The leak gremlim has struck again!

This time on the other side of the tranny - oil coming out of the kicker (starter) shaft. I've been told it's most probably a seal that goes getween the two bushings. Have already ordered a new seal and cover gasket and will tear into it as soon as the parts arrive. The shaft & bushings are pretty new yet, as is the seal. Not sure why it's leaking so soon (only a thousand miles since the tranny rebuild).

Oil has leaked onto the the rear exhaust pipe (see pic). I'm not sure what all is involved here, but I know the tail pipe comes off, then the tranny oil must be drained, then the clutch release lever disconnected and the cover removed. From the pics in the manual it looks like the kicker shaft has a gear on the end which must be removed and then just slide off the shaft, replace seal between bushings, re-attach gear, and bolt cover back on with a new cover gasket.

While I'm at it, I'll change the gear oil. I use 85/145.

BTW, I'm doing as much work on my bike as possible. I just don't assume anyone will do good work these days. Less than 1000 miles on the motor & tranny and I've had to replace ALL the seals so far, an oil pump, head gasket, carburetor, etc.

thats true if ya want it done correct do it yourself

Not related to the seal, but I have fought like hell trying to get burned oil off of pipes. THe sure fire way I have found without scratching it up is to use EZ OFF oven cleaner. Spray it on and wait for a while and most, if not all of the oil will come off. If some if left just do it again. I learned this after the oil fill on my FLH popped out and covered everything.

Good tip, thanks. I'll try it next time. But I already used "Blue Job" and it got it off. Had to rub a lot with a cotton cloth though.

Back to the seal. Several guys on the shovel forum recommended using two 3/4" o-rings instead of the standard "rubber band" style seal on the kicker shaft. Apparently, the o-rings work much better. It was also recommended to add 25% Lucas stabilizer to the gear oil when I change it. Couldn't find any, but located a product called Zmax micro-lubricant and am asking around if I should use it with the gear oil . . . . no replies yet . . . .

I've seen infomercials a bunch of years ago for ZMax fuel treatment....I considered it snake oil JMHO

Just googled the engine treatment...it's not 4AM and I'm not blurry eyed....but still think it's snake oil.... here's their technical sales pitch....

Increase gas and diesel fuel mileage, reduce carbon build-up deposits, valve cleaner, clean fuel-injectors

Good point, thanks for adding it in. The old lady had the fume free under the sink, which is what I stole. In the past I tried laquer thinner and it did not touch the burned on oil. I would hate to think what the EZ off would do to paint.

Thanks, guys. I do know that oven cleaner is some nasty stuff. But the Blue Job gets the pipes clean too, and no fumes! To do a really good job, though, you have to take the pipes off and use a large buffing wheel with the stuff.

you can buy lucas oil stabilizer at napa pep boys auto parts

I was at the Auto Zone and they didn't have it, so I got the Zmax. Got a reply from the company and they say to put 1 oz. in with 1 1/2 pints gear oil. Also said to put 6 oz. in the motor oil.

Since I already have it, I'm going to do it, but not just yet -

I took the cover off the tranny last night and as I was pulling it off a whole bunch of itty bitty little needle bearings spewed out all over the place. Then I saw pieces of metal, too (see pic of my hand). I don't know what these are for, but I know I lost some. As far as the metal pieces, well, that has got to be very bad. And there was an awful lot of metal sediment in the oil left inside the cover. Looked like metal flake paint. The oil that drained out of the tranny didn't appear to look like that, just dirty.

This is supposed to be a "freshly rebuilt" tranny that I paid $1500 for and it only has 1000 miles on it. Warranty is up. I think I got f****d yet one more time.:cussing:

Also, the motor has begun smoking when I first start it up. Probably leaking valve seals. Both pipes spew smoke for a few seconds. Warranty up on that, too. Another botched job.:gah:

After I took a closer look just now, I saw that there were shavings missing from the back of the starter gear - probably accounts for the metal pieces I found inside the cover. Some teeth are chipped as well on the mainshft gear (see lower pic). Not sure what to do now . . .

Does this look like a rebuilt tranny? Not to me . . . .

Once I found out how chinzy a throwout bearing was, I concluded that all the pieces of metal I found inside the cover had to be what was left of the throwout bearing. Tattoo ordered me a better one, like the kind they used to put in the 4 speeds in knuckle heads and pan heads.

When I removed the c-clip from the end of the pushrod to take off the throw out bearing and 2 washers, there was no throw out bearing! It had been broken to pieces.

where did you buy the engine and transmission form, you should worn others so they don't make the same mistake.

Maybe rebuilt means taken apart looked at and put back together with same old parts, there for rebuilt but not updated.

Man if it wasn't fer bad luck you'd... Ah, you know the rest. Josh you a man of patience. I respect that of ya. I think I'd of lost my cool a while ago. I feel ya frustration bro.

And it was adjusted too tight at first. Screw is supposed to adjust down till it stops on the pushrod and then backed off a bit to allow for heat expansion. But I didn't know that when I first put the clutch together.

Tatto says the gears should still be serviceable. So, I have cleaned up the inside of the cover (& right side of the gear box). Replaced the o-ring and will install the new throw out bearing when it arrives next Tuesday. Then put it all back together and see.

I'm going to put 1 oz. of Zmax in the gear box oil, 6 oz. in the motor oil & 4 oz. in the fuel tank, as recommended by the Zmax tech I've been in contact with. This is supposed to be done about 4 times a year. This stuff has been proven to be especially beneficial for older engines & trannies.

Sorry to hear about all these problems Josh. You sure have had more than your share.

I don't know about this Zmax stuff, but it won't solve your smoking motor problem. Shovels were notorious for worn valve guides because of the sharp angle of the valves in the head, made worse by the steep rocker angles. That was one of the major improvements with the new EVO motor.

H-D tried several materials for valve guides before they settled on the C6300 bronze type. Cast iron guides don't last as long, but 1,000 miles sounds like they were not installed correctly. Also, check the valve seals--should be viton type.

Lastly, the cast pistons may have too much clearance when cold (smoking), and heat expansion closes the gap when motor warms up. That's why I always recommend forged pistons--much less heat expansion so tighter tolerances possible. Do a leak-down test (compression test) for this.

Let us know what you think of the ZMax as a stabilizer/treatment...I was skeptical of dyna beads too

What do you think about Marvel's Mystery Oil?

Here's something I hadn't thought of before. I know I didn't get all the bearing retainer pieces out of the tranny, (I only found the pieces you saw in the pic above), and there might be a few needle bearings floating around inside the tranny, too.

How can I be sure all the pieces came out when I drained the oil? I didn't think to check the used oil for debris before I disposed of it.

As far as the smoking (it's white) - it only does it for a second or two after starting it up, even when the motor is already warmed up.
After that, no more smoking . . . .
I remember when I changed the front head gasket that there was oil pooled the in the piston recesses. I thought this was because of the blown head gasket, but now I see that it might have been because of leaky valves, too.

Haven't seen any infomercials for Marvel's Mystery Oil...or Seafoam(which I use for fuel stabilizer)...

Don't remember the FTC going after either of the 2 products above either...can't say that for ZMax...

FTC Sues Speedway Motorsports and Oil-Chem Subsidiary

http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0023256/030321stip0023256.pdf

Joshbob you could flush the trannie a couple of times,then fish around with a small magnet to make sure you got everything out...