Throttle body install torture
Thread Starter
|
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
From: Sussex, WI
Throttle body install torture
Can I just say what a royal b**ch it was getting my throttle body back on? In the process of rebuilding my 06 Street Glide after have Scott at Hillside work his magic on my cylinder heads and by FAR the biggest pain was getting the throttle body screws in. Took me about 2 hours and I am scared to death that I stripped one of them anyway. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't develop a leak and ever have to take the throttle body back of or I'm probably going to have to helicoil it (its good and tight now anyway).
I used a craftsman ball end wrench, but my fingers are too short, the wrench was too long, and there was no room! I know they say to just tighten up the back plate to align things, but I was literally tweaking by 1/8 turns on the breather bolts and levering on the throttle body adaptor rings with a big screwdriver to try and get the freakin' threads PERFECTLY lined up. UGH.
Thanks for hearing my vent!!
I used a craftsman ball end wrench, but my fingers are too short, the wrench was too long, and there was no room! I know they say to just tighten up the back plate to align things, but I was literally tweaking by 1/8 turns on the breather bolts and levering on the throttle body adaptor rings with a big screwdriver to try and get the freakin' threads PERFECTLY lined up. UGH.
Thanks for hearing my vent!!
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 50
From: Baton Rouge, LA
I just cut a spare Allen wrench with a Dremel making it short enough to fit. That made it much easier. Also, that little proprietary HD tool is $35, which may be extravagant for someone like me who does this job only once every few years.
True, I'll have to keep this in mind for future reference.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,241
Likes: 7
From: Daytona, Fla.
One of these sets & a good 1/4" socket set will solve most of your access problems. Can't tell you how many times, & on how many different things, this has made the difference....... www.eagleleatherworks.com/tools.html
Last edited by Jinks; Jun 15, 2011 at 11:14 AM.
Trending Topics
Encountered the exact same problem with my heads (Stage II by Scott Palmer and the crew at Hillside in Munnsville, NY) and a new TBI from Horsepower, Inc. in Butler, PA! What everyone failed to tell me is that I would need to remove some material from the 'runners' on the TBI if the heads had been 'decked' or modified in any way. Of course I encountered the 'no fit issue' at 7:30PM CST on a Saturday night! My 15 minute TBI install turned into a '3 hour...why in the hell won't this fit...I give up' session that resulted in a cross-threaded bolt hole a little after 10:00PM! I was seriously depressed and had to leave my garage a beaten man!
Come Monday morning and a couple of calls to Scott and the good folks at HPI and they both told me the same thing...remove some material with a file until the TBI fits! Man...a one liner in the paperwork would have saved me a lot of grief! Had to remove the rear head and take it in to my local dealer to repair the bolt hole. I pick it up Friday and I'm sure it will cost $50.00 - $100.00 for my mistake! And I am days behind in my rebuild!
On a lighter note...I sure learned a lot! And I do have the SE 'Special' Wrench...and it does work! My heads are beautiful, as is my TBI from HPI. Can't say enough good things about Scott Palmer and Hillside Cycles...one hell of a guy!
Good luck and ride safe!
Steve
Come Monday morning and a couple of calls to Scott and the good folks at HPI and they both told me the same thing...remove some material with a file until the TBI fits! Man...a one liner in the paperwork would have saved me a lot of grief! Had to remove the rear head and take it in to my local dealer to repair the bolt hole. I pick it up Friday and I'm sure it will cost $50.00 - $100.00 for my mistake! And I am days behind in my rebuild!
On a lighter note...I sure learned a lot! And I do have the SE 'Special' Wrench...and it does work! My heads are beautiful, as is my TBI from HPI. Can't say enough good things about Scott Palmer and Hillside Cycles...one hell of a guy!
Good luck and ride safe!
Steve
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
From: Sussex, WI
Well after about 2 1/2 hours I got it installed and everything snugged up good, so I'm going to leave well enough alone and hope for the best. I don't even want to KNOW if one of the bolts is crossed. As long as it stays tight.