Will be my first time changing the trans fluid - I don't have a service manual yet, but the owners manual says the bike will need 'up to' 24 ounces. Well, 'up to' is throwing me off - how do I know when enough is enough. I have a 2000 RKC.

 

My first Harley and I am not experienced with wrenching but I am going to change the primary fluid on my 2000 RKC (22,000 miles) - is this a good time to check the primary chain shoes? Is it as simple as removing the whole primary case vs. just the round plate? Or, can I check them when I remove the rectangle plate to check/adjust the chain tension?....I need to get a service manual ASAP! Do i use loctite on the screws (I have blue)?

Thanks.

THIS POST MEANT TO BE A SEPERATE POST

 

Manual say's between 20-24 ounces...Pour in 22oz and ride...Do not overfill it...also suggest a syn gear lube..A lot of choices here...Mobil1 75/90 is a good choice and easy to find.

 

When doing teh trans, make sure the bike is level not on the Jiffy stand. Put in enough fluid to show on the trans dip stick that it is up to the halfway mark. Then take a short ride to get the fluid hot and recheck in a level position, not while on the jiffy stand.

Your cams are not located in the primary, so if your talking about checking cam bearing tension shoes your looking in the wrong place.

If you are talking about the primary chain tension shoe, then yes you should remove the entire cover to inspect and replace the gasket when putting back on. You might be able to see enough with only the round cover, but it is recommended to take off the entire primary cover.

 

Thanks - That's right, it does say 20-24...I knew it was something like that - not a specific amount. I will put in 22 oz. - the bike came with a 8 bottles of HD Syn 3 so I am planning on using that - should be OK, huh?

 

Opps - I am refering to the primary chain tensioners...these are the ones people worry about going bad and destroying the engine, right?

Thanks for the tips.

 

I would go with some real gear lube like Redline,Amsoil,Mobil,etc-.
Thats my 2cents.

 

I am new on this myself, but the Primary Chain is on the left side and has the rectangular check opening with the single shoe to adjust the tension of the drive chain. I don't believe that this would be a game over if it wore.
The cam chain tensioners are on the right side and if they were to fail it would be quite serious for the engine. There are a lage number of posts here on the subject of cam chain tensioners. Likewise for a Google search. From what I can gather you will need to drop the front exhaust pipe, possibly the right footrest prior to opening the cover to view the inner and outer shoe. My understanding (?) is that the inner shoe seems to wear more than the outer one.

 

Best thing to do with the Syn 3 is throw it in the trash .. Mobil Amsoil Redline or Spectro are far better choices... Also get you a Manual ASAP