My 08 Street Bob developed a significant leak today, from the hole that was plugged when I went from factory mids to factory forwards. I am assuming this is from the metals being different between the plug and the outer primary cover, causing them to expand at different rates and cracking whatever epoxy HD used.

My questions are. Has anyone else ever had this happen? How did you fix it? Will the outer primary from a Fat Bob or Wide Glide that has never had mids bolt in place of mine? I'm thinking I might be willing to just buy a new outer primary cover that doesn't have the hole for mids and permanently solve this problem.

 

The plug is just there for cosmetic looks only.
There is a gasket between the outer and inner primary called a tower gasket that is supposed to seal the little tunnel where the mid shift linkage used to be. You can fix it by pulling off the outer primary cover and replacing the small round gasket but then you need to replace the outer primary gasket. Oh and add a quart of primary fluid to the costs also.

 

So I could remove the plug, install a tower gasket and rock it with the hole? You're saying the plug does absolutely nothing?

 

Well it does do something, it hides the hole where the shifter used to come through.
You have to take off the outer primary cover to replace the tower gasket. It is sandwiched between the outer and inner primary.

 

i removed mine, got a new gasket and plug then filled the hole with "the right stuff" gasket maker, capped it off, year ago now and worked great!

 

i removed my cover and plugged the tower hole from the inside on boith primary covers, inner and outer with 9/16 freeze plugs from NAPA... over 30,000 miles no issues