Triumphrat

Kirkus51 · 03-25-2008

Well, I just got my Bonnie back from a T-bone and they also fixed the cam cover gasket, which was leaking, on warranty. But I've been for a couple of rides now and I noticed a bit of weepage coming from the cam cover. I'm wondering now if they didn't do the total fix or if the thing is leaking again or if it's just a poor cleanup and the thing is really fixed.

My question is...is the cam cover thing cronic? I've heard a lot of rumblings over this and being an old Harley rider who put a coffee can under the overlfow tube to "recycle" the drips, I can actually live with a bit of weepage....UNLESS there is a fix conjured up by you other Ratties out there. So is there a permanent fix or do I stock up on gaskets?

sweatmachine · 03-25-2008

this has been covered ad nauseum. Look what I found using the Search feature!

http://www.triumphrat.net/search.php?searchid=511811

http://www.triumphrat.net/search.php?searchid=511815

DrewDesign007 · 03-25-2008

Master Sweat -

Those links don't link sir.

Quote:

Message
Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

Kirkus51 -

If your bike is till under warranty take her back to the shop. Mine cried oil until they did it twice.

sweatmachine · 03-25-2008

oops, sorry.

Do an advanced search in Twins Technical Talk for cam cover and you'll get about a million hits.

Keith G · 03-25-2008

[quote=If your bike is till under warranty take her back to the shop. Mine cried oil until they did it twice.[/QUOTE]

The cam cover gasket on my T100 weeping was the only thing I had to have done under the 'warranty' from my dealer. It only showed after a 'flat out' stint on the bike and I thought that might have caused it, but I was told the gasket had been 'badly fitted' in the first place! (???) It was sealed with summat blue and which remained a bit sticky for a few days but has since dried up and was easily rubbed off. It's been fine since!

<knocks on wood>

No point trying to sweat the cam cover bolts down, btw - they are machined with a shoulder left on and will come to a hard stop, I have been informed!

sweatmachine · 03-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith G

No point trying to sweat the cam cover bolts down, btw - they are machined with a shoulder left on and will come to a hard stop, I have been informed!

well, kinda. Tightening them won't help, but they will not come to a hard stop, they'll strip out the cam caps that they tighten to, and that's bad, real bad. Ask me how I know.

Mind your torque specs!!!

Keith G · 03-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweatmachine

well, kinda. Tightening them won't help, but they will not come to a hard stop, they'll strip out the cam caps that they tighten to, and that's bad, real bad. Ask me how I know.

Mind your torque specs!!!

Tell me about it - I already wrung the top off a bolt taking an unwanted rack off! (Mentioned it elsewhere, recently!)

The trouble with these modern machines is that an old mutt like me is likely to do damage - back in my day, all this alloy was called 'monkey metal' and we were used to winching nuts and bolts down with a length of pipe over the end of the spanner to get 'em tight and pounding the spanner with a copper mallet to crack them off again!

(I'm already crapping at the thought of having to pull my plugs to check the colour in a few days....

)

sweatmachine · 03-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith G

(I'm already crapping at the thought of having to pull my plugs to check the colour in a few days....

)

I could save you the trouble, plug chops don't really work with modern gasoline. Save yourself the aggravation.

Keith G · 03-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweatmachine

I could save you the trouble, plug chops don't really work with modern gasoline. Save yourself the aggravation.

I wasn't referring to a plug chop per se, merely pulling the plugs to check the colour - short of a Dyno run, I know of no other way of checking the (overall) mixture! (Tbh, I always thought plug chops were a 'two stroke thing'..??)

But, asitappens, my bike shop pal came round earlier and wanted to play, so we pulled them, cleaned them and gapped them (needed doing) and the result was an immediately better tickover with no 'dipsy doodles'!! (My pal was quite happy, but I wondered if it wasn't a bit too good as he was easily able to push the 'choke' all the way in after no more than a minute and it's pretty cold here tonight!?!)

Anyway, the colour was fine - I'll put a coupla hundred miles or so on them and check them again and repeat with new plugs, if necessary. My mains are 128 atm and there has been the question raised here (BillT100) that they might be too rich since I have refitted the stock silencers...??

All part of the fun!!

raproe · 03-25-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith G

The trouble with these modern machines is that an old mutt like me is likely to do damage - back in my day, all this alloy was called 'monkey metal' and we were used to winching nuts and bolts down with a length of pipe over the end of the spanner to get 'em tight and pounding the spanner with a copper mallet to crack them off again!

That reminds me of my first Norton that I bought back in '66. I was the third owner and the first two used that technique. By the time I got it, all the nuts and bolt heads were so rounded off that wrenches were useless and I had to use vise-grip pliers for almost everything.

Rich