FXRT Oil Tank

[bmanchee]

Hey all - got another question for ya. I am replacing the oil lines on my fxrt, and am a bit confused as to which fitting on the oil tank is for what. When I pulled the old lines off of the bike, this is how they were run:
- Outer (right-most fitting) - from crankcase to oil tank (vent)
- Middle - from oil filter to oil tank (vent)
- Inner - from oil tank to oil pump

My Service manual has a diagram like this:
- Outer - from oil filter to oil tank (vent)
- Middle - from crankcase to oil tank (vent)
- Inner - from oil tank to oil pump

And the parts manual shows this arrangement:
- Outer - from crankcase to oil tank (vent)
- Middle - from oil tank to oil pump
- Inner - from oil filter to oil tank (vent)

Now, I'm guessing the parts manual is wrong, as the oil outlet to the pump was on the inner fitting, and the engine would have died by now if it wasn't getting any oil. I also looked inside the oil tank, and the vent lines on the inside are on the outer and middle fittings, so the inner fitting has to feed out to the oil pump. I'm not sure which vent fitting is supposed to be which, or if it even really matters - if they're both vent inlets to the tank, would they work the same whether connected to the oil filter or the crankcase? Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole-hill here - LOL. Just want to make sure I'm getting the connections right. Thanks

[springer-]

Did you check uder the side cover for the oil line routing diagram that came with the bike?

What year FXRT?

[bmanchee]

Hey Springer, Thanks for the quick reply. I just went a pulled both side covers - no label, but it looks like the left side cover used to have one - LOL. (Man I would have felt sheepish with the answer right there in my hands! ) It's a late '48 FXRT - wet clutch, sorry I forgot to mention that.

Bert

[bmanchee]

Got the all of the oil lines replaced last night. I went with the way the old hoses were routed before I removed them. Man that job was a b*tch!! LOL In hindsight, it would have gone a lot smoother if I had removed the starter motor to get underneath the oil tank where the filter fittngs are. Looked like I couldn't remove the starter without a 2-foot long socket extension to reach the bolts on the starter gearcase, so i did all of the work by reaching up in front of the rear tire! Did I mention that it was a real b*tch getting in there??? LOL. Oh, and I am not a fan of those pinch style hose clamps either - man those suck!