someone please kick me in the arse...
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,984
Likes: 8
I was going to say the same thing.
I grew up on a family farm. Farmers can't afford to pay someone else to fix everything. Take your time, look at the manual, use the right tool. I would not ever consider rebuilding my engine without help, but I will do about anything short of it.
take your time.
My wife always laughs when I say it will take about an hour. she knows I really mean about 5 hours.
I grew up on a family farm. Farmers can't afford to pay someone else to fix everything. Take your time, look at the manual, use the right tool. I would not ever consider rebuilding my engine without help, but I will do about anything short of it.
take your time.
My wife always laughs when I say it will take about an hour. she knows I really mean about 5 hours.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 983
Likes: 2
From: Wisconsin
Best tools to have are patience and the ability/freedom to curse loudly and often. It's amazing how those two can get you through any jam.
Another handy tool to have around, in addition to those already mentioned, is a thin, telescopic rod with a magnet on the end for picking up nuts, bolts, sockets, and such that fall into impossibly difficult to reach places.
Some advice on using a torque wrench; (1) go very slow when you are approaching the set limit and (2) practice on hearing and feeling the tripping sound on parts that are torqued much higher than what the wrench is set at. For example, say a nut has been tightened to 40 ft/lbs. Set your wrench to trip at 20 ft/lbs and get the feel for the wrench tripping over and over at the lower setting. When you are putting the wrench into actual use, if you move the wrench too fast and are not careful, you will tighten past the tripping point and not even know it.
Another handy tool to have around, in addition to those already mentioned, is a thin, telescopic rod with a magnet on the end for picking up nuts, bolts, sockets, and such that fall into impossibly difficult to reach places.
Some advice on using a torque wrench; (1) go very slow when you are approaching the set limit and (2) practice on hearing and feeling the tripping sound on parts that are torqued much higher than what the wrench is set at. For example, say a nut has been tightened to 40 ft/lbs. Set your wrench to trip at 20 ft/lbs and get the feel for the wrench tripping over and over at the lower setting. When you are putting the wrench into actual use, if you move the wrench too fast and are not careful, you will tighten past the tripping point and not even know it.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 983
Likes: 2
From: Wisconsin
I should clarify what I meant by saying, "get the feel for the wrench tripping over and over." I meant in separate trials. The wrench, at least mine or ones I have used, doesn't continuously trip once passed the setting. It trips one time. If I continued to wrench without letting it reset, then the wrench would continue to tight the nut/bolt tighter than what I wanted. Thus, "tripping over and over" was meant to mean feel it trip, relax the wrench and let it reset, try to tighten, feel it trip, relax the wrench and let it reset, so on and so forth.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 719
Likes: 35
From: SE New Hampshire
Again thanks everyone for your help...Really looking forward to doing this. It'll prolly be a good father son project so I'll have to see if my dad will help me out. However he's a software salesman so his mechanical inclinations are non-existent...gotta keep him out a trouble and scratching her up....lol
Last edited by Road_Clam; Mar 15, 2009 at 04:27 PM.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
Hey All
Hey everyone sorry I havent been on the forums the past day...out riding!!! Thanks for all of the replies and vote of confidence!
Road Clam and robzuc97 Thank you for being honest and straight forward I appreciate it. However I decided to go ahead with it. When I meant mechanically inclined I meant I can figure just about anything out...I just have never had the experience with automobiles or bikes...I bought a service manual yesterday and will be following that for the majority...basically it is just going to take me longer because I have to learn about the tools as well as the mechanical parts...when someone said torque wrench I understood immediately what it did its just I had never seen one nor used one...btw I am a civil engineer so figuring out things has always been my strong point.
As or everyone with advice I will be printing out some of the posts to go along with my service manual to help me along so thank you sooo! much!
The parts get here in about a week so I will take pics and keep you updated. Thanks again for ALL of your comments!
BTW nothing better than little furry animals with booze and guns.
Road Clam and robzuc97 Thank you for being honest and straight forward I appreciate it. However I decided to go ahead with it. When I meant mechanically inclined I meant I can figure just about anything out...I just have never had the experience with automobiles or bikes...I bought a service manual yesterday and will be following that for the majority...basically it is just going to take me longer because I have to learn about the tools as well as the mechanical parts...when someone said torque wrench I understood immediately what it did its just I had never seen one nor used one...btw I am a civil engineer so figuring out things has always been my strong point.
As or everyone with advice I will be printing out some of the posts to go along with my service manual to help me along so thank you sooo! much!
The parts get here in about a week so I will take pics and keep you updated. Thanks again for ALL of your comments!
BTW nothing better than little furry animals with booze and guns.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From:
Uh oh, an engineer with tools.
Just kidding.
Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm a tech, not a MC tech though, but would like to be. I've worked on lots of things all my life out of necessity, including cars, bikes & just about anything you can imagine. Common sense (which I could use more of sometimes), taking your time and asking questions go a long way toward learning how to work on things, and with your engineering knowledge to back that up, you should do great. Sounds like you're going about this in the right frame of mind. Best of luck and have fun!
Oh yeah, and please share your discoveries with the rest of us inexperienced HD mechanics.
Just kidding. Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm a tech, not a MC tech though, but would like to be. I've worked on lots of things all my life out of necessity, including cars, bikes & just about anything you can imagine. Common sense (which I could use more of sometimes), taking your time and asking questions go a long way toward learning how to work on things, and with your engineering knowledge to back that up, you should do great. Sounds like you're going about this in the right frame of mind. Best of luck and have fun!Oh yeah, and please share your discoveries with the rest of us inexperienced HD mechanics.
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
OK here is my update! Since you all helped me out soo darn much I am trying to take decent photos of this....
Well it took me all of 5 hours today just to install the AC.... (shakes head lol) Hopefully it's installed correctly...I had to lift the gas tank up...didnt fully take it off just stuck a towel under it so I could reach the top of the throttle body. Theres a little vacuum assembly I had to connect to the bottom of the MAP socket....anyways...
Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/variable...hargerInstall#
Maybe tonight Ill get further on the exhaust...but for the life of me I cant find the clip for the rear O2 sensor....I know its under the oil tank but do I have to remove the tank because I really cant find it....?
Lastly I really dont know where to go with the PCV...Is it under the Oil Tank or under the battery? Im thinking Ima take out the battery and see if I can find anything that way....
Thanks again all!
Kyle
Well it took me all of 5 hours today just to install the AC.... (shakes head lol) Hopefully it's installed correctly...I had to lift the gas tank up...didnt fully take it off just stuck a towel under it so I could reach the top of the throttle body. Theres a little vacuum assembly I had to connect to the bottom of the MAP socket....anyways...
Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/variable...hargerInstall#
Maybe tonight Ill get further on the exhaust...but for the life of me I cant find the clip for the rear O2 sensor....I know its under the oil tank but do I have to remove the tank because I really cant find it....?
Lastly I really dont know where to go with the PCV...Is it under the Oil Tank or under the battery? Im thinking Ima take out the battery and see if I can find anything that way....
Thanks again all!
Kyle