Rocker Box Gaskets. . .
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 12,233
Likes: 4,943
From: England
Well I took it apart and know for sure on that point. It is a bit difficult getting to a couple of the bolts but 1/4" drive sockets got the job done.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 764
Likes: 355
From: Missouri
Remove rocker box and clean sealing surface on cover and rocker box.
Place cover on a pane of glass and use feeler guages to find the high spot.
Invert cover and mark high spot w/Dykem or Magic Marker.
Obtain an 8 inch coarse/ fine sharpening stone and start w/ coarse side.
Have a chair or shop stool and sit, cause this may take awhile.
Put the cover in your lap and the stone on the opposite side of the high spot.
With moderate pressure slide the stone back and forth while moving it completely across the cover.
Rotate cover 90 degrees and repeat.
Do this until you are back where you started, and keep doing it till the markings start to disappear.
Then use the fine side once or twice and check w/ feeler guages. I used a .002 guage.
When feeler guage won't fit under cover, your done.
Clean surfaces and reinstall.
Took me about an hour to flatten cover this way. I did use brake kleen to clean the stone every complete rotation,cause the aluminium will clog stone.
The other choice I had was take cover to machine shop and hope they could do it w/o removing to much metal.
Hope this helps.
Place cover on a pane of glass and use feeler guages to find the high spot.
Invert cover and mark high spot w/Dykem or Magic Marker.
Obtain an 8 inch coarse/ fine sharpening stone and start w/ coarse side.
Have a chair or shop stool and sit, cause this may take awhile.
Put the cover in your lap and the stone on the opposite side of the high spot.
With moderate pressure slide the stone back and forth while moving it completely across the cover.
Rotate cover 90 degrees and repeat.
Do this until you are back where you started, and keep doing it till the markings start to disappear.
Then use the fine side once or twice and check w/ feeler guages. I used a .002 guage.
When feeler guage won't fit under cover, your done.
Clean surfaces and reinstall.
Took me about an hour to flatten cover this way. I did use brake kleen to clean the stone every complete rotation,cause the aluminium will clog stone.
The other choice I had was take cover to machine shop and hope they could do it w/o removing to much metal.
Hope this helps.
Thread Starter
|
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 166
Likes: 63
From: Alameda County, Ca
I bought a 2008 Sportster Custom with low mileage. After putting a few thousand on the clock the rear gasket started leaking. I contacted an indy here and without a word he told me it was leaking from the rear left corner.
There is no way any of the bolts were loose as it has not been touched from the factory.
What has to be done though is the new gasket has to be fitted in such a way that no of the bolts make contact with it to deform it. I did it wrong and it leaked within a few miles. I took it to the indy and it was job done in really just a few minutes.
There is no way any of the bolts were loose as it has not been touched from the factory.
What has to be done though is the new gasket has to be fitted in such a way that no of the bolts make contact with it to deform it. I did it wrong and it leaked within a few miles. I took it to the indy and it was job done in really just a few minutes.
- G
Last edited by GammaRei; Mar 3, 2020 at 08:52 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 253
From: Northern Los Angeles area.
Well if you were in my area, I'd offer to help you change them so you'd find out how easy it is to do it yourself...
Last edited by lewk; Mar 5, 2020 at 12:01 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 253
From: Northern Los Angeles area.
BTW when you stop to park the bike, don't be in a hurry to lean it on the jiffy. For example, you could stop and turn off the engine immediately, then remove the key, lock the bike and put the key in your pocket, remove your gloves, push down the jiffy stand, stand up and then finally lean the bike over. All this gives the oil time to drain down from the rockers before you lean the engine. When you lean the engine, any oil left at the top simply pools on the side and works its way through the gasket.
Thread Starter
|
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 166
Likes: 63
From: Alameda County, Ca
BTW when you stop to park the bike, don't be in a hurry to lean it on the jiffy. For example, you could stop and turn off the engine immediately, then remove the key, lock the bike and put the key in your pocket, remove your gloves, push down the jiffy stand, stand up and then finally lean the bike over. All this gives the oil time to drain down from the rockers before you lean the engine. When you lean the engine, any oil left at the top simply pools on the side and works its way through the gasket.
- G
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 253
From: Northern Los Angeles area.
John Harper will disagree and tell you life's too short to do that; he'll say just park it and walk away... Or was Sir Graham Brown who said that... 
Last edited by lewk; Mar 5, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,547
Likes: 3,973
From: San Diego, CA
John
Last edited by John Harper; Mar 5, 2020 at 01:05 PM.