Harley-Davidson® Oil Cooler Installation

Let's discuss heat. Let's discuss heat transfer and dissipation, particularly with the Harley Davidson air cooled motorcycle engine. As with all internal combustion fuel powered engines, you are gonna create heat in order to create power. The key is to control the heat to an optimum temperature without causing damage to the engine. This can be done through oil coolers or heat exchangers can be done through oils whether synthetic mineral based typically by the weight or viscosity of the oil you use. Again. Bear in mind everyone's idea of temperature and climate is different depending on where you ride, how you ride, what part of the country you may ride if you're in heavy traffic all the time. Of course, your motorcycle is gonna run hotter than if you're on the open road with a fresh air flow. I highly recommend putting some type of oil cooler or heat exchanger on any air cooled engine. The key with that is to make sure that it's thermostatically or has a thermo switch to control the oil flow to the cooler and make sure the engine runs at an optimum temperature. As with any component installation, you're gonna need some hand tools. Some basic hand tools to install the component on your motorcycle. Please bear in mind preparation, avoids frustration. During installation, you'll need some sockets, you'll need some extensions, some ratchets, an oil filter wrench to remove the oil filter, Alan Keyes, some wire cutters, some wire crimper. You'll need a punch and a drill bit to install the led light for this particular oil cooler. Again, bear in mind if you need basic hand tools like wrenches and you don't have them either try to rent them or borrow them from someone. Make sure you have what you need to install it, whatever you're installing before you begin the installation. Harley Davidson throughout the years has used a number of different metal configurations in order to dissipate the heat with the air cooled engine, please bear in mind the larger the cubic inch, the more power you're creating, the more heat you're creating heat when it's too hot is just as damaging as cold when an engine runs too cold. Again, that's why you really need to thermostatically control any type of heat exchanger or oil cooler you may install on your motorcycle. Let's take a look at what would typically be an heat exchanger or an oil cooler unit that you would install on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. As with all oil coolers or heat exchangers, there's a couple components are gonna be similar no matter what product line you're using, you're gonna need a way to interface with the oil filter, you're naturally gonna need plumbing to get the oil from the oil filter mount to the oil cooler assembly or heat diffuser heat exchanger, whatever you prefer to call it, you're gonna need a nice sturdy mount so that you know the oil cooler is gonna stay in place again. Anytime you're working on your motorcycle. Bear in mind even though it may be model specific. This kit I'm using is for Harley Davidson's FL line. Make sure there's adequate clearance, not only from painted components but also for any other electrical or cable operated devices on the motorcycle. This is what's typically known as the oil cooler or the heat exchanger. You can see from the back of it, oil will enter and exit through the plumbing. This is a nice assembly due to the fact that there are two 90 CFM fans which again aid in airflow across the heat exchanger, allowing the oil to release the heat that it's built up from the engine in operation wiring harness and you'll see the wiring harness will interface with the thermo switch. This works typically like a thermostat in an automobile. Along with the FL Harley Davidson line. Most manufacturers also offer coolers that will fit soft tails, Dinas sportster and most of the Harley Davidson models, this oil cooler or heat exchanger you'll see is typical to the FL line. It only has a single cooling fan. This particular company ultra cool makes a very nice, very well built unit. It's wired in directly to the motorcycle's harness. So you shut it off when you shut off the ignition. And it also has an led light. When this led is illuminated, it tells you that the oil cooler and the fan is operating at 220 degrees is when the thermo switch allows the oil to flow through the cooler and dissipate the heat. You'll find most systems have a typical interface piece for your oil filter in the mounting area. Some will use a braided line, some will use a rubber line. I don't find there's much difference between either as long as it is a sealed system and doesn't allow leakage of the oil. When it's operating, it should work fine. I like when products come packaged with explicit instructions. And what's also real nice when you're looking into a product is that they give you a nice itemized tool list of what it's gonna take to install it again. Don't just rush out, buy a product, take for granted that you'll have the tools needed to install it. Use a little time, do a little research that way there. You don't have failure, you have installation and success. Let's take a look at installing the oil cooler or heat exchanger as they're commonly referred to on this road. King. I always like to start any time I'm working on a motorcycle. If a component that's easy enough to remove can be detached and set aside in a safe place. It not only makes some room for you to work but it avoids any damage happening to that component that could have been removed out of the way. Always, always cover any painted component on your motorcycle. No matter how experienced you may be, accidents do and will happen with the painted surfaces protected. Let's take a look at installing the led light which tells us that the oil cooler and fan assemblies are working on a typical road king. We can install this led assembly on either the right or left side on the rear of the nasal. As you can see, the led has a long winter wire and it has a knot and a washer that need to be threaded from the bottom of the Nel to hold the led in place on the motorcycle. Any time I'm working with a chrome surface or a painted surface. I like to put down some type of covering to protect it again, accidents do happen and they will once it is protected, I'd like to know where the center point is and where I'm going to install the led and drill it again. Bear in mind if you prefer to locate the led somewhere else, it is in the instructions as to where to put it. But if there is a more convenient and a place that you would prefer to have, it just do a little research, make sure that it can go in that area without contacting the fuel tank or any other components. You don't want interference and you want a good clear view of the led when it's illuminated. If your motorcycle happens to have a fairing again, read the instructions for what kit you're using. Typically this kit, the led would belong in the top right corner of the interfering right above the volt gauge with our punch mark on the tape in the marked area. I like to use a pilot drill which is typically smaller than the 5/16 diameter that the final size for the led needs to be ari. Now that I finished drilling the pilot drill hole, depending on the final size of the drill, you may opt to go up one more size before you use your final size drill. Now that I've drilled the rear of the niel out to 5/16 diameter, I can remove the tape I was using to protect the chrome. You also want to make sure any shavings from the drilling process get shaken off of the towels. You don't want them to embed into the towel and scratch the paint if you use the towel on another surface. Now that we have the 5/16 hole drilled into the rear end of the cell, we're ready to install the led light. I want to remove the nut and the washer together. You wanna make sure that you use the lock washer because this helps retain the led into the nasal. You can remove them both from the lent a wire, set them aside. You can then feed the lens of wire. Drew the ale you wanna use caution. You don't want that sharp edge of the drilled hole to remove any of the protective coating on the copper wire can then install your led into the Nel and then you can install the lock washer which will run against the bottom of the Niel first and then also install the knot. At this point. I like to get the socket or the installation tool that I'm using and also chase that up, put the wires through the socket. Now, you have all three components, the socket, the knot and the washer, you'll use it as a complete assembly, go up underneath and thread it right on to the led assembly. You wanna make sure that it's tight. You don't want to over tighten it for fear of breaking the led assembly, but you also don't want it to come loose during operation naturally due to the fact that the wires are coming out of the allocation on the socket where the ratchet would go. You're not able to tighten this with a ratchet. What I recommend is getting it snug by hand and you can just use a pair of pliers, grab the end of the socket, give it its final little bit of tightening with the led tightened into the rear of the Missel. I can now remove the socket from the led wires. I want to set those aside. Again, another reason to have things covered, you're able to work on top of them without causing damage to what's underneath the towel. Once we have that led installed, we have our wires up and out of the way safely. I wanna raise the motorcycle and we're gonna get to work on the oil filter mount area. We'll start by removing the oil filter. I use an oil filter removal tool. Nice long extension. Get you out away from the powder coated frame. Any of the labels, no damage. I like to always start by just cracking the oil filter loose, whether installing an oil cooler kit or just doing regular oil changes for maintenance, just crack the filter loose. Let the excess oil that the filter holds, drain into a drain pan. Make sure any areas that get contaminated by the drain oil get cleaned thoroughly. There are electronic components on this road king down below the oil filter. You do not want contamination from the oil well, that's draining. We can take a look at ultra cools oil filter adapter. This will allow us to integrate the oil system from the motorcycle into the adapter and allow through the thermal switch action. Oil flow through the cooler. We need to know that there are six fasteners that hold both halves together as with anything that you take apart be aware that there are different lens of hardware used for the simple reason. Some hardware only goes halfway through the component. Some hardware will go through to the second sandwiched half. So if you do have, in this case, there are one inch and there are three quarter inch bolts, you'll notice they are dimensionally the same, but the ones are different. Any time you're taking something apart, you're working with an important system, like the oil cooling system, you need to work clean, you need the work organized again, preparation, avoids frustration with all six pieces of hardware removed. I can split the oil adapter in half this point. You can see that this is a gasket ceiling surface, make sure it's kept clean, make sure that the gasket does not shift or fold when you reassemble. This, there is also a rubber seal. Any time you're using a rubber seal, whether it be your oil filter or an adapter mount like this always pre moisten the seal with oil, it allows it to seal correctly when it's tightened down. On this side. You can see the internal piece of the thermal switch. This is what will allow flo to either go through the engine and not through the cooler or it'll go through the cooler and cool down before it returns to the engine with that half split apart. At this point, I'd like to go back to the motorcycle. I can completely remove the oil filter take it away from the motorcycle, set it aside in the drain pan with the oil filter removed. We need to make sure we clean up any residual oil before we go to install the inner adapter for the oil cooler mount, this ceiling surface would typically be what the oil filter seal was doing. Now, it's gonna seal the inner spacer to the outer spacer. Use a little bit of oil, make sure that seals moist. I'm gonna use just a few drops of lactate on the adapter. You'll notice I've removed the gasket from the adapter. Noting which direction the gasket was being used. That way, you don't have to worry about destroying the gasket or disturbing any of its ceiling surfaces. I can install the inner adapter. I just snug it into place with a one inch socket and then I can torque it to 10 ft pounds. Once that adapter is torqued in place, I wanna wipe up my ceiling surface. I can then use the outer adapter plate. I put two of the bolts in place. Always noting there's two short and four long. I can then install the gasket to the outer mount, making sure that the threads of the bolts don't destroy the gasket. It's a very important ceiling surface. You wanna make sure it stays intact. I can then install the outer mount with the gasket and you should be able to thread the hardware completely through the gasket and just get a few threads started into the inner oil filter mount. Don't tighten these. At this point, you need to get the other four fasteners through the gasket correctly to make sure that it's going to seal again. Three quarter inch bolt, there was two up top and the one inch, there was four across the bottom, all six bolts installed into the two halves of the oil filter mount with the gasket located correctly can be tightened in a star pattern to make sure that the gasket to make sure that the gasket seals evenly across both of the surfaces. Once all the hardware on the two halves of the oil filter mount adapter are tightened. You'll notice it looks typical to what the original oil filter mount looked like. Except for the fact there's two allocations for the plumbing to go to the oil cooler. Also. No, I did leave the protective covers over the oil filter fittings that keeps any contamination out of the system until we're ready to put the hoses, the plumbing to the oil cooler. Now, let's take a look at installing the oil cooler mounting bracket under the voltage regulator. You'll need a 716 socket with both the regulator mounting nuts removed, like to clean them with a little lactate cleaning prime prep them with just a touch of loctite blue. We can then carefully remove the regulator, just let it lay out of the way and we can install the oil cooler adapter bracket. Bye. You'll note the bracket goes underneath the regulator. I can then reinstall the two mounting nuts, the mounting nuts reinstalled to the regulator mounting studs. You wanna tighten them down evenly. Always make sure that the mount and the regulator are sitting flush against each other against the base of the frame. You don't wanna tighten that regulator crooked. You run the likelihood of that you can break the corner of the regulator with the oil cooler mounting bracket installed on the motorcycle. We can now install the oil cooler assembly as with any painted or chromed or piece that's gonna be a finished product. You don't wanna work around it. You wanna take it off of the component, set it aside or to mount just the component onto the bracket with the hardware loosely. If you're gonna be using loctite on the hardware, you don't want to put the loctite on the hardware. Now you want to put it on just before you install the cover for the final time, slide the cooler into place. I can just get a couple threads. The reason for this is to make sure the oil cooler can't slide off the bracket while you're hooking up the oil lines and damage the base of the front fender cooler on the bracket. Hardware is up there, a few threads started so it can't fall off. No, the protective caps are still on the back of the oil cooler debris. Contamination cannot happen when you're putting an oil cooler onto a motorcycle. Now is the time to check your oil cooler line routing and positioning. It's very important that these lines route away from any areas that they can scuff during writing. You also wanna make sure no wires are able to come in contact with the cooler lines. When you go to install the lines with just a few drops of oil on the threads, that'll ensure it not only treads on nice and easy, but it has a good clean seal again. I'll make sure all the wiring is out of the way, drop the lines down through the frame behind the moaning bracket and just start them by hand on the oil filter adapter plate. I'll do the same for the other line. You'll notice that there are 290 degree bends, but one does head horizontally, one heads vertically, use common sense, use the instructions for the installation that come with the kit. Make sure you install these things correctly. Little oil for sealing, drop the second line straight down, make sure it has plenty of clearance around any of the motorcycles components or electrical wiring. Won't you have both the lines threaded onto the adapter. You can then remove the protective cap from the cooler and you can put the end of the line on to the cooler. You'll do that not only for the outermost line which is on the left side, but you'll also do the same thing on the right side, remove the protective cap, wrote the line correctly and thread it on to the cooler at this point with the lines routed correctly. Always double check their routing path. Make sure there'll be no problems in the future vibration from the lines. Any type of chafing against any powder coated surfaces or any of the electrical components, we can then use the included line wrench with the kit tighten bolt, the upper fittings that go to the oil filter adapter plate, make sure they're good and tight. Then you can do the bottom ones that feed into the oil cooler assembly themselves with all four connections drawn tightly the oil line routing. Correct. We can now move on to wiring the oil cooler assembly into the electrical harness on the motorcycle with the oil lines correctly installed to the oil filter mount and the oil cooler and the correct routing to allow for clearance for all the components and the frame, it's time to wire in the fans on the oil cooler, tie them in with the led up on the rear of the Nel and then final power them up and ground them behind the headlight. I'll have mark, feed me the harness from the fans behind the regulator. You'll note these two wires that are covered with the rubber boot will go directly to the thermo switch and then I can slide the rubber boot up over to cover them. This rubber boot serves a dual purpose one to protect the wires from any heat and two to protect any contamination, whether from the road or from the environment from contaminating the thermal switch. The open ended ground wire that you see with the eye loop on, it will go to the base of the crank position sensor. You'll notice this bolt has teflon paste on it. The reason for that is there is oil in the crank case behind the crank position sensor. When you reinstall this bolt and use it as a grounding point, make sure you reinstall just a wipe of Teflon paste or tape and a little paste mark. Please make sure you start all these fasteners by hand. You don't want to run the risk of cross dreading a bolt, especially into the crank case. It may not be a repairable area. There's your tightening down this bolt. Make sure you hold the end of the eye loop so that as you make final contact to the sensor, it doesn't spin the eye loop and break the wire connection with that ground in place. I can route my harness from the fans up the down tube of the frame again, using caution using common sense, make sure all your wiring is away from any heated components away from any areas that may move. And also be aware that the front fork does pivot left to right. Make sure none of the wiring is in an area where it can get pinched when you're turning the front fork. Can you use a tie wrap to hold it in place? You can install just one tie wrap. I wouldn't tighten it down too tight yet or cut the end of it again, it's temporary to hold the harness up. Make sure everything is routed nicely. At that point, we can run the harness behind the main harness of the motorcycle and get ready to head it towards the back of the headlight. At this point, we need to go route the the wires from the led inside their black conduit and also head them to the headlight. We can take the headlight out of the motorcycle and tie all the wires in for the oil cooler with all our wiring completed to the thermal switch to the ground. Now is the time to install the chrome cover over the oil cooler and fans again, you'll have to remove the two base bolts that you just put in temporarily. I'll have my cold oil cooler in place. So it doesn't fall forward with these bolts out. You need to put just a touch of blue lactate. You want to make sure these bolts remain where you tighten them. I can slide the cover in. Again, use care. This is a painted component. Always nice to work with an extra pair of hands. Always use caution when you're working behind the front fender that is a painted surface even though it's covered. Any contact can cause paint damage with the cover installed. Mark has prepped the two bolts with permanently hold the chrome cover the oil cooler to the mounting bracket. I'll get a couple of threads started on the bolt and tighten them both securely. You wanna draw them both up evenly once that is in place, always double check all the work you've done. It's a good habit to double check what you're doing while you're doing it that way. Nothing gets forgotten. At this point. I can double check the cleanliness of the oil filter mount. I have an oil filter that's been prepped by prepping. I mean, the oil filters been filled with oil and allowed for the filter element to absorb the oil. I use a little bit of the residual oil just to moisten the gasket and I can install the filter on to the new oil filter mount. You tighten the oil filter until it contacts the ceiling surface and then give it another half to a full turn again. Whatever you're working on, whether it be chromed, painted polished powder coated. Always work clean, always clean up after yourself. When you're done installing something, it saves in the end for a final cleaning when you work clean. One final check everything we've done down low on this road king. I think we're just about ready to lower the motorcycle. Pull the headlight, get our led harness, get our oil cooler fan harness. Tied together and powered up to the motorcycle with the basic oil cooler installed. Most of our work done on the bottom of the frame, the oil filter filled and reinstalled. It's time to remove the headlight again. You need to use caution. You're working above the painted front fender. Any pieces you may remove, set them aside and safe place. You'll remove all the hardware that retains the headlamp bucket into the nasal with all the hardware removed from the headlight bucket, we can gently remove it from the Niel and unplug it from the back of the bulb. You want to set it aside. Again, your best reference for information is the owner's manual or the Harley Davidson Service manual for your particular model. We can now run the wires from the led. I've put the black Conduit over them to protect them and you can also run the wires coming up from the fans on the oil cooler into the back of the mill. Again, bear in mind. This is a pivot area. This is where the fork stem meets the frame. There are fork stops in the back, make sure none of these wires can get pinched full right or full left lock. When the front end is moving, I can pull back the black wire that comes from the led. Also the black wire coming up from the oil cooler fans. I wanna cut them both evenly and I'll strip back just about a half inch of the protective sheathing on the wires. I can then twist the wires, don't over, twist them. They will break at the point where the sheeting starts and stops. I'll put one end in one end of the buck connector. I'll do the same with the led ground wire, the black wire into the buck connector. And I'll do a nice tight crimp again. Bear in mind there are a number of tools to do a number of operations, whether it be electrical or mechanical use your best judgment, use what tools you're comfortable with to do a particular operation. Once the buck connectors are crimped, give them a slight tug, make sure the wire is secure into the connector. You can put it back in the conduit, push it inside the head lamp housing at this point, you join the two wires, the black from the fans that comes up the down tube and the black from the led together. They are creating a grounded circuit at the crank position sensor down on the crank case, the two reds you're gonna typically do the same thing, but instead of making a loop, you're gonna join them together, try to cut things in even lengths so that you're working with typical lengths of wire, always try to strip off the even amount. So you don't have any exposed copper or silver, whatever the material that conducts the electricity sticking out of the connector, you can use the supplied fuels holder, cut that in the center. You want to strip one end with the one end of the fuse holder stripped. I can install the buck connector and again, make a nice secure crimp. Always double check your crimps. Make sure the wire is gonna stay where you put it. I can then join the two reds. One of the reds from the led, the other red comes up from the fan motors on the cooler, put them in the opposite end of the butt connector and make sure you get a nice clean crimp on it. For those of you that are purists like myself. If you feel more comfortable, put in a wrap of electrical tape to not only seal it from the elements but secure it, that's quite all right, whatever works correctly, makes it correct, you can then strip the other end of the fuse holder. Give it a twist again, do not twist it too tight. You don't want it to break off at the end where it meets the insulation. You can then install what they call a male style spade connector and give it a nice secure crimp, check it, make sure it is secure and then you need to locate what is typically an open orange with a white tracer wire you'll notice right from the factory that the ground end has no covering and that the orange wire with a white tracer right from the factory, they put a piece of tape over it and a cap to protect it that tells us just by looking at it that it switched ignition power. And if you weren't to have this covered or capped, this was just open like this without the cap or the tape on it. And it would touch a metal surface. When the ignition was on, the motorcycle was running, it would create a dead shore. We can remove all the protective covering in the cap. We can then insert the mail spade connector. Make sure everything is secure in there. Again, if you're more comfortable putting a wrap of tape over that, the way the factory had it by all means, do what makes you feel comfortable with all our connections in place. I'm gonna take a moment and just cover the ends of the buck connectors with a little bit of electrical tape. I find it not only secures it but it keeps the elements out of the exposed connection. Once everything is secured protected with a little bit of electrical tape, please use only electrical tape. Do not use masking tape, duct tape, scotch tape, electrical tape is for electrical connections. We can stuff that back in to the nasal housing. This point I can install my fuse which goes into the fuse holder supplied with the kit. Make sure you put the protective cap over the fuse. Typically on electrical systems, fuses will not blow or fail unless there is a failure in the electrical harness or the connections that you made. Typically, it only takes a dead short to blow a fuse. So you really shouldn't have to access this fuse holder. Hopefully for the life of the cooler. With that being said, everything in here checked, I can relocate my headlight plug. I can plug it back into the headlight, making sure that it snaps into the headlight housing tightly. I'll reinstall the headlight into the Niel. These headlights are designed to only fit into the cell one way you can't put them in upside down. You can't put them in incorrectly, holding on to the headlight again. For the simple reason, you're above a painted piece. You don't want that falling out and causing damage. You're trying to improve your motorcycle, not damage it. I can get one of the headlamp screws started what retains these headlamp screws into the Nel is what's known as a rubber walnut. You need to make sure the threads are straight. You're not crossing the threads and you're not pushing too hard on the rubber walnut where you're forced to brass insert to pop out of the walnut itself with all the hardware reinstalled on the headlamp bucket into the Niel. I can reinstall the trim ring, making sure that the top tab on the trim ring lines up with the headlamp bucket and slides into place. You saw how gently that snapped back into place. Please bear in mind everything you dissemble on a motorcycle. When you reassemble, it should go back together as easily. I can reinstall the bottom screw that holds the headlamp trimming with the headlamp trimming, reinstalled the screw installed at the base of the trimming and tightened. We've completed all the electrical installation for this kit. This particular kit comes with a nice checklist in the instruction pamphlet. Make sure you review your, your checklist, make sure you look over all the operations that you've performed at this point. I'd like to lower the motorcycle. I'll pull off all my coverings. I'm gonna start the motorcycle, let it run, let it get to temperature. Typically, when you install an oil cooler or a heat exchanger, as they're commonly referred to, you'll need to add typically between two and four ounces of additional oil to the system. The reason for that is due to the fact that the capacity of the cooler adds to the overall capacity of the oil system with the ultra cool oil cooler installation complete just a few more steps and we'll be ready for a test drive. I always like to start the motorcycle, let it circulate the oil into the cooler. Let the motorcycle come to temperature, shut it off. We'll check for leaks at that point. We can make sure everything is functioning correctly. I'll recheck the oil level naturally. If I have to add a little bit to the system, I will, then again, if you're gonna be working above the motorcycle make sure you cover anything you need to. It's very important to work clean. So when you're doing your final check, just do a little bit of wiping up anywhere you might have touched. Just saves spending half a day cleaning a motorcycle, run through my checklist again. It's always better to be thorough once than have to go back and redo something. Go to start the motorcycle. Always check, make sure you're in neutral. Wait for the check engine light to go out on this particular road king with the engine to temperature. It's an ideal time to check all your fittings, all your plumbing connections for any leaks. Oh, due to the fact you did put an adapter on the factory oil filter housing, make sure you also check that for any weep, any seeping. Make sure everything is gonna stay dry when you're riding last I can pull my dipstick. I want to check my oil level. You can see it is a touch low again, dependent on the capacity of the cooler that really should dictate how much additional oil you'll add to the motorcycle's oil system, reinstall the dipstick. Make sure I tighten it securely at this point. I'm just about ready to take the motorcycle off the lift, take it for a test drive, check out my new oil cooler.