Oil coming out of cylinder?
- Thread starter No H2O
- Start date
Use a 12 point socket for the best fitment.
Generally No H20 It’s not good practice to tighten up your head bolts to repair a leaky head gasket. Your head bolts are stretch type bolts. There a one time use bolt they’re supposed to be replaced . Your head gasket is more than likely already compromised so tightening up the head bolt is just a very short term fix. You will still have to remove your rocker box covers to access all four head bolts or else you’re just tightening down 2 on one side of the cylinder and head .
If it was me I would replace the head gasket and bolts.
I’m definitely no expert on these dogs and this is just my opinion which don’t mean squat.
Good luck which ever way you go.
If it was me I would replace the head gasket and bolts.
I’m definitely no expert on these dogs and this is just my opinion which don’t mean squat.
Good luck which ever way you go.
john sachs
Well-Known Member
1/2" 12 point is the proper socket for S&S, Ultima, TP, Stock Harley .
Look closer, and be sure oil isn't coming out of the exhaust port. It could be a bad valve seal.
I like to use 10, 20, and 1/4 turn on all S&S head bolts. I NEVER replace the head bolts on any V-Twin engine including S&S, unless they're rusted to death.
John
Another variable would be something like this: Over torquing does not help. This is now a 'hydraulic path' no matter the squeeze. I'm assuming age here. Oil can be thinned to one millionth of an inch, so the wrinkle is still a squeezed down gap. Remember, heat cycle times years of never being torn down says the original paper is finally done.
Empirically speaking, I buy just the rocker top gaskets, the head gasket, tube orings, and two exhaust gaskets. A week later the base gasket takes a shit. Cost me $60 bucks for just the gaskets. Go back to the dealer, a counter guy says there is a top end kit for $95 bucks that covers both cylinders. I buy that kit, replace the one base gasket that is leaking, using a new head gasket from the kit. Get a phone call again, now the rear base gasket is leaking.
Moral of the story... the intake is off, the head steady is off, the tank is off, tear it ALL down once. Paper fresh both cylinders, or chase the leaks one at a time like I did. No doubt I learned the hard way. Also, those old flattened down [memory crushed] orings can bounce the tubes tighter and the top end is now oil tight with all new gaskets and rubber.
Signed,
NOLTT (no one listens to turtle)
Empirically speaking, I buy just the rocker top gaskets, the head gasket, tube orings, and two exhaust gaskets. A week later the base gasket takes a shit. Cost me $60 bucks for just the gaskets. Go back to the dealer, a counter guy says there is a top end kit for $95 bucks that covers both cylinders. I buy that kit, replace the one base gasket that is leaking, using a new head gasket from the kit. Get a phone call again, now the rear base gasket is leaking.
Moral of the story... the intake is off, the head steady is off, the tank is off, tear it ALL down once. Paper fresh both cylinders, or chase the leaks one at a time like I did. No doubt I learned the hard way. Also, those old flattened down [memory crushed] orings can bounce the tubes tighter and the top end is now oil tight with all new gaskets and rubber.
Signed,
NOLTT (no one listens to turtle)
john sachs
Well-Known Member
10, 20, and 1/4 turn is NOT over torquing. Equates to 38 ft. lbs. Cometic specs is 42 ft. lbs. on S&S and others.
John
SKOGDOG
One of the old ones.
A related tidbit would be to mention proper warming up of the engine before performance demands. Don’t move it until the fins are too hot to touch. I don’t have science or research to support that, but when following that advice, I haven’t replaced a head gasket since.
No H2O
Active Member
Turns out it's the rocker box gasket that's leaking so going to replace them both and that's an easier job than if it was gasket #59.
I always warm it up a few minutes at least until the rocker boxes get warm. I have to park my bike on the street about a block away from the apartment so while I'm putting the cover back inside and walking back out to the bike it's pretty much warm. Not to mention the starting process of backing off the choke and subsequently backing off the throttle until it can idle by itself unsupervised.
A desquiding of a factoid is to start it and drive/ride away real slow out of the neighborhood. Why? Just think of the engine hours wasted not rolling, but pissing off your neighbors idling it instead. The theory is: You'll never expand the piston to hurt it doing the speed limit out of the neighborhood. For argument sake, within half a mile the water temp reads 130°F. You can redline all safe at 160°F. In other words, you start it and flat out nail it to redline with a cold engine, the piston expands faster than the barrel can grow. The piston skirts get so hot rubbing metal to metal with the oil clearance gone, the metal snowballs off the skirts, begins to get even hotter and welds the piston to the cylinder wall and locks the rear wheel. That or the flinging off piston material, jams in the ring grooves, you lose compression and come to a stop.
Squids sit and idle.
Pro's start and go.
Now you know the difference who sits and who does not.
Signed,
NOLTT (no one listens to turtle)
Squids sit and idle.
Pro's start and go.
Now you know the difference who sits and who does not.
Signed,
NOLTT (no one listens to turtle)
donnie gibson
hoot gibson
I had the same problem and I ordered a top cylinder gasket kit and it fixed the problem. I have a extra one if you need it. call me at 434-483-1362,and maybe I can hook you up.
No H2O
Active Member
Thank you for the offer but I already ordered one