Harley Davidson V-Rod Forum banner

Oil leak at stator wire

32K views 78 replies 37 participants last post by  hedgehanter 
#1 ·
Question for you guys that have had this leak.
I have a night rod special 07 with 32k on it. It recently started dripping oil out the stator case cover around the molded plug.
Unfortunately the molded plug is part of the stator. Fortunately the stator/plug is only 125 bucks. Question is... Is it worth trying to fix this leak with sealant after draining the oil, replacing the case gasket and reassembling or should I just get the new stator/ with plug and be done with it? I hate to go through all the motions and have the thing leak again in a few miles.
Thanks
Tony
 
#32 ·
Still dry, going to run it hard tomorrow. It keeps holding, I go for number 2! Yay!
 
#35 ·
Here's something we found out long ago and can say still holds true (gurgle it).
Most if not all standard gasket sealers/makers etc. as with all rubber products don't
sit well in oil.Oil deteriorates these products quite rapidly.There are some that claim
"resistance" as long as you adhere to application and cure instructions. Don't!! The
problem is where the tiny bits of silicon/rubber etc. migrate to. We have seen many a
blown motor with the oil passages/circuits fully clogged,with little bits of.....silicon/rubber etc. I'm just sayin....
 
#36 ·
If your leak is coming THROUGH the grommet then you should be able to (with perhaps
a little persuasion) slide the grommet on the wires.If this is the case for you,an exact-o type knife,a magnifier,if you are blind as me,and a little patience and you can cut away the grommet from the wire,completely.This will allow you to effectively seal to the wire...another grommet (auto parts,industrial fastener supply,etc.) that you can fashion to fit the cover.Neoprene or other oil specific material should be used,of course.In fact I'm about to do a friends Night Rod,this very same job. I'll submit a photo essay and reliability clause a.s.a.p. .
 
#41 ·
It depends, are you doing it on the jiffy stand or upright?
If your doing it upright you might lose about 1/2-3/4 quart of oil.
If on the jiffy stand you might want to change the oil at the same time and drain the oil before attacking the infamous stator leak.
 
#42 ·
Yep, another Stator wire leakage...First oil leak for my 2007 VRSCAW...
QUESTION(s): CPTJAM
Quote:"Unplug under the side cover"
Do you mean unplug from the stator itself?

Quote: "Pull the plug apart"
What is entailed in Pulling the plug apart? How hard is it to pull the leads out of the plastic plug housing w/o having/creating another issue? (nervous)
 
#47 ·
Sorry, I missed this!
Remove the left radiator shroud. You will see the connection from the stator. unplug that, and remove the whole alternator side cover. The plastic housing that holds the 3 wires has to come off. Use a safety pin, and release the catch. I mark the 3 wires with a dot on the wire, and a dot on the plastic. wire 1, no dot. wire 2, 1 dot. wire 3, 2 dots. I use a silver sharpie. remember which end is up! the wire terminals can go in upside down (yep, did that!) then, clean everything, let dry, do the o ring trick, let dry 24 hours. Mine are oil tight, and clean as a whistle. I love cheap fixes! Joe
 
#43 ·
Thank You Thank you.
I have an 04 A, I changed the oil and switched to standard oil from syn. 38800 miles on it. It started leaking the next day. wewarn I followed most of your directions, leaned the bike to the right against a floor jack. I used a three sided gear puller and bought 5 bolts about 3 inches long from the hardware store with the same threads as the cover bolts. two for removal with the puller and I cut three heads off to use them as guides. I cleaned the gromet with carb cleaner and wiped it down. let it dry. I slipped two black Orings over the plug and onto the gromet into the groves on the gromet. I used a dremel with a small stone to scratch the chrome engine cover hole lightly. I used black super RTV (high temp) on the center of the gromet over the Orings. I then slipped the wire back into the hole. I used a little too much RTV that protruded out of the gromet hole into the engine side. I shapped it up with a Qtip. Let it sit for 24 hours to cure. Assembled it and it has worked for a few weeks now without leaking. Thanks to all on this forum, this and other post.
 
#48 ·
Hey guys -- I just picked up this little oil leak myself and have assembled the materials to repair. the leak ain't all that bad so I'm wondering other than the little bit of mung and drool on the grage floor-- can the bike be damaged riding it with this minor leak (I know to keep the oil level up and all that basic stuff). I'm just wondering will this leak hurt a running bike over say a couple of weeks or so?
 
#52 ·
Fix it at your first opportunity. Leaks don't get better! Just check the oil every ride. The mess is another story!
 
#53 ·
Please spread this around. I fixed my stator wire oil leak as follows:
1. Removed case (chrome), cleaned gasket, and reinstalled with RTV blue high temp.
2. Bought a selection of o-rings from Advance Auto.
3. Disconnect and disassemble connector from stator wire on the outside of the case (you have to remove crash bar slightly if installed to get the radiator cover off).
4. Select an o-ring you can use to put on the outside of the stator case in order to secure the gasket to the case (it loosens with age and temp). It will pull the stator wire gasket tight and will seal the leak.
5. Mine has been holding for 5 months. No leaks.
6. If you simply try to seal the leak with RTV from the inside, it will still leak.
7. Questions?
 
#54 ·
That's a fairly standard procedure that was developed and documented in detail by CPTJAM. It is easily searchable.
 
#55 ·
Okay thanks and good to know. The only other similar procedures I saw mention using o-rings on the inside and outside the case or just inside. Only one is needed on the outside. I tries the RTV method first and it doesn't work. You can probably simply use the o-ring on the outside alone. No diassembly or RTV is required.
 
#56 ·
I recently fixed this annoying problem using the information contained in this post. Thanks everyone for your contributions. Here are mine in return:

1. In the summer and early fall there was no leak on my bike. My leak only started when the weather turned cold indicating that the rubber plug contracted and allowed oil through the stator plug bore.

2. I primarily solved by using 2 o-rings to seal the inner part of the plug to the inner metal bore of the stator cover as suggested by others. These 2 o-rings sit in the 2 inner grooves of the rubber plug itself and should fit tight else they will slip during installation and it will leak again. I also placed a 3rd o-ring on the outer end of the plug (closest to the stator itself on the inside of the case). The 3rd o-ring stretches the plug and pulls the outer and inner flanges tight against the case.

3. I used a thin (very thin) application of black RTV on the inner plug after the o-rings were installed. This was probably overkill but this is not a job I care to do again.

4. I removed the single bolt that secures the Stator wire harness to the case via a metal bracket. This bolt securing the metal bracket had red loctite on it and for very good reason.

5. Be sure to wrap aluminum foil around your lower frame rail to ease cleanup. Once you remove the cover oil will flow out and get all over the frame if you do not cover it.

6. I used 3 long studs to reinstall the metal gasket (which I was able to reuse) and the cover itself. These were very useful and cheaply obtained at the local hardware store. I don't think I would perform this repair without these.
 
#57 ·
Yup, I recently checked my triple sprocket bolt and found that using long studs really make putting the cover on a lot easier. Lines right up to the alignment dowels first shot. Otherwise the magnets pull the damn cover all over the place , then you need to shift the cover around to the dowels. It can be done without them and I've done it but the studs make it so damn easy.
Ron
 
#58 ·
I just take a couple of drill bits, close to the screw hole size, put them into the holes backwards, on opposite sides of the mounting flange, then put the cover on by sliding it over the drill bits and let it drop onto the flange, lift out the drill bits and install the screws and your done. Quick and easy.

Mike
 
#59 ·
Ad me to the oil leak @ the stator wire grommet party. With 108,000 miles, the leak started some time ago. With the upcoming PM, lash check, swing arm bearing n front end steering stem bearing lube n fall away adjustment, this leak is on my to do list to eliminate.

Can anyone advise if the 02 altenator cover gasket is indeed copper or of the standard waxed paper type gasket - for lack of better descripto? If it's copper, I could use the $ for other bike repairs for my 39 knucklehead.

Thanks in advance for any info you might share.
 
#63 ·
The metal ones are of the crush gasket type and can be reused BUT....
....I would also use an RTV Black silicone to make sure it seals AND I would Seal the stator grommet along with a new O ring like the instructions says. Just make sure you clean all the oil from around the grommet so the silicone can adhere & seal ...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top