Reply With QuoteHow about paint your primary and timing covers black?
Tomorrow I'm pulling the motor down to do a rocker-box gasket change. Aside from cleaning all the oil thats been spit out all over everything I'm trying to get some ideas on what else I should do while the engine is rotated. I was gonna wrap my headers until I figured out that 25' of 2" wrap probably won't get it done. The stock pipe needs a fresh coat of paint but I can't think of anything else to do while I'm in there.
For those guys that have done this - any tips that the manual doesn't cover? Also, what kind of gasket sealant did you use?
Thanks.
How about paint your primary and timing covers black?
my advice is DO NOT wrap your pipes, bad idea. if you want to help, have them ceramic coated, cuts down on heat, slight power boost and looks good too. you wrap them,, you will need to start planning on getting replacements soon. thats why its a bad idea, ceramic coating=good, pipe wrap=bad
as far as sealants go,,, Hylomar is awesome
^ the wraps will make your pipes look god-awful when/if you take it off but I wouldn't go so far as to say you would need replacements "soon". If I didn't have indoor storage for my bike I certainly wouldn't wrap the pipes and if I rode in the rain a lot I wouldn't. Ceramic coating is nice IF the person does a good job. I've seen pics of the stuff flaking off and it is not pretty.
I'll try to find some Hylomar
The thought has crossed my mind, although I don't need the engine rotated for that. If I did it while it was rotated I might end up getting carried away and paint the jugs too!How about paint your primary and timing covers black?
Used no gasket sealant. So far so good.
Plugs if not already done. Are you replacing the rocker assembly gaskets as well?id have the headers coated while they are easy to remove. Have a look at your isolator mounts make sure oil didnt ruin the rear.
Pardon my noobness, but what does it mean to change "rocker-box gasket," and why does it need to be changed. I've seen it posted so many times, but I have no idea what it means.
Grego, the rocker box gasket is essentially your valve cover gaskets, sometime they go bad and oil supplied to the head/rockers/pushrods/valve springs will leak out.
Not an uncommon issue but requires the engine to be "rotated" or slightly unhooked from the frame and lowered to allow access to change the gasket. On these engines, the valve rockers are their own assembly so a second gasket is below that on top of the head. Its highly recommended to replace those while in the area but require some patiences, proper engine positioning, specific torque, and attention to detail. Its really not that difficult, the verbiage becomes confusing cause the mechanics are unique to the harley engine.
While its rotated down that is a good time to change the spark plugs (your going to be a lot more confident your not cross-threading the plugs), check the plug wires, inspect the intake seals.
^^^^^ read my mind!
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