Primary Fluid Capacity

If you look in the Owner's Manual or the Shop Manual for the recomended refill capacity of the primary housing, on a Tri Glide, it states: "38 fl. Oz. (wet)" or "45 fl. Oz. (dry). My question is, what do they mean by dry. I assume they mean dry if you replace the clutch assembly, but there is no explanation in either manual. I am pulling my primary cover to replace the clutch spring. So should I put in 38 or 45 fl. oz.

thanks in advance for all your help.

are you Just removing the round cover or the whole primary cover ?

ttanthony said:

If you look in the Owner's Manual or the Shop Manual for the recomended refill capacity of the primary housing, on a Tri Glide, it states: "38 fl. Oz. (wet)" or "45 fl. Oz. (dry). My question is, what do they mean by dry. I assume they mean dry if you replace the clutch assembly, but there is no explanation in either manual. I am pulling my primary cover to replace the clutch spring. So should I put in 38 or 45 fl. oz.

thanks in advance for all your help.

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Since you will be pulling the whole primary cover you will loose pretty much all the oil by the time you clean all the crap out of the cover and the rest drips out of the inner primary, your going to be real close to the 45 oz fill. Once you have the primary together you can start with 38oz and look in to see if it is just touching the bottom of the clutch plates, if it is your good to go. If not add some more until you reach 45 oz or the bottom of the clutch plates. When I say plates I mean the actual clutch plates and not the pressure plate where the spring goes on top of.

Thanks M3, wouldn't that be about the outside edge of the clutch spring. There is a picture in the shop manual showing a fluid level about there, but no reference to it.

ttanthony said:

Thanks M3, wouldn't that be about the outside edge of the clutch spring. There is a picture in the shop manual showing a fluid level about there, but no reference to it.

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I like to see mine just a touch below the clutch spring, the oil isn't really there to lube the clutch plats their selves, its there to lube the chain, compensator and inner primary bearing.

Also, on my 89 tour glide, filling it to full will cause the clutch to drag.

pcombe said:

Also, on my 89 tour glide, filling it to full will cause the clutch to drag.

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Your correct, it will do the same thing even to the newer bikes & trikes,