2011 Tri Glide - Loose oil pan!

[ehroyal]

Purchased a new tri glide in April. Have put 6600 mi. on her so far without any problems. Anyway, took it in for a service to get oils changed etc. Got it home and noticed some oil on pipes and underneath after riding a bit. Took it back to the mechanic, (a Harley authorized service center), they checked it over and discovered all the pan bolts were loose! They took care of it for me, but I was just curious if anyone else on here has had the same problem? If so, it will definitely be going back to the dealership for some warranty issues.

ehroyal

[1550vt]

Sounds pretty dubious that the oil pan started leaking AFTER they serviced the tike.

I would almost bet you dollars-to-donuts they spilled some on it during the service or put too much oil in it and over-flowed it and failed to get it all cleaned-up. An oil pan leak should have shown-up in your driveway. This is not something that just spuriously happens after a service. In short....I say BS! They just made a mess and won't admit it.

In any event...it is not that difficult to get under there and check those bolts every-now-n-then. I do a good semi-annual nut-n-bolt tightening routine every year.

[Gorilla]

I concur VT

[Paw Paw Willie]

The bottom of my engine was covered in oil during a cross country trip. Every bolt in the pan took 2 or more turns to bring back to spec. Check the other forum. This is not uncommon.

[1550vt]

NUT and BOLT tightening routine folks! Just because it left the factory tight does not mean they will be tight forever.

[trikermutha]

NUT and BOLT tightening routine folks! Just because it left the factory tight does not mean they will be tight forever.

Does this mean we have to check our car oil pan bolts too??

I had the same problem my pan bolts were loose after 2K miles..I tightened them up and no more oil leaks.

I didnt find any loctite on the threads.

[1550vt]

No, I would not expect to do that on my car, but you have to remember that you are not dealing with an automobile company. If Harley was an automobile company....they would have been out of business long ago. Just the nature of the way the engine vibrates and shakes (which is something we all like....seriously) tends to loosen fasteners. Go spend some time with the mechanics that prep the bikes/trikes as they come in from the factory. A typical fix for a stripped-out bolt is to glue the bolt in place on the assembly line. Don't go down there and ask the service manager....get to be cozy with one of the mechanics. I have found a transmission-to-engine bolt stripped and then glued back in the hole. That's the way it left the assembly line.

Actually....the gasket around the pan will "flow" in time like any gasket. Likely...that first time you re-tighten them should take care of it, but it still doesn't hurt to check them now and then.

[Hawkeye]

Yes. I took my '07 Ultra/Champion to my local HD dealer because of an oil leak. They found several loose oil pan bolts and loose transmission bolts, as well. Tightened up everything and, voila, no moreleaks since.

[msocko3]

As VT said stuff vibrates loose on these things, I've had bolts which where installed to the proper torque come loose and fall out while on a trip. I will say the oil pan, transmission side cover and in some cases the reverse motor have been coming loose more than I would expect. I've even caught a dealer who stripped a bolt and glued it in. Last year my dad had the dealer we used to do business with perform some warranty work which involved them replacing the ACR's, the tech stripped a rocker support bolt and glued it back in. I know they did it because the previous winter I had that all apart to install the SE255 cams, and found it this past winter after they had worked on it when I was swapping the cams to the Woods TW555. We have elected to move on from that dealer to form ties with a dealer who has a shaper service manager and better skilled technicians.

[1550vt]

I'm tellin ya' Mike....they will glue them back in the hole in a heart-beat. I have seen mechanics find primary screws stripped and glued-in from the factory....all they do is glue them back in. I think it's SOP.

I actually pulled the transmission on the one I had with the stripped tranny-to-motor bolt and installed an insert.

[Bruce]

Like the above posts I to found my oil pan bolts loose with no signs of loctite on the treads. I also got a couple of turns on the reverse motor bolts. Its a good idea to do a complete nut and bolt check at least a couple of times a season. It gives you a good feeling when your on a long trip in the middle of nowhere to know its been done -- my last trip was up to Goose Bay in Canada and beleive me thats in the middle of nowhere.

[msocko3]

One word of caution, I wouldn't recommend folks just start hogging down on fasteners to make sure their tight. If you want to check fastener tightness you need to get the service manual and a set of torque wrenches. It is very easy to strip a bolt in an aluminum case which would ruin your day not to mention put a dent in your wallet.

[wonderment]

You just answered the question I was about to ask msocko3.

[10rhrk]

One word of caution, I wouldn't recommend folks just start hogging down on fasteners to make sure their tight. If you want to check fastener tightness you need to get the service manual and a set of torque wrenches. It is very easy to strip a bolt in an aluminum case which would ruin your day not to mention put a dent in your wallet.

This is very good advice!! The best thing any Harley owner can do is buy a service manual and get familier with the bike. You don't have to be a certified mechanic to perform the basic service checks. My wife's 2010 SG Trike started leaking oil. I found several oil pan bolt's loose. I took them out one at a time, put blue loctite on and torqued them to spec. didn't have a problem after that!

[msocko3]

I just come across a HD service bulletin M-1305 pertaining to transmission bearing housing and oil pan bolt torque. I'm not close by my service manuals to see what the change it, the specs in the bulletin are 2007-2012 touring for the transmission bearing housing is 23-25 ft/lbs and the oil pan is 132-156 in-lbs.

[Papa Zook]

Harleys don't leak...they just mark their territory.

[msocko3]

Harleys don't leak...they just mark their territory.

I've been known to do that once in a while .

[grapenuts]

I developed an oil leak after about 18 mos. on my '09. I checked the oil drain plug since I was the one who changed it last but it was tight. I took it in to the dealer so they could tighten the steering bearings and had them look for the leak. It turned out to be that the transmission oil pan was loose; which explains why, even though the bike leaked a good amount of oil, the dipstick was always at the full mark (should have been a clue right there).

[pettifogger1]

The transmission doesn't have a separate oil pan.

[wimoonshiner]

I brought our 2010 TG in because there were 3 oil drops about the size of quarters on the garage floor. My local H-D dealer said that there were oil pan and tranny bolts loose as well! They said that it was not the first that they had found. Since then no leaks!