So, traded my boat for an '02 Ultra Classic (FLHTCUI). Took it to Killer Creek Harley for their free (I know why they do this, don't get me wrong), but free "56-point inspection. I knew they'd find stuff wrong and that's what I wanted them to do.

Well, I've got a bunch of leaking gaskets. I knew this but none of the leaks are severe YET. NO drips, but looks like "moisture" around the leaking areas. The price of all of the parts to fix all my leaks are $400 but with parts and labor, I'm looking at around $2,200 to have them fix it (I think that part of the "parts" pricing is a new rear tire).

I have no problem with their price. I know they have overhead, labor, etc, etc, etc. but I think I can take care of this myself. I've got the owner's manual for the bike, the parts manual and the service manual. (Always my first purchase after ANY vehicle.)

I have rebuilt a car engine before with no problems but never worked on a bike's engine.

Any tips about replacing what I feel like are the two most confounding gaskets on the bike:

Cylinder Base Gaskets
Shift Shaft Seal

They say that the base gaskets can be done without removing the engine. The seat will come off and the gas tank will come off. I know the primary has to be removed to get to the shift shaft seal.

The rest of the stuff is easy and I don't see any issues with them, so I won't go into detail about those (transmission cover gasket is a good example of simple for me).

I'm buying a few new sets of tools too!!!! Oh, that reminds me, other than the "obvious" tools such as allen wrench sets, torx, etc, any other "special" tools I should pick up that would enable me to work on anything for this bike in particular?

Anybody done this or see any gremlins I may run into during my "winter" project? Since I've just had 3 vertebrae fused together, I won't be riding for a while anyway and thought this would be a good time for me to get very personal with the bike!

Since I'm planning on being this deep into it, while I have the primary off and don't know much history on the bike, should I go ahead and put a new clutch kit in it? I don't have any problems with it now, but again, since I'm going to be in there, should I take care of it before I have a problem or just wait until I feel a problem starting? We're only talking about a couple hundred more dollars, right?

 

first off, on your 02 model, there are no base gaskets. that was an evo and earlier harley motor thing. now they use "o" rings. as far as necessary tools, you will need two torque wrenches. a ft lb one and an inch lb one. don't forget you're going to need a torx driver that's 3/8" drive for the derby cover. as far as being concerned with the clutch, i think you're going to have your hands full with replacing gaskets for a while. be sure to make sure that the suspect gaskets are really leaking. like the cylinder base o rings. if they seal, then i'd say, leave them alone for now. is your shifter shaft seal leaking? if not, then leave it alone also. the gaskets may have dried out a bit. you might be surprised to find that they might come back to life with changing the lubes in all three holes. gaskets require oil to seal properly, other than head gaskets and exhaust gaskets, and of course the intake gaskets. but for the motor, the gaskets will swell properly once they become coated on the inside edge of the gasket. see, oil does more than you might think. have fun with your new project. you'll find the correct procedure of how to tear it apart in your service manual. pretty simple actually.

 

Is the bike stock? How are the tensioners? How many miles on the bike? I'd throw your money elsewhere than in the clutch like on the hydraulic tensioner upgrade kit. There is a lot more that I would do to the scoot if I were pulling the heads and cylinders and primary off.

 

Yep... The bike is stock and part of this project is going to be the 40K mile service as well. (Sorry, forgot to mention that as well)...

What other upgrades related to what I'm going to have taken apart would you do?

I have learned about the o-rings instead of gaskets on my cylinder bases but just figured it was easier just to call everything gaskets!

The rocker cover is leaking as well.

The shift shaft seal is definitely shot, that's for sure. Not only that, but the shifter is loose on the shaft and needs to be at least tightened if not replaced so I'll get that done while the primary is off too.

I'm going to be putting more chrome on the bike this winter too (assorted engine chrome), but you mentioned at least one "functional" upgrade like hydraulic tensioner upgrade kit... What other functional upgrades are common?

I thought about some upgrades for speed and power, then realized I really don't need it! Sure, Screaming Eagle kits are nice, but she's plenty strong to pull my wife and I all over the place safely, that's for sure but if there are upgrades out there that can prolong life, make the bike safer or save money in the long run, I'm all for it!

I'm amazed at how much action there is on this board! GREAT FORUM and thanks for the responses!

 

If your trans "trap door" gasket is leaking, you'll need a Primary Inner Bearing - Inner Race removal/installation tool to get to that.
Also as far as the Shifter shaft leak - alot of guys seem to have reoccurring issues with that seal. It might be advantageous to also replace the bushing to eliminate some of the slop. You can determine that once everything is off though, by checking how much wiggle you get out of the shifter.
It seems like you're having a lot of issues for a relatively low mileage newer bike?
I can see 1, maybe 2 of these "leaks" happening, but not a majority of the possible problems. Was your bike in a wreck?
The good thing is - besides a few special tools, these things are easy to work on.

 

No wrecks...

What we think is that #1, the bike sat for some time un-used, letting the gaskets/o-rings dry up. Then the guy got on it, drove it over to me for my test ride and I began riding it regularly and they started leaking.

Also, there was probably a total lack of preventative maintenance, but luckily, for now at least, it looks like minor issues that resulted... (Never having checked or re-tourqued any screws, nut and bolts at all).

Basically, the bike is great, but needs a little TLC to get her back up to perfect again.

Still cheaper than owning that off shore fishing boat I traded for the bike!!!

 

Your saved fuel cost's alone, will leave a lot for upgrades!
You could ride a whole year on a your bike for one day on your boat - fuel wise.

 

I'll work on a list of what I would do if it were me, just for reliability with no performance.

 

Dawg IS wise - listen to him.......

 

You may not know it but, IMHO, you have the best of the ealier models. Three years into the twin cam, so, you have the Delphi fuel injection instead of the MM system; a forged crank and the Timken main crank bearing. Much stronger bottom end than what the MoCo is putting out today. The old five speed tranny is bullet proof.

Yeah, you can get the 96" engine and six speed tranny if you get a later model but you along with that comes the heat management issues, the fragile cranks introduced in '07 and the new runout tolerance of .012" that used to be .003" for warranty purposes, the lack of the Timken crank bearing, the noisy fifth gear in the six speed (I think they have corrected this) and what I would consider a noticeable change in dealer's attitudes regarding warranty issues relatedt to the later models.

But I digress. Once you get you gasket issues resolved, you should definitely check the cam chain tenioners. Make a visual inspection and service them as intructed in the service manual. If they are wearing prematurely or are cracking, you can simply replace them or, as was previously suggested, upgrade to the late hydraulic tensioner, roller chain setup which will require a new set of cams. There is a billet plate option to upgrade but there have been issues with the billet plate and the inner chain included in that kit is not a roller chain.

You sound as though you are confident in your mechanical abilities and that you enjoy working on the bike?? In that event, you should enjoy owning and working on the bike. Start with a Stage I upgrade to a freer flowing air filter and exhaust along with a fuel management system and a tune. You will pick up 10TQ/10HP but after one season, you will be ready for more. Then you can get into the engine and increase displacement to 95", have the heads "street" ported and install a set of mild cams and have the engine re-tuned. Won't cost near as much as operating your boat and should be more fun.

You picked a good year; enjoy owning it!