How To Check Primary Oil On Harley Davidson?

If you drive a Harley Davidson, you should take care of it. Maintenance is a must for your bike. The only engine oil change isn’t the maintenance. You need to focus on other things also. Primary chaincase and changing the primary oil are essential if you drive a Harley Davidson. 

Many bikes also use the same lubricant sump for the engine, transmission, and primary chaincase. But most Harley Davidson models use different oil sump for the engine and primary chaincase. Most users can have confused about, how to check primary oil on Harley Davidson? 

Well, it’s not a hard thing. Some simple steps are enough to check the primary oil of your motorcycle. In this article, we are going to discuss this.

How to check primary oil on Harley Davidson?

Mostly Harley Davidson bikes require around 1 quart of oil as primary fluid. Checking primary fluids means you need to check the condition of primary oil. Not the amount of the primary fluid is the main purpose. 

So, to check the primary oil, set your bike upright. Remove the primary chaincase cover. The fluid will come to the bottom of the clutch basket. You will find around 1 quart of fluid there. 

What is primary oil?

Only engine oil is not everything you need as a lubricant. Other types of oils lubricate the other parts of the vehicle. Primary oil is a lubricant oil used in the primary chaincase to lubricate the parts. 

The primary chain is the part that takes power from the engine to the wheels. Your primary chain system must work smoothly. Primary oil is needed to lubricate these parts.

What is the importance of using primary oil?

Primary oil is an essential lubricant for running your bike. Clean primary oil helps you and your motorcycle form various angles. Here are some of them,

• Lubricates bike parts properly and makes less friction.
• It helps to get more mileage and mainly helps to utilize the fuel better.
• It longs the lifespan of the engine parts and the bikes.

How often should I change the primary oil of Harley Davidson?

It depends on the model of bike you are using. In the user manual, they will inform you about the time of the primary oil change. But you can drive around 2500 to 3000 miles after changing primary oil for once.

How to change the primary oil of Harley Davidson?

It’s not so hard to change the primary oil of Harley Davidson. It’s a simple task that requires around 15 to 30 minutes. If you are a bike owner, you must know how to do it. Follow these steps correctly to change your primary oil.

• Take the tools: You need some tools necessary to do the job. Here is the shortlist,
  • A funnel.
  • A socket wrench.
  • A torque wrench.
  • A funnel.
  • A 5/8 socket.
  • Drain the pan to keep the used oil.
  • A new O ring.
  • A primary cover gasket.
  • Required lubricant oil that is perfect as primary oil.

These tools are too basic, and you can easily find them in your garage. Take your user manual. The manual gives the best information on which tools are the best for your primary oil change.

• Heat the engine: Before doing the change, heat your engine. This process helps make the oil smooth. It will help to fall the oil quickly. If you wonder how long you need to heat the engine, you should run it for around 3o minutes. At this time, the primary oil will be smoothening enough to fall freely.

• Clean the area: Clean the engine area. Especially the drained case and drain plug. You don’t need to clean with any washing material. Just give a good wipe with a clean and soft cloth. That’s perfect.

• Find the primary drain plug: It’s a necessary process. Take your user manual. In the manual, there is information about where is the drain plug. Find it under the primary drain case if you don’t have a manual. It’s like a screw that is preventing the primary oil from leaking. 

• Loosen the bolts of the primary drain case: After finding the drain plug, lose the bolts of the primary drain case. Use the socket wrench and T-27 torque bit to lose the bolts of the drained case. Remove the cover and set it aside. Keep the bolts in a safe place because you will need them soon.

• Drain the fluid: It’ll be better to wear a pair of gloves before draining. Cause this type of lubricant oil can be sticky on hand. Now take the 5/8 inch socket and socket wrench to lose the drain plug. After losing it, place an oil pan below and let gravity do its work. It may take a few minutes. Wait for the last drop of used primary oil.

• Replace the gasket: It’s better to remove the primary case gasket after every oil change. Remove the oil gasket from the case. If you find a problem with the gasket, use a new one. Otherwise, keep the old one. Place the gasket right into the case.

• Put in the drain plug: After finishing all these steps, clean the drain plug. Then, install the o ring off the drain plug to make the right sealing. Start fitting the plug with bare hands and tightening it with a wrench. Make sure that it’s completely sealed.

• Refill the primary oil: You should use a funnel, especially for changing primary oil. These funnels are slightly different from others. Use the funnel to fill the oil in the primary chaincase. Place the cover back and tighten the bolts. Congratulations, you just changed your primary engine oil.

How much primary oil Harley Davidson needs?

The amount is not so big. Mainly it needs about 1 quart of primary oil. It’s a short amount of oil. But it’s essential to run your vehicle.

Which oil should I use as primary oil in my Harley Davidson? 

Mobil 1 10w 40 is the best option to use as the primary oil of Harley Davidson. However, you can use 20w 50 also as primary oil. Try to use synthetic oil as primary oil.

Can I use the same oil as engine oil and primary oil?

The answer is affirmative, but mostly in Harley Davidson. It’s recommended to use different oils for different purposes. SO, it won’t make too much problem if you use engine oil as primary oil.

Final thoughts: 

Primary oil is a short amount of lubricant oil used in the primary chaincase of a motorbike. Around 1 quart of primary oil is needed for a Harley Davidson. But most owners aren’t aware of changing the primary oil. Even there are a lot of users who don’t know, How to check primary oil on Harley Davidson? This article is for them. You can easily get an idea of what you need to do with the primary oil of your bike from this article.