myself. He said he used the seal kit in the repair. It did not leak again at first. But now its back to leaking just a few weeks later. He said that I did not have any replacement gaskets which is true so he used old gaskets when he put it back together. The repair consists of removing the primary case.
Does this sound accurate to as why it would still be leaking? I paid $500 to have it repaired. I am mechanically inclined but have not done much work on motorcycles. Its definitely transmmision and not oil when checking the dipstick. And its near empty again. It tried to save money on the repair. But it is not fixed. I did contact him and I could buy whatever gaskets are needed and see if that makes a difference but I wanted to ask here first what you all thought. As I still have a trans leak after replacing all of the trans seals in the kit.

 

Using the old gaskets and not telling you. or asking to get new gaskets, to me, is a big red flag. I would not be having that person doing more work on my bike. Very slipshod work. If a mechanic at the shop I worked at did that, he'd only do it once before finding himself unemployed. No doubt others might feel different about it.

 

You bring your own eggs to the dinner?

You got what you paid for, unfortunately now you need to pay more to have it done correctly. Lesson learned.

 

OUCH! Sad, but true 😞

 

I also believe, like others, that the shop should have suggested new gaskets, however..... If you go into a shop, tell a shop what you want done, give them the parts, and it's obvious you want it done on the cheap, they will often just do what you asked of them....

Some gaskets can often be reused. I have reused the derby cover and outer primary cover gaskets several times. I think I reused one outer primary gasket like 4 times. But they are easy to change out. I would never reuse a gasket that requires a lot of labor to replace, should the old gasket then leak...

The other issue is that you did the diagnosis, and gave the shop a job to do. If you don't do your own work, find a shop that you will trust, then have them diagnose & suggest a solution for the repair...... You can always say "no" if you think they are taking advantage of you...

I would have double checked your diagnosis before doing the work, but it's also possible you had both a trans seal leak, and a shifter shaft seal leak... One of those can hide the other.



At this point, I would check for the current leak to see if it's an old gasket leaking, or a new leak like the shifter shaft seal leak. I would want to know what I am dealing with before going to a shop.

If you trust this mechanic, go back to him. I would most likey find another shop with a good reputation. In either case, I would let them diagnose the new leak, and offer a solution....


Good luck and keep us posted...

 

This poor guy just can’t win for losing.

97 Road King- Bad Trans leak out main case

 

Damn, I didn't realize this was that same guy......

I had trouble believeing his other post was real...