Hi all. This is Frankie B from Aruba. I have a 2005 Road King and have had an oil leak for quite some time now. I have had my mechanic change all the seals and gaskets numerous times and it still leaks. This last time they thought they had finally found the problem in the shifter seal. It was good for 2 days and started again. When I do a short ride there is just a small leak but when I do a ride of a half hour or more there is a larger leak. Thinking it maybe a warped primary cover but am only guessing. Any ideas or solutions for me

 

You need to pinpoint what is leaking. Your mechanic should have been able to tell what was leaking. If it is the shifter seal or transmission main Shaft Oil then it should have been obvious when the inner primary was off to replace the shifter shaft oil seal. Your shifter shaft itself may need to be changed if it is worn or was nicked during the seal replacement and will not seal.
Have not heard of many warped primary covers

 

Find a competent mechanic, who may be able to run a dye test or otherwise actually find the leak source and specifically address it, instead of what sounds (unless you are omitting some information), like the shotgun approach- "replace ALL the seals and gaskets MULTIPLE times"?

 

Yes, you need to identify what's leaking and where it's leaking from.
You cannot fix a leak unless you locate it first.
Completely decrease and clean the engine and primary especially in front and underneath. Then go for a very short ride and look for the leak.
​​​​​​​One place to look is on the front of the primary where the stator wires exit the case.

 

Thank you for your replies. I totally agree that a qualified harley mechanic should be able to pin point this problem. I am so fed up with this as I thought it would have been resolved a long time ago. I have not omitted any information. I live on a small Caribbean island so my mechanic options are limited. He was the general manager and mechanic at our harley dealership before it closed.
I will ask him to run a dye test. I was also told that if you clean the primary and suspected area well then spray deodorant all over you maybe able to detect the exact location.

 

Hey All!

New to the Forum from Denver, CO. I have a 2017 Road King which I am always looking into adding thing to the bike like everyone else. I bought some accent lighting and want to add the switch for the lights in the accessory switch location available. Does this have pre-wiring for this or does the wiring need to be added also??? Thanks

 

Well that was certainly helpful to the OP...

Sorry Frank but most that have had Harley bikes for any length of time have had the same problem, especially with 88ci and prior. It sucks trying to find THAT leak and can be costly. You have already been given anything I could tell ya so best of luck.

 

I had a primary leak on my 2000 Ultra that I couldn't pinpoint the source. The last try was to replace both the Derby cover and the primary chain adjust cover. Leak stopped.