The leak gremlim has struck again!

Another reason I got a new bike.
Know its fun to work on yer bike.

Don't have to work on it.
Has a warranty and the dealer works on it under the warranty.

No choke,
Push button and crank. Add gas and go.
Had fun workin on the bikes , I just want to ride and go.
Not spend all the extra money & time workin on the bike.

Understood, buddy. Gas 'n' Go is fine. And there ARE times when I wish I would have gone another route, such as electric starter and maybe an Evo motor instead of the ol' shovel. An Evo motor would have been cheaper, too, and the parts not as worn out. But the shovel is a classic motor, and since I'm a dinosaur tech-wise, I opted for the shovel. What really hurts is that I expected to get an honestly rebuilt motor and tranny, which I didn't. Paid $6000 for the "rebuilt" tranny & motor. Just like HarleysLR said, their version of "rebuilt" was that they took the motor and tranny apart and put 'em back together again without replacing hardly anything, but I suspect they didn't even do that. I paid top dollar for half-assed workmanship and now I have to personally rebuild the top end of both cylinders & the tranny. This is work I'm not looking forward to at this time of year, when I could be riding. Maybe I can put the top end work off until winter, but the tranny has to be done first - then maybe I can get some saddle time in this summer.

The good news is, I'm sure I'll get a lot of advice and help from everybody here on this forum as well as the ShovelheadUSA forum . . . .

How exactly would I do the flush and what should I use to flush it with? I thought of spraying brake cleaner past the gear on the front end of the kicker cavity. Can I do it with the tranny in the frame? Would I need to remove the top cover and flush down from there?

Synthetic should clean yer tranny good enough

Last thing I want to do is work on a Bike on the road.
That's why HD has such a extensive dealership across the U.S.

I want to ride. SCrew workin on the bike. It gets OLD>........

Only cost a little more to go 1st class, my grandmother used to say.

I'd take the top cover off,maybe the side cover too,if it would drain from there too and open the drain plug....you'll want it to flow out as fast as it can,that's why I mentioned the side cover,then spray it down with brake cleaner,let it drain,then dump oil in through the top cover and let it drain out the bottom(I just used cheap azzed motor oil on mine) see what comes out...then repeat...won't need brake clean for the second flush...after a couple of flushes get a pencil magnet(or whatever they're called) and try to fish around the bottom to see if you get anything,then I'd fill it with oil through the top and to the top so everything will have oil on it,sit back and have a beer and cigar if you're so inclined and let all the oil drain out,then add your trannie fluid once you're sure it's clean and the flushes got everything out...
After that I'd do a quick change of the trannie fluid and you should be good...

Brake cleaner ain't good for any kind of seals, orings or plastic

I should be able to keep the brake cleaner from getting on the main seal and cover seal. Flush twice. Gonna try it. It'll be interesting to see what comes out after the flushes and on the magnet. Will post pics.

Carb cleaner ain't as hard on stuff as brake cleaner.

I agree with the carb cleaner, brake cleaner is very toxic and if breatheed can cause health issues.

I already have health issues from smoking illegal substances and cigarettes for 30+ years. That was a long time ago . . . .

Well, no need to post pics. Nothing came out of the drain hole, just oil. I think it would help to put a magnetic drain plug in the tranny. When I go to pick up the new throwout bearing Tuesday, I'll see if they have one. This guy's an indie way out in the sticks. He stocks parts but Tattoo doesn't. If he doesn't have one, I'll try the Harley dealership on the way back home. I think the magnetic drain plug should pick up anything left in the gearbox. After 50 miles or so, I'll drain the tranny oil again and see what has stuck to the drain plug. At that time, I'll also add the Zmax to the tranny oil. Wondering where the missing shards went to? Maybe in the old oil.

I may yet ride this ol' sickle up to my family reunion the last week in June. But I'm going up nevertheless, either by the Grey Dog or by train if the bike ain't ready.

sorry about your problems dude...kicked mine frickin half the day. it wanted to start some times, but i gave up and had to take a nap. i may wait until my starter solenoid gets here. i just wanna ride.
i thought kerosene was a good flush fluid...but i am just a shovelhead...and dont know much.

Kerosene is good...chase it with oil a though

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah, me too. A fella on the shovelhead forum said to try diesel fuel for the flush, but I had already done it with brake cleaner & motor oil.

I had trouble getting mine started until I discovered a good way to do it - at least for my shovel.
1) Gas off, ignition off, open throttle all the way and hold it open while you kick several times on the compression stroke. Release throttle. That's the "cleanout".
2) Pull out enricher (choke), turn on gas petcock, turn on ignition, give a little blip of gas and kick on compression stroke. Once or twice oughta do it if everything else is right, like timing and carb. After it's idling about a half a minute or so, push in the choke - motor should slow a bit but not conk out.

After you've rode for a while (10 - 15 miles) and stop somewhere, you should start it back up by simply turning on the petcock and ignition - no throttle! It should come to life first compression kick. If it doesn't start first kick, try again, but - no throttle! You'll only flood it. And if you flood it, you'll have to start all over again with the cleanout, etc.

If you run a quart of synthetic oil in yer tranny. No need for zmax or nothin else.....

If you run a quart of synthetic oil in yer tranny. No need for zmax or nothin else.....

i knew you had given your kick-start sequence before. was gonna ask, so thanks anyway.

It only holds a pint and a half. I've been using 85/140 gear oil in the tranny. What's wrong with that?