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Small oil leak

K

kpstar212

Member
Have gotten so much help here I am asking for some more advice. 2004 FXDL.
After riding and bike sits a few days it develops a small oil leak next to my primary drain plug. Not a lot but will drip. Have heard that it might be the lower bolt causing it as it was common on this year model and is a easy fix. HoweverI can't find any info what the easy fix is. Like I said it doesn't seem to hurt anything but it is irritating. Any suggestions will be welcome.

Thanks,
KP
 
Was the o-ring replaced last time the primary was serviced? Did it get deformed somehow when reinstalling?
 
Your plug I believe is a tapered plug that should only be installed to a certain depth or it can crack the housing. Take a look here...

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There are a few things you can do too. Use a sealing paste on the threads or if they are damaged at all, you can tap the hole so it will accept the newer bolt type drain screw with the "O" ring on it.
 
As always, Glider's advice supercedes mine, no matter who posts first! I didn't know you had a different type of drain plug.
 
Not being an expert on twin cam bikes a few thoughts is that the primary is the lowest point on the bike when on the side stand and oil can migrate from anywhere and drip off the primary drain plug
if it only happens after riding my tendency to wards thought would be it may be the gearbox vent putting some oil mist on the back side of the primary where it will condense and drip as oil
However using a degreaser on the underside of the engine and gearbox and get it clean take bike for a ride then use some soft tissue paper to dab on the underside of the bike and trace where the oil is coming from

Brian
 
kpstar212 said:
Have gotten so much help here I am asking for some more advice. 2004 FXDL.
After riding and bike sits a few days it develops a small oil leak next to my primary drain plug. Not a lot but will drip. Have heard that it might be the lower bolt causing it as it was common on this year model and is a easy fix. HoweverI can't find any info what the easy fix is. Like I said it doesn't seem to hurt anything but it is irritating. Any suggestions will be welcome.

Thanks,
KP
Click to expand...

IF this is the Tapered Drain pipe plug, It is 1/8 pipe thread and hardly enough taper to work more than once..

I'd suggest at the NEXT drain interval to put a white Pipe Dope sealer on the plug and Just tighten until plug is still sticking out of the primary chain-case about 1/8 of an inch..The pipe dope will harden enough to seal the oil from dripping and enough to keep the plug there..

On my 2000 fxds it was a very common Leak and seen on MOST others of the same vintage.. Yes it can be cured using the pipe dope.. I used to just wrap the plug in teflon tape BUT that didn't stop the little occasional DRIP...

Harley since then, went to a plug with a cap head and "O" ring seal that is the way it should of been straight out.

signed....BUBBIE
 
My Dyna is a LOT older than yours, but it occasionally drips a little like you describe. Mine is coming from the inner primary seal behind the clutch hub. I thoroughly cleaned the inner case in order to find that it was dripping down the backside. Strangely mine comes and goes, mostly happens when the bike has not been ridden for a while. If my belt is too tight, it causes it too.
 
Thanks for all the input. Leak does come and go. Seems like after I wipe it off no more drip until I ride again. And then it doesn't do it till bike sits a few days.
It is just around the lower bolt plug area each time. Never have serviced the bike myself. I bought it used from a Harley Dealer and they had done all the servicing before I bought it with 13,000 on it. I was reading an article on the year of my bike 2004 and it said that the lower bolt leaked and was an easy fix. Article never said what easy fix was. Like I said before I can live with it. Just irritating.
 
Found the leak. It is coming from between the outer primarmary cover and the innner cover at the very bottom bolt next to the drain plug. So I am thinking it is probably the gasket ( which would be a lot of work for a small leak ) or maybe I could pull the bolt and put some sort of sealer on it and see if that helps. Meanwhile I will just keep wiping it off every so often and ride.
 
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