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Shovelhead cylinder head leak

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Old May 31, 2026 | 09:54 PM
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Default Shovelhead cylinder head leak

Any idea where does this leak come from? Both front and rear cylinder heads got this leak near exhaust. Could it be from pushrod top and it flows downwards at this lowest point?




 
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Old Jun 1, 2026 | 02:54 AM
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First post, so you need to give a short intro on what exactly you have year model etc how long you've had it and a pic of the whole bike is best way to start
Having said that , Welcome to the forum. Looking at your third pic it looks like a leak from the rocker arm shaft.....best way to confirm if it's leaking from the shaft ,the rocket gasket , the pushrod seals or all three is to give the motor a degrease and a wash then go for a short ride then check out where the oil is coming from and if its all three better check your breather hose too.
 
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Old Jun 1, 2026 | 04:50 AM
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Rocker box gaskets are shot, and tube seals are done, common issues. Be warned trying to tighten the nut down more will NOT help the issue. Good chance you can pull a stud doing that. I repaired a set recently the owner had tried, pulled 4 studs and warped the heads enough I had to machine them true.
 
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Old Jun 1, 2026 | 07:28 AM
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Originally Posted by old mago
....best way to confirm if it's leaking from the shaft ,the rocket gasket , the pushrod seals or all three is to give the motor a degrease and a wash then go for a short ride then check out where the oil is coming from and if its all three better check your breather hose too.
Baby powder or talc will help you here. Puff it onto the suspected areas and it will make it easy to see if there is oil there.
 
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Old Jun 1, 2026 | 03:34 PM
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Agree on the rocker box. You will replace a lot of gaskets andf seals in the process abyway. But If in doubt of any of the suggestions, clean it really well and watch closely for where the leak starts.

Paul
 
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Old Jun 2, 2026 | 12:48 AM
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Thanks everyone for the helpful tips!

btw as pointed out, I should introduce my bike first:

1977 FXE1200 from Malaysia

Btw I suspected the cam shaft which is currently Leineweber E5. It should be for Evo engine and someone told me it is compatible with shovelhead late model. I ran this cam for about 1-2 months. I m trying to switch the cam back to what I originally got, Andrew J grind.

not sure if the rocker leak is caused by more aggressive Leineweber E5 cam shaft.

i measured the Highest point of E5 vs Andrew J, E5 is about 0.3mm taller. I did it with DRO on my lathe and not sure what i m doing is correct.
 
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Old Jun 2, 2026 | 02:37 AM
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Originally Posted by ndyew
Thanks everyone for the helpful tips!

btw as pointed out, I should introduce my bike first:

1977 FXE1200 from Malaysia

Btw I suspected the cam shaft which is currently Leineweber E5. It should be for Evo engine and someone told me it is compatible with shovelhead late model. I ran this cam for about 1-2 months. I m trying to switch the cam back to what I originally got, Andrew J grind.

not sure if the rocker leak is caused by more aggressive Leineweber E5 cam shaft.

i measured the Highest point of E5 vs Andrew J, E5 is about 0.3mm taller. I did it with DRO on my lathe and not sure what i m doing is correct.
Rocker boxes on shovels are prone to leaking if the old paper syle gaskets are used. The new technology MLS style gasket by Cometic and few like them are the best you can get.
 
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