replacing a gasket

[ferguzzi]

So, continuing what seems to be an unending saga of me being the most unlucky V11 owner on the planet(I'm sure this isn't true but ,God, sometimes I wonder...), My trusty(?) Tenni has sprung a fairly impressive oil leak.

I've managed to isloate the leak to the timing case gasket, and have decided{bravely) to replace it myself. Not that I have a lot of choice in this part of the world, but anyway...

I'm hoping for the sake of simplicity I dont have to take the alternator apart, if that's the case, with any luck this might be reasonably manageable.

So what are the pitfalls or tricks of the trade I should be aware of with regard to changing any gasket?

I'm learning as I go here, so no suggestion/hint is too basic.

I am going to order 2 gaskets,in case I make a balls of the first one.

cheers, Ferg.

[HaydnR]

Unlucky,have you not seen the photos of Harrys engine?

 

Are you certain that it is the gasket and not something else eg the oil lines from the crankcase to the head, oil pressure switch, crank sensor? These could all migrate to thetiming gasket.

Remove tank (1 bolt, fuel hose and breather)fairing (6 bolts, headlight connection and indicator connections) Support bike on stand, support under engine. Photograph/take note of wiring where cable tied and cable/pipe routes. Loosen bolts on front subframe. You may have enough room if you just leave the forward most bolts in and rotate the frame forward.

Alternator comes off easy 3 bolts and one nut,once you have removed the cover note the position of the cable,be careful not to loose the locating woodruff key off the shaft if it falls out.Keep the rotor inside the stator to avoid demagnetization. I've not had the timing cover off yet but it should be straight forward (14 bolts).While you are in there inspect timing components for wear and replace if necessary Make sure mating surfaces are clean of old gasket before fitting new. Smear grease on the mating surfaces before fitting new gasket as it will hold it in place when fitting the cover and less likely to tear if cover removed.fit cover bolts not tightening fully to ease alignment then nip up in diagonal sequence.

May be worth having front crank seal to hand in case it gets damaged, size 28x38x7 for rotational shaft from any decent bearing supplier.

[fotoguzzi]

Unlucky,have you not seen the photos of Harrys engine?

 

Are you certain that it is the gasket and not something else eg the oil lines from the crankcase to the head, oil pressure switch, crank sensor? These could all migrate to thetiming gasket.

Remove tank (1 bolt, fuel hose and breather)fairing (6 bolts, headlight connection and indicator connections) Support bike on stand, support under engine. Photograph/take note of wiring where cable tied and cable/pipe routes. Loosen bolts on front subframe. You may have enough room if you just leave the forward most bolts in and rotate the frame forward.

Alternator comes off easy 3 bolts and one nut,once you have removed the cover note the position of the cable,be careful not to loose the locating woodruff key off the shaft if it falls out.Keep the rotor inside the stator to avoid demagnetization. I've not had the timing cover off yet but it should be straight forward (14 bolts).While you are in there inspect timing components for wear and replace if necessary Make sure mating surfaces are clean of old gasket before fitting new. Smear grease on the mating surfaces before fitting new gasket as it will hold it in place when fitting the cover and less likely to tear if cover removed.fit cover bolts not tightening fully to ease alignment then nip up in diagonal sequence.

May be worth having front crank seal to hand in case it gets damaged, size 28x38x7 for rotational shaft from any decent bearing supplier.

nice and concise.. well said!

[ferguzzi]

Thanks very much for that, all very clear.

I managed to come across a thread from someone with a similar problem to me(seems it's not that rare), and BFG suggests sealing it externally with a silicone sealant. I think I'll give it a go first before I start ordering parts. Coward that I am.

It's definetly a gasket leak, the seap is very obvious when you clean the crap off, and there's a small piece of the old gasket escaping.

I did a recce before considering this, and noticed the left screw to the subframe is an allen key type, but the right one is a torx head, which I don't have, but it shouldn't be too hard to get hold of. Wonder why the variation?

Also I see some people mention using grease to keep the gasket in place before tightening, and some people mention sealant. I'm guessing this is the same silicone sealant that's been suggested for the external fix?( I think loctite was mentioned?)

Thanks again...

[Chuck]

Thanks very much for that, all very clear.

I managed to come across a thread from someone with a similar problem to me(seems it's not that rare), and BFG suggests sealing it externally with a silicone sealant. I think I'll give it a go first before I start ordering parts. Coward that I am.

It's definetly a gasket leak, the seap is very obvious when you clean the crap off, and there's a small piece of the old gasket escaping.

I did a recce before considering this, and noticed the left screw to the subframe is an allen key type, but the right one is a torx head, which I don't have, but it shouldn't be too hard to get hold of. Wonder why the variation?

Also I see some people mention using grease to keep the gasket in place before tightening, and some people mention sealant. I'm guessing this is the same silicone sealant that's been suggested for the external fix?( I think loctite was mentioned?)

Thanks again...

 

An external fix is *not* a long time solution. Do it once, do it right. Be extremely careful if using silicone, many engines have been destroyed when a glob of it got stuck in an oil galley.