Well, lets see if the lil orange thingy that cost maybe .30 would do any justice.. If it doesn't I can always return it... Thats the beauty of Amazon!

 

I purchased the Ernst Oil Filter Funnel to use on my 2010 Ultra Classic. I found with the lower fairing and other equipment on the bike that a piece of cardboard, tin foil, etc. is just as effective channeling the oil so it does not get on everything. It may be an effective tool on a bike that does not have all the interference that an Ultra has but don't waste your money if you have a touring bike with lowers.

 

I use a piece of aluminum kitchen foil. I lay it underneath and punch a hole in the middle and let it drain into the pan. I had the Harley Doesntdoitson version and always got oil on the bike. A piece of aluminum foil makes for a clean oil filter change for me.

 

What I do, before loosening the filter is to spray around it with bike/car wash soap. I change the filter, and any oil that contacts the bike is lifted by the bike wash. I snug up the filter, put in oil....check for leaks and then spray the filter area with water from a hose. (Was going to wash it anyhow! LOL)....


Chuck

 

Lots of really good tips in this thread. I have in the past just loosened it and let it drip, then just spray it with Gunk. No more after reading this.

 

I Have the Harley thingy, and the flat drain pan. Both are overpriced, but work good.... especially the pan.


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For ROCKOUT information & purchasing please click the links below...

 

I see this old oil oil filter change thread trying to come up with ways to reduce the messy oil cleanup post changing the oil filter was brought back to life so i figured why start yet another thread on the same subject sine this thread is alive again so here goes.

Guys,1st i have to say to avoid the issues i have run into here mult times in recent past postings here with a certain crowd here in hdforums i have to tell you i have absolutely nothing to do with either of the products & or mfg's i am posting about here in an attempt to help out with products/items that can eliminate messy oil filter changes on our HD's for good which is something often posted about here & thats it .

So PLEASE , no complaints from the usual crowd that complains here in HDForums because they happen to already be aware of items that have been posted about, or complain about these custom mfg'd items not being cheap, & or seem to complain because they have nothing better to do then find posts to complain about in any case i'd appreciate & suggest "you stop reading this post " & complain elsewhere in another post./LOL!

Ok,now with that out of the way & moving on i have pasted below links to 2 products that should effectively eliminate the mess when changing the oil filter on a Touring HD,again they are custom mfg'd thus not cheap ,but they do address & eliminate the dreaded oil mess we are all aware of when changing oil filters on touring HD's.

1) The 1st link is for a unit that relocates the stock HD oil filter to a new position where you can place a drain pan directly below it with easy access so no fuss no muss.

Now some guys may not like the new position the mfg chose to locate the stock hd oil filter but it looks as though you could maybe relocate the oil filter to another location of your choice if you can find a location allowing you to do so along with also being handy enough to mod the brkt that comes with the kit or to make your own brkt to relocate the oil filter to a new location of your choice using the other elements that come with the kit .

2) The kit in the 2nd link uses a custom AL billet case thats a bit longer then a stock hd filter extending the end of it further to the left to where you can more easily catch the waste oil when you simply remove a cap at the end of the AL filter housing .

The 2nd link brings up a pg showing mult items on the venders website so here's the proper pt# & little info on it to ensure your looking at the proper item.

It's Pt# OFC-43: Our our new QUICK-CHANGE Oil Filter/Cooler for all Twin Cam Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

The Billet AL housing it's mfg'd of also dbl's as a mini oil cooler with cooling fins on it that also uses a moderately priced replaceable oil filter cartridge mfg'd & spec'd for std dino or syn oil thats specifically designed to direct waste oil much more to the left side of the bike keeping the waste oil away from the volt reg and oil cooler thats mounted below volt reg while at the same time making it much easier to catch the waste oil from the custom design billet oil filter easy to do without making an oil mess a doable/repeatable task.

Note from my 1st hand experience with the item in the 2nd link i found it's a bit tight on touring bikes using an oil cooler that uses a std oil cooler adapter plate for the stock HD oil filter. Therefore while i still had the $$ on hand i went for item in the 2nd link that wont be installed for a while because i did and oil & filter change the day i put the bike into my garage for winter storage the end of last yr,but at least i will have it on hand when the next oil change rolls around.

Thats because the oil cooler adapter plate thats approx 1.5-2" thick changes/moves the unit out another 1.5"-2" to the left making the unit in the 2nd link very close to shift linkage which in some cases could cause issues.

So beware of that if your considering that for your bike if it has an oil cooler & to check with mfg before buying it to ask the mfg if it will work or not & if they say it will fit & find it in fact has fitment/clearance issues on your particular bike.

But for touring bikes without an oil cooler thus having no filter adapter plate the item in the 2nd link should fit just fine.

So if you have a some extra bucks in the budget & are fed up with the messy oil filter changes then take a few mins to chk out the 2 links i pasted below if your interested in eliminating the oil mess & cleanup issues when changing the oil filter on your HD.

I think they are worth the investment for guys that plan to own & ride & maintain their HD's by themselves for many yrs & miles to come eliminating the messy oil filter change mess once & for all.

Hope this post has been usefull for those people that aren't yet aware these custom mfg'd products to eliminate the messy HD oil filter change were avil.

Happy motoring!

Scott
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1st link:

http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/Cool...NC-OFR-2WT.htm

2nd link:

Note: The 2nd link brings up a pg showing mult items on the venders website so here's the proper pt# & little info on it to ensure your looking at the proper item.

http://www.eglidegoodies.com/id176.html

 

I use a one liter water bottle with the bottom cut out and a relief cut on the top so you can unscrew the filter. Not only does it catch the oil but it catches the filter too.

I'm a cheap redneck and have no affiliation or connection with any company that sells water bottles in the one liter size. However, I will send you one pre-cut painted black and orange for 40.00 shipped

As far as relocating the oil filter under the passenger floor board (or anywhere else for that matter); that's not something I'd do. All that hose, at least 4 clamps and an additional adapter added to a pressurized oil circuit has the potential for leaks or damage in a tip over. I'd also consider the effect of oil pump efficiency given the extra volume and increased flow dynamics. I'm not trying to kick down your barn Wscott (or that of a vendor), just thinking out loud.

 

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Many moons ago (Yeh i'm an old fart @ 60+ yrs old!) i had the same concern when guys were relocating oil filters on 60's muscle cars,strip race cars,dirt track cars too and guess what,they didnt seem to have engine failures and or oil pressure issues related to relocating the oil filters adding oil volume and bit more load on oil pump.

I have also thought about having addtional clamps & hoses too that yes have more possiblity to leak if someones the type to not look at much of anything on their vehicle could be an issue.

But guys have been running oil coolers (inc me) in mult diff positions on HD's that also have mult connection points with additional hose all placing a bit more load the oil pump & or oiling system in general with no issues.

Its not an issue for me because i am all over my vehicles maint wise and would spot something starting to leak because i always gives things like quick eyeball when walking away or approaching the bike & watch for oil drips that could lead to a serious on the road too.

I even carry an extra clamp or 2 in tool kit if clamp was to pop /break while on the road like i do for the oil cooler.

The oil filter relocation system could also be easily bypassed if an issue was to happen on the road by simply removing it from stock oil filter mount location and reinstalling the oil filter back into the stock location and moving on from there.

But i have to admit you are 100%h correct that anytime you install an aftermarket add on mod that involves more connections with hoses & clamps etc associated with the oiling system under pressure that increases the chance of having an oil leak issues esp if the rider isnt on top of the bike maint wise or dosent do a proper install letting rubber hoses rub in sharp edges and or up against hot areas or parts of motor that will eventually burn or melt the rubber hose that got pressurized oil in it.

Like many things there are pros & cons to sticking with the stock oil filter location and dealing with waste oil mess even when trying to catch & or re-driect the waste oil draining from the filter it with al foils,etc vs going with one of the products in the 2 links i posted that take care of the oil mess that due to introducing more hose & clamps to the oiling system will in fact introduce the possibility of having an oil leak if you dont keep an eye on the hoses & clamps over time & miles just like to do with the oil cooler on my bike.

Could also maybe find a better closer place to relocate the oil filter that reduces the length/distance the oil has to travel to the relocated oil filter & then back into the motor vs relocating it much further away under the pass footboard.

I just put the info out there because quite a few guys seem to be fed up with waste oil mess when changing the oil filter on their HD's even when they use the proper $20 plastic dohicky and or AL foil ,manila folder etc slid under the filter when draining where some waste oil still gets by on them once in a while still making some sort of waste oil mess to clean up which these products address.

When it comes to leaks & distance oil pump has to move oil the custom mfg'd billet AL finned oil filter option looks to be the better choice with only 1 " O " ring seal on the endcap being the only extra place oil could leak from the unit.

But i cant use it because of the oil cooler adapter plate mounted on stock oil filter mount that moves the oil filter approx 1.5-2" more to left of bike causing clearance issue with the shift linkage on my 09 flhtcu.

The custom mfg'd AL fined oil filter housing is also bit longer then a stock HD oil filter (adding to the clearance issue with shift linkage on my bike) so when you remove the endcap to drain waste oil & change the filter within the main billet AL filter housing the oils draining a lot further to left side of bike/motor so the waste oil thats draining doesnt end up all over the v-reg & oil cooler mounted under v-reg along with getting all over and into the wiring harnesses in that area too which is great.

It looks as though all you need to do is slide a low profile drain pan (i cut 1 side out of plastic anti freeze jug for that app) under it to catch the waste oil vs the mess you get post draining waste oil from the stock HD oil filter in its stock location.

even when i use al foil enough oil gets into everything under the oil filter requiring me to use 3/4 to a full can of brakleen & 1/2+ roll of paper towels to properly get all the oil out, off & from under the v-reg/oil cooler mounted below v-reg along with all associated wiring harnesses in the area too.

Happy Motoring with or without either of those mods!/LOL!.

Scott

 

Scott,

Sounds like you have your eyes wide open about it. If it suits you that's all that matters.

I won't even run an oil cooler. I use Wards Fans on the cylinder heads. Partly because of what I was saying about introducing the potential for leaks into a pressurized oil circuit and partly because I believe I'm going after the heat source, not the symptom. That said, all that supposing could be wrong. In the end, I think these old things will run no matter what you do or don't do to them (within reason).