How to Reduce the Oil Temperature on a Harley Davidson

Most Harley-Davidsons have air-cooled engines, and two factors contribute to their overheating. Harleys are delivered from the factory tuned so that the gas-air mixture that combusts in the cylinders has too much air and not enough gas. Such a condition is usually called either "running lean" or "running hot." To more easily meet environmental goals, Harley has taken several steps, from sealing carburetors to making fuel injections difficult to reprogram, that make it difficult to correct the improper factory tuning. The easiest way to reduce engine and oil temperature is to install an oil cooler.

Instructions

1

Loosen and dismount, but do not disconnect, the voltage regulator and the bottom of the frame down tubes, using a socket wrench. Allow the voltage regulator to hang down supported by the wiring harness.

2

Remove the oil filter with an oil filter wrench. Drain the oil into a pan.

3

Separate the halves of the oil filter adapter included in your oil cooler kit. Set the rear piece of the adapter in place on the oil filter mount and thread the one-inch lock nut onto the oil filter mounting stud.

4

Tighten the lock nut with a one-inch socket and socket wrench. Apply thread locker to the adapter screws included in the kit.

5

Secure the front half of the fitting adapter to the back half with the adapter screws. Turn the screws with an Allen wrench. Tighten the screws on both the front and back of the oil filter adapter.

6

Attach but do not tighten the two angled brackets included with the cooler kit to the voltage regulator mounting studs. Install the voltage regulator on the vertical holes of the angled brackets. Tighten the voltage regulator screws with a box wrench.

7

Attach the oil cooler ground wire to the right mounting stud. Tighten the nuts and hardware from your cooler kit to the mounting studs with a socket wrench.

8

Position the pre-assembled oil cooler above and resting on the voltage regulator. Insert the mounting screws and spacers included in your kit through the cooler unit and cross-member. Securely tighten the cooler unit mounting hardware with an Allen wrench.

9

Connect the oil lines that came with your kit to oil filter adapter. Tighten the hose clamps with a screwdriver. Install a new oil filter on the oil filter adapter.

10

Cut the oil cooler lines to length with scissors. Attach the open ends of the lines to the cooler fittings and secure with hose clamps. Tighten the hose clamps with a screwdriver.

11

Route the red power wire from the cooler up the frame to the headlight. Cut the wire to length with wire cutters. Strip the oil cooler power wire and splice it to the headlight power wire.

12

Cover the splice with heat shrink tubing. Shrink the tubing with a heat gun.

13

Slide the oil cooler cover in place. Tighten the top two and bottom two cover-mounting screws with a screwdriver.