So this is the small bolt I found. I had moved the bike back earlier, but this was laying in the stain when I found it. I can't find anything external where it might go. As it is all engine bolts seem to be hex head and only machine bolts on the occasional accessory or non-running gear connections.

Maybe I'm overreacting. The stator was replaced recently so the mechanic would have had the side cover off and hopefully noticed some oil dripping inside.

If anyone can shed a clue on where this bolt goes, assuming it even belongs on the HD. It might have come from the Shadow and I just noticed it now. I switched their positions around recently, but there wasn't any oil there then.

Is there anyway to tell things have gone south inside short of tearing it apart and doing a visual?

I forgot to add the pic. It was late.



Sorry, crappy, low light phone photo.

 

That's not the bolt that holds the lockplate onto the output pulley/sprocket. There would be two small buttonhead machine screws that hold the lockplate on.

 

Check to see if the threads are sae or metric.

 

No grade marks on the head. Umm good chance it's metric

WP

 

Also no oil spot this morning. I rode the bike around a little last night and parked it in a clean spot. Showed the bolt to the previous owner and he said it didn't look like anything from the bike.

So screw it. I rode the bike to work today. Fast rain came up before heading home and gave the bike a wash job then we rode home with a full moon and some damp spots in the road.

I guess after all hassle getting this thing sorted out and doing good on the road I'm a little paranoid. Don't even have to use the enricher anymore. On that level I'm thinking some of the old fuel lines had some crud in them that was slipping out now and then. Or it could have been a vacuum leak. I had the shop replace anything that was a fuel or vacuum line and put an inline, porous fuel filter between the petcock and the carb.

Guess I need to go looking for missing bolts on the Shadow now. I think the Harley might have taken a bite out of his stablemate for spite.

 

Not wanting to increase your paranoia level, but the drive sprocket loosening up will not always cause the output shaft to leak. Mine was irrational. I thought it was the outer primary gasket or the primary drain plug. In 1995 it loosened up enough to make contact with the inner primary out in the middle of bum truck Pennsylvania on the way back from the York open house. Thank the Harley God the dealership in Chambersburg was open on Saturday, they had a mechanic working, and I was the only emergency repair. That's when I found out The MoCo redesigned the sprocket/lockplate in 1994.

Second time was 2002, in Daytona Beach during Biketoberfest. I walked out of a store, saw the tell take 'quarter size' spot of oil under the primary. Went directly to Kissimmee HD and had it fixed. That fix was holding strong up until 2015 when I had the JIMS lockplate/nut installed. Which is a much better (but pricey) one-piece design. Like most things Harley, you have to take a lot of good parts off, to get to the one bad part. You really don't want to do this repair on the side of the road, in a parking lot, or behind a motel room (kudo's to Dr. Hess....).

Only sure way to check for certain, is to get under it with your hand, swipe a finger behind the sprocket, and see if there is any sign of dampness.

 

I find this is always a good idea when dealing with Trannys.....

 

 

Does your bike have the oil filter mounted under the rear of the tranny? Could be the bolt that holds that on. Can't think of anything else, other than the screws holding on the rear bumper rail to the bag mounts.