The rear nut on the rear rocker box started seeping oil. I have some Ram Jett seals from V-Twin manufacturing that supposedly won't ever leak.

Can I just remove the nut and replace the seal without issue? Looking at the parts and also service manuals, I can't tell if anything untoward is going to happen.

 

Should be able to no issues, sometimes you need to tighten the nut with the red cap on the other end of the rocker shaft to pop the bigger one loose.

 

Simple things frequently aren't.

The small nut on the opposite side of the rocker turned along with the large one I want to remove.

I tightened it, but it seems the small nut has less hold on the shaft than the large one.

Keeping a ratchet on the small nut, I thought the large nut was coming out just fine and I was going to be able to replace the leaky O ring without issue - until the small nut came off the other end of the shaft.

I may have to use some science here - possibly heat the large nut to cause it to expand. Or cheat and put some Loc-tite on the small nut and deal with any issue that causes later.

 

No heat that isn't going to help the large allen plug is seated against a flat surface on the docker shaft. You have to get the other side tight somehow and for the hard ones I use a hand impact driver and give it a few taps with a hammer to shock it loose. DO NOT beat the **** out of it.

 

Nuts instead of allen keys. Tried the impact driver.

Those things are ON THERE...

I tried tightening the small nut, and had to have a socket on the large nut otherwise it spun. Put a hefty amount of torque on there, to the point where fear of snapping the rod crossed my mind.

I'm guessing the rocker hole covers are threaded for the rod, similar to the small nut on the opposite end?

Is the idea to have the small nut so tight that it pulls the end/edge of the rod internally against the inside of the rocker cover, allowing the large nut to come off without spinning the rod?

Everything is chromed, which makes it that more difficult as I want to avoid marring the rocker boxes. I put a chunk of wood inside the socket head to prevent it hitting the rocker box when I whack the impact driver with a lead hammer. I'll make a run to Home Depot tomorrow and pick up some nylon washers to put around the nut as added protection from the socket end for the box.

 

Find a picture of the rocker shaft setup please , the big plug is a shallow thin but wide cap with a 1/2"-20 short thread into the large end of the rocker shaft itself, the red cap nut threads on the other end of the rocker shaft locking the entire assembly into the rocker box. I have no idea why you need a chunk of wood for any of this unless something is *** backwards, you really to find a parts blow up to see what's what before you dick something up and the head has to come off for a busted rocker box.

 

Thanks TB, I appreciate the guidance. Definitely not interested in damaging anything, so taking a very cautious approach.

I have parts and service manuals, both use the same parts illustration, which for me is lacking in detail.

Found this site that shows what the internals look like:

http://www.baggersmag.com/rebuilding...w-tech#page-36

Instead of the allen key plugs, the bike has hex bolt-head style plugs. All I have is one of those hand-held impact drivers that you whack with a hammer. So putting a socket over the nut without the little chunk of wood inside the socket to remove socket depth allows the rim of the socket to directly contact the rocker box. Whacking the impact driver would likely leave an indentation in the rocker box from the rim of the socket.

I'll try again next weekend. Wife is flipping out over the flooding in Houston 20 miles East of us so packing the dogs for a couple days in Austin.

 

Good luck to you and the wife and the flooding thing, went through some of that in KC a couple times. got lucky only got a few inches in the garage.

Ok the hex bolt thing explains some things now I got a better picture of whats going on, those are a pain in the *** to deal with. Sometimes between the rocker boxes being chrome and the hex's they don't fit well and guys will crank them in the hole anyway and the chrome kinda galls everything in place. I've cut big washers out of plastic milk jugs to protect he box chrome and had use an electric or air impact and a big socket to knock those off before. If they won't roll off by hand this is about your only option.

 

shovels have ended up in a very stupid persons garage

and some how they were told about red loc tite

while I agree no heat been in that spot and heated the caps

you could remove the oem red guys and the very thin washer - go and get 3/8 - 24 USA grade 8 nuts and washers grade 8 NOT THE gold china crap

they will tighten and you wont wreck the oem red ones

 

I think I'm going to live with a leaky rocker box cap.

I used a grade 8.8 nut on the small side and tightened to 50 lbs with my big automotive torque wrench. I'm leery of going any tighter for fear of snapping the end off the rocker shaft.

I put foam poster tape on the rocker box around the big nut/cover, and then cut a plastic coffee can lid to make a shield that fit over and around the big nut. I figured the combination would protect the chrome rocker from being damaged by the socket/impact driver.

The small nut ended up turning every time the big nut moved. And I still damaged the chrome on the rocker box itself. Maybe sometime down the road when top end work is in order I'll deal with the leaky nut/cover issue.

A disappointment, but feel like I'll break something if I keep trying.