That dang dipstick
Harley Oil & LubricationDiscuss That dang dipstick in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; Hey guys
I'm having dickstick problems. Not the one attached to the hand grips, the one in the oil tank. I have one of those temperature guage dipsticks, the old ...
Hey guys
I'm having dickstick problems. Not the one attached to the hand grips, the one in the oil tank. I have one of those temperature guage dipsticks, the old style not digital, and it is warn from being pulled out. Guess I check the oil too often. The thing just flops out now if you look at it wrong, or as it turns out if you take a long ride down a country highway, it just has no grip left at all. Sooo, now that all that oil is cleaned off the side of the bike and the old original stuck-like-glue dipstick is back in the tank I was wondering. Is there a way to fix the temp guage unit or do I toss it and replace it? It has the grooved semi soft plastic plug. The original looks the same but also has a large rubber o-ring in the centre groove. I thought I might pry that off and slide it on the temp guage but then had visions of it peeling off that one, falling in the tank and blocking the main feed line. That would leave me with two loose plugs and a faulty tank. Then I'd really feel like a disptick.
Whew, at first I thought you were referring to me..
I think perhaps you hit upon a great solution..
The only push-in Plug I've ever had to deal with is my Sweet Petunias sickle..
The rubber boot slips into the filler tube, as does yours, and is entirely IN only the filler tube,, not sticking INside the oil bag at all.. How does yours fit in,, the same way perhaps..???
In-other-words since the O-ring, nestled in the center groove of the worn Dipstick,, would be fitting tightly into the filler tube it would Not be scraped off the rubber boot by any kinda inner edge------only a guess here..
Did I describe that good enough.?
Good thinking M' Man
Btw-- most or ALL oil Feed lines Inside the oil bags stick-UP off the floor of the bag 1/2" or slightly more so as to Not allow foreign stuff settled at the bottom to flow into the oil pump..
Head em up Move em out
__________________ "Fill your hands you son of a bitch"
Rooster Cogburn
Hey Unc. Thanks for the word count, you're such a dip-stickler for detail...
Frisco, you pretty much have it. The plug has a chromed mushroom cap. Stock is just chrome cap the other with the temp guage. The plug slides into the tank and you ae right it would be tight and there is no inner edge to grab the o-ring. My fear is two-fold. The grooves in the tem plug are not as deep as those in the stock so the o-ring would not sit as deeply into the plug as it does in the stock one so I thought the pressure as I pull it out might just roll it off. The thing about blocking the feed tube I worry about is a loss of pressure if a lost o-ring only partially blocks the line. Is that a real danger?
See that Unc, narry a mention of the afore mentioned unmentionable.
My question would be," how important is it to you to know your temperature?" Have you been having problems with overheating? Me personally,I would probably use the original one if temps weren't an issue.
As that dude on tv says " Now that's thinking with your dipstick"
Hey Pat
No overheating is not an issue. I use it as a way to monitor the engine for peace of mind that's all. I know what the temp will be within five degrees when I reach a major intersection just before I get to work. There is always a wait there and I check the temp as part of my routine. If it is out of whack I would see that something has changed in how it is operating. If I am on a long run on a hot day I know pretty much where it should be and I take a look. I started doing it after the re-build since I did the work and really wasn't confident in it. Now it has become a habit just like checking the oil itself and it's not one I want to break so I will either fix this one or replace it. Trouble is, like everything else HD, it has become a hundred dollar habit if I replace it.
Hey Unc. Thanks for the word count, you're such a dip-stickler for detail...
Frisco, you pretty much have it. The plug has a chromed mushroom cap. Stock is just chrome cap the other with the temp guage. The plug slides into the tank and you ae right it would be tight and there is no inner edge to grab the o-ring. My fear is two-fold. The grooves in the tem plug are not as deep as those in the stock so the o-ring would not sit as deeply into the plug as it does in the stock one so I thought the pressure as I pull it out might just roll it off. The thing about blocking the feed tube I worry about is a loss of pressure if a lost o-ring only partially blocks the line. Is that a real danger?
See that Unc, narry a mention of the afore mentioned unmentionable.
Cheers
03FXST
Ha Ha!.... I knew I was of no help to you, but felt I needed to add something ....
__________________ Scott aka Unclepsycho
Redneck without a clue
That dang dipstick 
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