Inner primary cover seeping

[Locodave]

Hi, 99 Fatboy. Can you take off the outer primary cover, loosten the inner primary bolts enought to pull it back enough to replace an inner gasket?

I thought about just using some adheasive-sealer from Permatex to coat the outer seam so it dosen't seep. It's not pressure related on keeping the fluid in on the primary.

If I took off the outer & bought a new gasket for it, I thought it might be just loose bolts holding the inner primary to the engine & trans. Thoughts? It's seeping where it mates to the engine. Dave

[Nahanhoku]

There is a gasket between the primary cover and the inner primary. There is no gasket between the inner primary and the engine. You have seals on the inner primary that keep the oil in around the main tranny sprocket and starter jackshaft and there is an O ring around the hole to the stator on the engine side (See thumbnail). Inner primary leaks are from leaky seals or bolts that secure the inner primary to the engine or from the O ring not from the mating surfaces. You will need to nail down where the leak or weap is actually coming from. If it is coming from the inner primary, you might as well remove it and get ready to replace the seals and O ring. The procedure involves the use of RTV on the bolts and in the holes on reassembly to prevent leaks from the bolt holes. If the primary cover gasket is leaking, then remove the primary cover, wipe down the gasket (if it appears good) and clean mating surfaces with alcohol, let dry, then retorque to specs. Primary cover gaskets do weep, but should not leak.

[Dave63]

Originally Posted by Locodave

It's seeping where it mates to the engine. Dave

The O-ring around the stator is leaking, OR, check your stator plug. They're known to shrink a tad and leak from there, running down the engine and appearing to be the inner primary/engine O-ring seeping.

If it's the O-Ring, I wouldn't waste my time with sealer/gobbeldy-goo/gook trying to band-aid it, rather fix it right. Most band-aids take a crap at the worst times.......

JPCycles sells a James Inner Primary gasket kit, with all the seals, gaskets and things necessary for like $39.

[Locodave]

Hi, Thanks for all the info. Didn't know there were O rings on the inner primary mating. I was thinking of band-aiding it till winter. Get at it then in the garage when the snow flys in a few months. Just make shure the oil level is full. The outer primary was seeping too & baid-aided it with a little Permatex adheasive & sealer. ( Black stuff. ) Worked fine on doing it for the outer cover. Guess I had 2 seeps & stopped just one of them.

I decided to go buy a new outer primary cover gasket, see if the bolts that hold the inner on, are loose. Tighten & hope for the best while I can still ride it to see. Check 1st on the stator plug. I'll look at the shop manual I have & hope I can get to all of the inside bolts for now. Dave