84 FXR Questions

[Jrockboogie]

Hey guys, this will be my first HD and first post. I just picked up an 84 FXR and had a few questions. What are the major differences between the early and late model 84s? I'm concerned about the oil lines going to and from the oil filter housing, would someone be able to tell me which is the return lone and which is the feed? I've checked the factory manual and it doesn't really specify which goes where. Last question, what would be a good remedy to fixing an outer an inner primary leak? The dealer tells me I would have to upgrade to a newer tranny and primary assembly, because the tranny case was a bad design and the mainshaft will not be guaranteed to sealed. Another independent shop tells me to go with a belt drive kit. I'm all new to the HD scene, so this is getting a little overwhelming. Thanks.

[jackell99stf]

Is your bike an E84 or a late one?
I'm not clear on where your primary leak is from your question.
Oh and congrats!
I just bought my first FXR (third HD) and its an E84.

[Y2K]

Early '84 has a dry clutch same as a Shovelhead,late '84 has a wet clutch.
The mainshaft bearing race in the inner primary needs to be glued in with sleave retainer type pematex.
The seals on the shifter shaft tend to leak if the quad seal o-rings get old.
I wouldn't say the primary was a bad design for it's time.
I put 125,000 miles on my E'84 FXRS and it was a damn reliable motorcycle.

[springer-]

Is it an enclosed rear chain drive or an open chain drive?

[Jrockboogie]

Thanks for the input guys.
Springer: It does have an open chain drive.
Y2K: Thanks for the info on the bearing race and seals.
Jackell: The leak appears to be seeping from where the inner primary meets the engine case and tranny.

[Y2K]

So have you determined if it's an E'84 or not yet.
The early model with a dry clutch has no fluid in the primary case.
It has an oil line that drips oil on the primary chain and a return line in the bottom of the case that returns it to the system.
The late '84 will not have these oil lines in the back of the inner primary case as it is a sealed unit.
It has fluid inside for the oil bath wet clutch that also lubes the chain.
The old dry clutch was pretty much the same from 1936 - E1984,the same friction discs fit all those years.
L1984 to present are all wet clutches.
A possible source of the oil could be the transmission seal on the mainshaft behind the drive sprocket in the transmission case,pretty common place for a leak and makes quite a mess over time.
It could also be a bad crankcase seal behind the stator leaking engine oil into the primary.

[Jrockboogie]

Well according to the information that you've provided, it's a late 84. I have a feeling that the leaks are coming from both of those places that you've mentioned. And the mess has already come, the whole underside is coated in fluids. I bought a factory manual but I need to find the time to dive into this.