Triumphrat

Syynful · 06-23-2008, 07:29 PM

Okay here is my issue. Bike has had a persistant cam cover leak since I got it. It goes away after I had the dealer change the gasket comes back a 1000 or so miles later. I have had this done twice. Well the dealer I use in chattanooga has gone out of business and its unclear if there will be anyone picking up the Triumph brand and then who knows when.
So the darn leak started again and I think to myself okay im out here by myself I had best try to learn some things. I have the hanes manual, I have the shop manual in PDF. I look up the specs, whats involved in checking the cam cover bolts. I have a torque wrench and an allen set. I take the tank off i start checking them with the allen wrench to see if they are tight... all but one is the one near the oil weeping I might add. so I think "it says tighten to hand tight and then torque" I can do this right? So I spin the allen wrench to tighten so that I can torque with the torque wrench simple enough.... it never starts to tighten.... just spins. so I curse a little because after reading the forums that phrase "ask me how I know" in reference to these bolts just keeps flashing in my mind. Im taking the tank off again this weekend with a friend who is far more a wrencher than I am to look into this and see if its the threads stripped out or if its just the bolt has for some reason sheared. my question is (sorry for the long story first.. but have to set the stage) obviously after looking at this and calling triumph america in georgia to inquire about warranty. Do I need to only pull the one cam cap and have a timesert installed? will pulling only that one cam cap do anything to the stability? do I have to observe some ritual about undoing them all? or is it simply okay to pull only that one? for the record triumph said even though my bike is still under warranty.. they wouldnt cover this because it was something the dealer did. well Gee my dealer isnt in business what do I do? Oh get a Timesert installed and you should be fine... okay.... anyways trying not to whine but again anyone have good advice in this arena? sweat i think I remember you talking about this.. advice? pictures? prayer for those of us wrench-challenged?

thanks,

Syyn

22676 · 06-23-2008, 07:45 PM

I'd be a little upset at Triumph for not warranting the failure. How do they know the dealer broke it? That's a terrible attitude.

Sorry I can't advise you what to do about cam caps though.

sweatmachine · 06-23-2008, 08:58 PM

you'll be fine pulling the one cap. No worries there.

I used heli-coils to fix my stripped cap, I even drilled out and tapped/coiled all the other ones just so they'd be stronger.

It's a cheap and easy fix, and a good one at that. Just don't F*** it up, you only get one shot at doing it right. You cannot buy replacement cam caps, only a replacement head @ $1500 or thereabouts.

CAPTDON · 06-23-2008, 09:11 PM

Man that really sucks!!! Triumph should take care of it. It was done by one of THEIR dealers
or @ the factory! It should be their responsibility! I guess I was VERY lucky!! I had a chrome valve cover put on when new & it hasnt even misted the top of the engine for 8000 mi. Those 4 little bolts scare the hell outa me!! There should be more for one, & they should be made a little sturdier!! I think that is the one weak spot on an otherwise well built engine! Id keep fighting them! Good luck & I hope you can get it fixed by Triumph!

DuckMan001 · 06-23-2008, 10:16 PM

Write them a letter, CMRRR and CC your State's AG and their headquarters' State AG office.

On the bottom line of the letter, put

"CC: State of (Your State) Attorney General's Office
State of Georgia Attorney General's Office (I think they are in Ga) Send both AGs copies of the letter CMRRR. Keep the receipts.

All this does is let them know you are serious and you are putting it on public record for possible further action.

State in the letter one of their dealers, which is supposed to employ factory trained mechanics has gone out of business and before they went out of business, the factory trained mechanic "caused damage" to your motorcycle, explain the damage and ask what Triumph USA will do to rectify the problem.

In the mean time, when you get your receipts from the AG offices, call and reference the letter you sent and explain the situation then ask what is your legal recourse.

I'm sure it's similar to what would happen if it were a car, My parents sued Dodge for a similar situation and got a brand new car out of the deal.

Raise enough stink and they will pay to fix it just to shut you up. You can also contact your and their State's FTC, the Federal FTC, BBB, call Triumph USA till you are on a first name basis with everyone in the place, etc. Be a flea on their butt until you get action. Corporations count on people giving up, don't.

champ7fc · 06-23-2008, 10:35 PM

Do all that duckman 001 said. Before attempting the helicoil replacement I would suggest that you go to a local reputable machine shop. Bring the bolt and the cam cap with you. Explain the problem to the machinist and tell him that you would like a helicoil installed in the cam cap. A competent machinist will be able to give you a professional job at a moderate cost. You will get your Bonnie back on the road and be able to ride while the Triumph people are deciding your case. If you win all the better, if you lose you still win. Good Luck, Craig

Baltobonneville · 06-23-2008, 11:54 PM

It'll be easier (and maybe cheaper) to fix than to raise a stink about it. Luckily it's fixable, but don't attempt it yourself unless you're comfortable doing it, for the reason Sweatmachine mentioned. It's a simple job for a competent mechanic.

Buy a new gasket and new seals for the four bolts. Examine the bolts, and if they don't look good, replace them too.

Syynful · 06-24-2008, 12:09 AM

the pictures help.. the cryptic phrase "Dont Eff it up, you only got one shot" does not help.
luckily my dad is a machinist (if it comes to that) and can take the cam cap to work and drill with a press and put in either a timesert or a helicoil. I have heard good and bad about helicoils so I dont know. I had never heard of timeserts till the guy at triumph america said to use one.

here is a link for the curious.

http://www.timesert.com/html/mtrcsert.html

I have access to a shop locally that might be able to do this for me as well. Honestly since Im a novice I am considering taking it to get done there. Im still overly disapointed in Triumphs response.

sweatmachine · 06-24-2008, 12:58 AM

it's not hard to do. I have a drill press, so I put a (I think, don't do this until you verify) 1/4" drill bit (per the helicoil instructions) and drilled out the hole. It's aluminum and very soft. Like a hot knife through buttah. Then tapped by hand, which is the scary part, then screw in the helicoil and whack off the tab, done.

I bought the helicoil kit, complete with coils, tap, and the tool to insert them at the local auto parts store. It didn't cost much, less than $20 I think.

propforward · 06-24-2008, 01:44 PM

I am quite sure you all know this tip, but here it is anyway.

If you have a drill press, it makes sense to use it to start tapping a thread as it keeps the thread square - especially if you only have a plug (bottoming) tap available.

First unplug the drill press.

You put the tap in the chuck, and clamp your workpiece securely. Now feed the chuck down, and feed the tap into the hole as you would when drilling BUT DO NOT USE POWER! Just turn the chuck by hand. You do this just enough to get a few threads into the hole.

Then back the tap out by hand.

Now you can proceed to tap the rest of the thread by hand, and you will have a much better chance at getting the thread nice and square.

It's a bit of faffing around, but when you have a $1500 plus cylinder head at stake, it's worth the extra effort.