Oil Dripping from Harley Air Cleaner

QuestionHi guys. I’ve been doing all of my basic maintenance on my 08 Electra Glide Classic thanks to your videos.

I noticed today that I have some oil dripping from my Harley air cleaner housing onto the right side of the motor. It’s not much, but I’m concerned.

No recent service to the bike except for a new battery a couple of weeks ago (I installed it). It hasn’t been dropped or on its side. The oil level is right where it should be on the dipstick when cold. I’ve done all the fluid changes and am very careful not to overfill. Any help would be appreciated.

AnswerNote from the guys:

Top breathing engines breath, or vent, through the top breather bolts which are threaded into the heads of a Harley Davidson motor. The air inside a motor is saturated with oil. It exits through the breather bolts and into the airbox where the air is filtered and the oil is captured in the air filter.

A larger motor or a built motor will, typically, breathe heavier. When oil drips out of an air cleaner assembly, it is usually an indication that the air cleaner element is due to be cleaned, or changed.

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Additional Info:

Check out the article, Understanding Blowby in Motorcycle Engines, from MotorcycleCruiser.com.

It explains why you had oil pumping out if your air cleaner assembly. The only other reason for this to happen can be from a broken oil pump or overfilling, as you mentioned.


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73 Responses to “Oil Dripping from Harley Air Cleaner”

  1. William Sparks

    2017 103 Softail throttle will not respond one pipe going red.

  2. Ernie

    Get a by flow kit / Oil catch can. That will solve the oil on your air filter and drippage. No oil spray on bike frame

  3. Rodney Davis

    I have a 97 Fatboy but I bypass that and I've got an oil line that runs down with a filter on it and oil still gets into my brother so how is that possible and my bike doesn't smoke at all so I'm not burning oil

  4. laval lee

    I have a Harley Davidson HD Soft tail year 1991 with Eng no BJLM027863 and frame no IHD1BJL41MY027863 When I start the engine oil leaks heavily through through the Air filter and carburetor . please help me to solve the problems

  5. edward aguilar

    seized vent bolt rear bolt on a '09. bolt head worn down. used PB50 to loosen. am tapping with punch and hammer. have odered new bolts and back plate should i need to cut out back plate to gain purchase with a vise grip to tap it out. are any extractors strong enough to extract through the vent hole?

  6. mike

    after i start my 2005 softtail deluxe the engine light comes on but my bike runs great

  7. Mark

    Not sure if this is the right place to ask my question but didn't find any other place that had an opportunity to enter it. I have a 1990 Electra Glide Sport in excellent stock condition. I was doing a detailed cleaning of the bike yesterday and noticed that part of the plastic back plate for the air cleaner cover the connects to the carburetor was melted and appeared that it may have bubbled up a bit. Any ideas on what would cause this? Never saw a flame or smelled anything burning so am curious what kind of issue I might have. Otherwise, the bike runs great and has not other issues. I appreciate any insight.

  8. craig ramsey

    im sorry i didnt know you were suppose to be a video member to leave a comment pardon my sliver of bad comic relief i wouldnt have left my non-member comment if i d have saw somthing saying not to and now i will slide away on my belly like a reptile never to return

  9. Bill

    Hi I have a 2017 m8. I've routed the breathers into a catch can only to discover its filling the can with oil after only an hour of riding and the oil level right when I started. Any ideas on a diagnosis.

  10. Steve Walker

    I recently experienced this problem on my 2018 Street Glide. I. recently performed the stage 1 upgrades