I am doing my first fluid change on my Ultra and notice some differences in torque lingo from previous metrics. For instance, the torque for the oil drain plug is 14-21 ft-lbs. Does that mean anywhere between 14 and 21 ft lbs of torque is acceptable? And why specifically does it ask for Loctite pst 565 for the drain plug on the chaincase cover? Is that for high heat or what? Will something else work or is it needed at all?

I'm a Harley newbe and just want to do it right, so please help a brudda out.

Thanks,

spiz

 

anywere in the torque range is fine. as for locktite on the primary plmbers tape or blue loctite will work fine. its more to stop any leakage and prevent backing out. i use the white tape without any issues. WELCOME TO THE DARKSIDE BRO!!!

 

Be very careful with that plug. It will strip easy. Torque it slowly. I use a lower torque value with no issues. Did use tape the first time but not after that and so far it's good.

 

If you are talking about the oil drain plug I will be very carefull. My Honda was delicate too.

If you talking now about the chaincase plug, it says to tighten until it projects .16-.18 inches. What is that about?

I also do not yet have a torque wrench that does inch-lbs. I have never needed one but the clutch cover and Tranny filler suggest torque settings in inch-lbs. Those don't seem critical to me as long as I do not over tighten. Right or wrong?

 

A good friend that I ride with is a degreed mechanical engineer and explained the torque value ranges when I asked similar questions. The lower value is the spec at which the fastener won't loosen; the higher value is the one which, if exceeded, may damage the fastener/threads. This is not verbatem what he told me but that's the jist of it. He told me to use the midpoint between the two values, in part because of the variances in torque wrench readings.

 

Most of the high end/high quality TQ wrenches can be trusted to be accurate to around +/- 1% or better but... TQ wrenches are supposed to be re-calibrated every few years or less to maintain accuracy especially if they are used daily. If you drop a TQ wrench you can knock off the settings by alot.

Lower end / cheap TQ wrenches are usually within +/- 3-5% when new and can be off over 10% after a few years. Not a big deal on the lower end of the scale of < 20 ft lbs but it could matter alot on the higher scale >50 ft lbs. Even a Harbor Freight TQ wrench is more accurate than a persons "Calibrated Elbow".

If you do a little research online you can find a conversion table/chart for just about any subject you need.

12 inch pounds = 1 foot pound
120 inch pounds / 12 = 10 foot pounds

General rule: If youre tightening a steel bolt into an alum thread, use the middle TQ value. On items like drain plugs, spark plugs and such where they maybe changed often... each time the steel screw is tightened, the alum metal threads will stretch and wear and over a period of time it may not hold the full TQ.... and strip.

Just some info fo ya

Jim
www.FastAire.com

 

Loctite 565 is plumbers pipe sealant. I had a tube left from home repairs. And as previously mentioned, teflon tape. The thread on the plug is tapered just like cast iron pipes.