New primary seals.. Same Leak..
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Novice
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco
New primary seals.. Same Leak..
Started out as a small leak that i figured i might as well take care of while i got the bike on my buddies lift. Went to the local shop and got all the seals for the inner and outer primary. Took it all down and cleaned it and put in the new seals.
First.. oil in and everything torqued.. jackshaft spins and not start! Opened it all up again and realized i had put the coupling in backwards. Then buttoned it all up again.. torqued and checked.. STARTS! Now.. Leak is STILL THERE! And now seems to be a little worse.
Any ideas here? Checked other threads and it seems like ive done everything rite. Maybe a trick to anything? Something else i should check? The one thing i DID notice was when i took the inner primary off, the bolts holding it on seemed like they almost had a dab of silicon on the end? Taking it all off again tomorrow after work.. JOY
First.. oil in and everything torqued.. jackshaft spins and not start! Opened it all up again and realized i had put the coupling in backwards. Then buttoned it all up again.. torqued and checked.. STARTS! Now.. Leak is STILL THERE! And now seems to be a little worse.
Any ideas here? Checked other threads and it seems like ive done everything rite. Maybe a trick to anything? Something else i should check? The one thing i DID notice was when i took the inner primary off, the bolts holding it on seemed like they almost had a dab of silicon on the end? Taking it all off again tomorrow after work.. JOY
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Acworth, Ga
RTV around the mounting bolts, they will leak.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,422
Likes: 14
From: Fla
If the original leak was from a shaft seal...
Then perhaps the shaft bushings are bad also. If the shaft is not stable, the seal will leak. And YES, do put RTV black high heat sealant on the bolts going into the engine block and tranny. It isn't necessary on all of them, I believe the two inside the primary cover going into the crank case, and two (or three) to the right of that going into the transmission case. You should also follow the tightening sequence in the service manual. When tightening the primary, it will distort as you go. Torque and sequence is essential...
Then perhaps the shaft bushings are bad also. If the shaft is not stable, the seal will leak. And YES, do put RTV black high heat sealant on the bolts going into the engine block and tranny. It isn't necessary on all of them, I believe the two inside the primary cover going into the crank case, and two (or three) to the right of that going into the transmission case. You should also follow the tightening sequence in the service manual. When tightening the primary, it will distort as you go. Torque and sequence is essential...
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,630
Likes: 185
From: Mountain West, Big Sky Country
just experienced this same issue on my 12 CVO. Took primary off, doing some work, went to put back on and ended up with leak. Had bought the gasket online, looked at the new vs old and old was somewhat thicker. Went to HD and bought a HD gasket, dropped the primary again, changed out gasket, followed the correct sequence in tightening the bolts and no leak.
I think it was gasket thickness, but i could be confused. if you have your old gasket, check it vs new one, if they are same thickness, ignore my experience.
I think it was gasket thickness, but i could be confused. if you have your old gasket, check it vs new one, if they are same thickness, ignore my experience.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
From: Wichita, KS
The service manual says to replace the sealing fasteners. There are 5 of them that bolt the inner primary case to the engine. These bolts have a rubber type of gasket on them.
On the primary there are several seals:
- the crankcase gasket
- the mainshaft seal (goes over the IPB)
- the starter O ring
- the outer primary cover gasket
- the derby cover gasket
- and obviously the o-ring from the drain plug
are you sure the leak is coming from the primary? There is another seal from the transmission right behind the belt sprocket (and IPB).
On the primary there are several seals:
- the crankcase gasket
- the mainshaft seal (goes over the IPB)
- the starter O ring
- the outer primary cover gasket
- the derby cover gasket
- and obviously the o-ring from the drain plug
are you sure the leak is coming from the primary? There is another seal from the transmission right behind the belt sprocket (and IPB).
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,780
Likes: 2,609
From: san antonio
Very common problem. First things first; are you sure the leak is primary fluid and trans fluid?
Sounds like you are working on a pre '07 model? In addition to the seals previously mentioned, there is the 5th gear/main shaft seal and quad seal. Did you check the IPB to verify that it has not walked into the 5th gear/main shaft seal? Very common source of inner primary leaks. You could have nicked the IPB seal when reinstalling the inner primary housing if you did not wrap painters tape or otherwise protect the IPB seal; very easy to do as the main shaft splines are very sharp.
Silicone behind the bolt heads/locks and the housing is also necessary. I would not silicone the bolt threads, not necessary, doesn't seal anything. I make it a habit of replacing every seal that lives behind the inner primary whenever I have to pull one. Parts are cheap and repeating the procedure sucks.
Sounds like you are working on a pre '07 model? In addition to the seals previously mentioned, there is the 5th gear/main shaft seal and quad seal. Did you check the IPB to verify that it has not walked into the 5th gear/main shaft seal? Very common source of inner primary leaks. You could have nicked the IPB seal when reinstalling the inner primary housing if you did not wrap painters tape or otherwise protect the IPB seal; very easy to do as the main shaft splines are very sharp.
Silicone behind the bolt heads/locks and the housing is also necessary. I would not silicone the bolt threads, not necessary, doesn't seal anything. I make it a habit of replacing every seal that lives behind the inner primary whenever I have to pull one. Parts are cheap and repeating the procedure sucks.
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Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco
I dont think its comming from the shift shaft seal. But i picked one up anyways and going to replace it while its accesible. I could tell theres a little moisture around it, but not nearly enough to be the main cause of my leak. Bikes an 00 FLHT. Went step by step with my clymers bible and it said nothing about a tourque sequence! Can you guys enlighten me? I didnt just crank down one side and then the next. (Did kind of like a tire star pattern) But im surprised it didnt say anything about that. Heading to the shop to pick up some oil, silicon, and pick their brains a little more. Let you guys know how it goes.