Hey guys,

First time doing my own oil change (first oil change since purchase on this bike, as well). 2011 FLHTK with almost 28K, just over 4K on these oils (all Spectro from the selling dealer, if that matters)




Transmission plug - untouched



Crankcase plug - untouched



Primary plug - oil wiped off



Primary plug - untouched



Primary plug - some of that metal appeared to be aggregated on some plasticky stuff - teflon tape??

The crankcase and transmission plugs look pretty clean and were about what I expected to see. The primary had a fair bit of fine metal flakes and metallic goo. Mostly concerned about the primary. Is this pretty normal or should I be taking things apart this winter?

FWIW, put all Redline in to replace the spectro - shifting is notably smoother, clutch engagement is smoother, and neutral is easier to find. Not sure if the primary was over-filled prior, as neutral has always been a little bit of a struggle on this bike, but is pretty good now.

Thanks,

Dan

 

The primary is where you'll find the most metal.Yes,that is probably Teflon tape.Think you're ok.Obviously,clean all the plugs as best you can,new rubber o rings on the plugs.

 

It's normal to have paste on the primary, but not shavings. All of yours look ok.

 

with the primary u get lots of cloth debris, and I'm sure some compensator wear as well. and yes many dealers use pipe dope or teflon tape.

 

^clutch damm spellcheck.

 

Looks normal to me. I also run Redline in my bike. I also have noted that it's easier to find neutral and the clutch works much better. Good for you for doing your own maintenance.

 

Look fine to me, and good choice on Spectro oil.

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Thanks for all the input folks, it's much appreciated. Figured this is one of the benefits of doing my own oil changes - get to post about stuff that makes me nervous and then either get reassured or go into 'oh crap' mode, depending on the replies. The reassurance is definitely preferred! :-)

Dan

 

Ha ha....had Spectro from the dealer - I went with Redline for this change. To be fair, I only put on 14 miles after the oil change (went to fuel up and add my winter stabil) to get it warmed up and circulated. But shifting and clutch feel noticeably better with the Redline, compared to the spectro. But it's possible the primary was overfilled before as well, so that may be the difference, rather than the different oil.

 

buy a big bag of 0-rings off Ebay. Like a dollar each at dealer.

14-21 foot lbs of torque on reinstall (double check that). Don't overtorque. Rather a little loose and a drip then FUBAR.