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[Air-Cooled]

Didn't I just say I'll take his blessings? 

[moscooter]

 

[charles05663]

Well, I stopped by the local $tealer today to pick up the gaskets and filter.  As the parts man was looking for the parts he said:

"you look like you know what your doing and should have no problem changing your oil.  But, did you know that if you change your own oil it will void your warranty?"

Needless to say I disagreed with him and mentioned the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.  He still insisted that it would.  I said, "what ever."

Now I remember why I want to do my own work.

Thanks for the help on changing the oil.

[sadunbar]

Well, I stopped by the local $tealer today to pick up the gaskets and filter.  As the parts man was looking for the parts he said:

"you look like you know what your doing and should have no problem changing your oil.  But, did you know that if you change your own oil it will void your warranty?"

Needless to say I disagreed with him and mentioned the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.  He still insisted that it would.  I said, "what ever."

Now I remember why I want to do my own work.

Thanks for the help on changing the oil.

They sat around the big table in the board room wondering why sales are down and dealerships are failing...  What should we do??

I know, they said....demand concessions from taxpayers, cut salaries, reduce headcount, close facilities, fight warranty claims and outsource!  We'll cut, whack and save our way to prosperity!!

[iski]

Well, I stopped by the local $tealer today to pick up the gaskets and filter.  As the parts man was looking for the parts he said:

"you look like you know what your doing and should have no problem changing your oil.  But, did you know that if you change your own oil it will void your warranty?"

Needless to say I disagreed with him and mentioned the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.  He still insisted that it would.  I said, "what ever."

Now I remember why I want to do my own work.

Thanks for the help on changing the oil.

Ignorance is made even more ridiculous by insistence. You can use ANY air cooled appropriate grade V-Twin oil & not void the warranty.  Have fun - I have been changing my own fluids in bikes since - forever.  You find out a lot more about your ride the more you maintain it yourself.

[Spiderman]

Ignorance is made even more ridiculous by insistence. You can use ANY air cooled appropriate grade V-Twin oil & not void the warranty.  Have fun - I have been changing my own fluids in bikes since - forever.  You find out a lot more about your ride the more you maintain it yourself.

Amen to that brother. I taught myself to strip and rebuild H-D's because when my kids were little I couldn't afford to pay anyone to work on my bike. When they got older and could afford their rates, I couldn't find anyone who did it better than me. Now I'm retired, have no money for anyone but own a garage full of tools and equipment to work on my own stuff as well as that of my friends. As Hannibal would say " I love it when a plan works out "


B B

[tennisman]

Yep, I started wrenching vehicles in the 60s, bought my first ratchet set to work on my '57 Ford Fairlane.  Still have it today; used it yesterday on my Softail to install the "saggy bag support system".  Always believed it's cheaper to buy the tool than take the vehicle to the dealer' shop then I'd always have the tool.
T

[moscooter]

 

" But, did you know that if you change your own oil it will void your warranty?"

I'd be very tempted to stick that piece of advise right up his azz.   I would go and get a copy of the "act" mentioned in a prior post.........that makes it "legit" for one to change their own oil, etc. and make sure he and his Dealership owner both got a copy of it and (why) they got a copy of it because of the B.S. reply from an employee.

[charles05663]

"But, did you know that if you change your own oil it will void your warranty?"

I'd be very tempted to stick that piece of advise right up his azz.   I would go and get a copy of the "act" mentioned in a prior post.........that makes it "legit" for one to change their own oil, etc. and make sure he and his Dealership owner both got a copy of it and (why) they got a copy of it because of the B.S. reply from an employee.

I suspect that the owner's are fully aware of it.  The dealership was empty and there was a dozen employees milling around.  

Last time I was there I mentioned that I bought a lift and was going to do my own work.  One of the mechanics told me he likes it when people do their own work.  Then he can come in a "fix" their mistakes.

Anyway, this is the shop that wanted $50,000 for the 2010.5 Black FLHTCUSE5.  I wish there was a closer dealer to me.  The other two are way out of my way, but are very fair to their customers.

[VRODDAVE]

Well, I stopped by the local $tealer today to pick up the gaskets and filter.  As the parts man was looking for the parts he said:

"you look like you know what your doing and should have no problem changing your oil.  But, did you know that if you change your own oil it will void your warranty?"
Needless to say I disagreed with him and mentioned the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.  He still insisted that it would.  I said, "what ever."

Now I remember why I want to do my own work.

Thanks for the help on changing the oil.

I would have told the parts guy  "did you know i can buy these same parts for 20% off online and have them in three days?"    and walked out out without buying anything,

[DDavidson]

The end discusses condensation. Had to cut out most of report to post the allowable 6000 characters.

Oil info from this site http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/oil-change-2.htm

==============================================
Exposing the Myth of the 3,000 Mile Oil Change ==============================================

PART 2: MOTOR OIL BREAKDOWN: WHAT REALLY CAUSES IT?  



WHAT ABOUT THE ARCTIC FREEZE?

     This is an issue that some people really don't think about when it comes to oil changes. Most people understand that at cold temperatures, an oil tends to thicken up, and many people know that synthetics do a better job of staying fluid. However, many people don't realize why petroleum oils tend to thicken up. More importantly, though, they don't realize that this thickening process can wreak havoc on their oil.

     You see, because most petroleum oils contain paraffins (wax), they tend to thicken up considerably in cold temperatures. Therefore, in order to produce a petroleum oil that will perform adequately in severe cold temperatures, additives called pour point depressants must be used in high quantities. These additives are designed to keep the wax components of a petroleum oil from crystallizing. This maintains decent flow characteristics in cold weather for easier cold starts.

     In areas where the temperature remains below zero for any period of time, these additives are used up very quickly because petroleum oils are so prone to wax crystallization. As a result, the oil begins to flow less easily in cold weather temperatures. Of course, the result is harder cold starts and tremendously increased engine wear. Thus, the oil must be changed in order to provide the cold weather engine protection which is necessary.

     Synthetic oils, on the other hand, contain no paraffins. Therefore, they need NO pour point depressant additives. In addition, even without these additives, synthetics flow at far lower temperatures than petroleum oils. For instance, very few petroleum oils have pour points below -30 degrees F. Many synthetic oils, without any pour point depressants, have pour points below -50 degrees F. That's a big difference. There is, in fact, one oil on the market that has a pour point of -76 degrees F.

     Since synthetics do not have any pour point depressants, there is no chance of these additives breaking down or being used up over time. There are no additives to break down. Therefore, synthetic oils maintain their cold temperature flow characteristics for a very long time. As a result, there is one less reason to change the oil if using synthetic as opposed to petroleum.

     In addition, another part of cold weather driving that is extremely tough on an oil is condensation. Because it is so cold, it takes a fairly long drive to get the engine warm enough to burn off the condensation that occurs inside the engine. As a result, vehicles routinely driven short distances in cold weather will build up condensation within the oil. If left to do its dirty work, this water would cause acids to build up within the oil and corrosion would begin within your engine.

     So, there are additives in the oil which are designed to combat these acids. Generally, the TBN value of an oil will be a good determination of how well and for how long an oil will be able to combat these acids. Most petroleum oils have TBN numbers around 5. Most synthetics have TBN levels over 8 or 9. Premium synthetic oils (especially those designed specifically for extended oil drains) will have TBN numbers around 11 to 14. This allows for much better acid control for a much longer period of time, thus decreasing the need for an oil change due to cold temperature condensation.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted with Permission from "The Motor Oil Bible" eBook
Copyright 2000 Michael Kaufman ("The Motor Oil Bible" Author)
Download it from: Here!
----------------------------------------------------------------

[moscooter]

 
"Anyway, this is the shop that wanted $50,000 for the 2010.5 Black FLHTCUSE5.  I wish there was a closer dealer to me.  The other two are way out of my way, but are very fair to their customers."

Charles...Any dealership has to honor your warranty work and do repairs (regardless) of where you purchased the bike.

In the 90's,  I drove from Raleigh, N.C.  clear up to Moroneys in upstate New York to purchase one of my new Harleys.  I got the best deal up there and my local N.C.  Harley dealer never gave me any hassles about it when I needed service.  No different than buying a new car........shop around and get the best deal,  but get it serviced at the closest dealer assuming you like their shop.

having worked at a car dealership mannnnnnnnnnny years ago,  the above is frowned upon for "squeaks & rattles",  but basic warranty work and other basic repairs should be handled by any dealership of the same brand........just like if you were on a long trip and broke down.

[iski]

Amen to that brother. I taught myself to strip and rebuild H-D's because when my kids were little I couldn't afford to pay anyone to work on my bike. When they got older and could afford their rates, I couldn't find anyone who did it better than me. Now I'm retired, have no money for anyone but own a garage full of tools and equipment to work on my own stuff as well as that of my friends. As Hannibal would say " I love it when a plan works out "


B B

A very good friend a very long time ago gave me a book called 'Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'.  Of course the book is more than just about motorcycles - and for me it made a lot of sense.  I do not build bikes as you have and are doing (much respect), but have torn more than a few apart & managed to stick them back together.  When younger did this because I was broke, now do it for fun. Bike fluid changing, maintenance, tire changing - all things I enjoy.  Not so for all people, c'est la vie.

[charles05663]

I want to first thank everyone for the good advice.  It has been much appreciated.

I have 10001 miles and this is the third complete oil change.  The first two were done by the stealer and I am in the process of doing my first oil change and have a question about the levels.

I rode the bike and warmed it up to operating temp. 

Placed it on the lift and used the wheel vise to stand it straight up.  I certainly wish I bought the lift 8 years ago when I bought my first bike.

Drained the oils from the engine, primary, and transmission until they stopped dripping.  In search for an answer to my questions I found that some drain their primary on the jiffy stand; should I do that?  Also, replace o-ring, NO tape, etc and tightened to 18 ft-lbs.

Primary -- in the past I bought the Redline PowerPack and dropped it off at the dealer.  I now noticed that the primary requires 38 oz and the PowerPack only has 32 oz.  I am now wonder how the dealer handled this.   Do I simply pull the derby cover off and pour in 38 oz?  I read somewhere in the past about filling the primary up to the bottom of the clutch plate/basket.  Using Redline MTL.

Tranny -- Add 32 oz of ShockProof.  Never seen the actual oil until today.  Looks like tomato soup.

Oil -- Redline 20W50, 3.5 qts, new filter partially primed with oil.

I am also installing an oil temp gauge.  The instructions say to use Loctite 565.  Is this the same as Permatex 59214?

Charles

[cahdbiker]

Tennisman,I'm with you. I made my own continuity lamp in 1969 out of a dashboard light from an old Buick. I still have it and I used it yesterday to help me figure out why the backuplights in my 74 F250 weren't working. (switch on steering column was dirty and out of  adjustment). I have a lot of newer tools and do all my own service work on both Harleys, and the family cars. So many items on the HD 10K service are "inspect" or "check" I can't believe they have the balls to ask $350.00. Just my 2 cents and two beers. CAHDBIKER

Yep, I started wrenching vehicles in the 60s, bought my first ratchet set to work on my '57 Ford Fairlane.  Still have it today; used it yesterday on my Softail to install the "saggy bag support system".  Always believed it's cheaper to buy the tool than take the vehicle to the dealer' shop then I'd always have the tool.
T