Front engine cover removal

[donny1972]

My 04 gs is suffering from corrosion on the front engine cover as they all do. I am considering removing it completely and have it properly refurbished. Has anyone on here removed there front cover and if so how hard a job is it?

 

[DrFarkoff]

Donny a new cover is £70 Link

Heres a few pics of whats behind Admittedly the whole front end of the bike is off but Unlike the 1150 you can get the cover off without removing the telelever

Parts Diagram Here

Issues would be seized screws, Removing and replacing the alternator belt (cos some smart Cnut decided to make them non adjustable to save a few grammes) and remembering to unplug the crank position sensor before removing the cover
And there is no gasket just a very fine smear of a proper gasket sealant (not blue goo or hermitite or schit like that)

 

[MattW]

That's not a new cover for £70 Dr - it's a used one in need of a repaint. ..

 

[donny1972]

Thanks for that Dr Farkoff. That link is for a second hand cover and god knows what BMW would charge. I see your from the Islandmagee parish not that far from myself. Is this your workshop and do you do work for other tossers?

 

[SteveM]

That bike lift has seen some action over the years

 

[TLSgazza]

Thanks for that Dr Farkoff. That link is for a second hand cover and god knows what BMW would charge. I see your from the Islandmagee parish not that far from myself. Is this your workshop and do you do work for other tossers?

I tried to buy a new one for my 06 adv the year before last, dealer told me there were none in Europe, ffs. They wanted around 200 quid for it, left it on back order to see if they could get one, over a year later and there was still no sign, mine now has a slight oil leak coming out from under the black plastic cover so I need to sort it this year, I'm a bit wary about doing it myself, I was thinking of getting the dealer to remove during the 48.000 mile service which is due then getting it refurbed then replaced by the dealer,
I'd be interested to see people's opinions on doing this yourself or if any special tools are needed.

 

[mikeyboy]

No special tools needed,but as drfarkoff has pointed out, the upper alternator cover screws can be corroded and regularly shear off when attempting to remove.
I do quite a few of these

 

[Bendy toy]

My alternator cover upper screws just snapped off with almost zero effort. They had corroded so no strength and seized. The M5 threads are open at the back so any problems & they really have no chance.
Only option was to drill out & use nuts & bolts.

Dip stripping & powder coating the cover cost me £50. Paint is likely to be similar. A lot better than new and less risky than eBay.

Don't be tempted to fill & paint over the old finish. Mine had all sorts going on underneath that super tough skin.

 

[paintman]

I had a quote from North Oxford recently,approx £240 to supply front cover with new bolts/screws and a further £120 for fitting. (Inc vat)

 

[TLSgazza]

I had a quote from North Oxford recently,approx £240 to supply front cover with new bolts/screws and a further £120 for fitting. (Inc vat)

Could they actually get one though, see my post above.

 

[Blackal]

Supply of a new BMW cover is £151, if I remember correctly.

If you get an old one repainted - if using powder-coating - then leave the bolt landing faces and main mating face - free of paint. The coating is thick, and will probably crack in time due to the bolt pressure, and bolts may slacken.

Al

 

[Bendy toy]

Leaving the metal bare at bolt holes just leads to corrosion rushing underneath the nice new finish. I had mine coated all over and its all gone on with no problems. I considered having it coated inside and out to avoid corrosion creeping form the joint face (as happens with gearboxes) but I dont have a suitable flat table to lap the surface level. BTW this is probably an even worse idea on the early bikes with support bearing.

The only other option is to leave the metal bare and accept it will get dirty.

I used a small coating company rather than batch factory. Also used stainless washers with the rounded face towards the cover. Ive thought about using copper washers, but (1) not yet ordered the washers and no time to get the job organised. Maybe a corrosion expert can say if this is a useful idea.

 

[paintman]

Could they actually get one though, see my post above.

We'll I presume so as they said they could do the job this week and offered a loaner to get me home. I'm still undecided about spending all that money. I would suggest you call North Oxford and speak to Matt.

 

[RonnieG]

Should really consider doing this myself too at some point as mine is starting to corrode also.....

Is anyone aware of any 'how to' type guides or links anywhere to removing & re-installing these front covers themselves ?

Cheers!

 

[Blackal]

Ronnie - I'm sure there is a step-by-step guide on UKGSer somewhere - do a search?

Search using words "front cover" and by user "Steptoe" - I'm sure he has contributed to the relevant threads.

Al

 

[bikemad]

My alternator cover upper screws just snapped off with almost zero effort. They had corroded so no strength and seized. The M5 threads are open at the back so any problems & they really have no chance.
Only option was to drill out & use nuts & bolts.

Helicoil or simlar thread inserts easy enough to do

 

[Bendy toy]

Helicoils need enough base metal to avoid weakening the original parts but they are very useful. However these particular threads are open at the back giving a perfect path for corrosion.

Helicoils open at the back would actually be even worse as there is more open space for corrosion to develop between the coils. Nuts & bolts close off the threads so should be more reliable.

 

[MattW]

I just removed, Duralac'ed and replaced all the front cover screws and alternator cover screws on my new to me 2012 TC. Some of them were pretty tight and powdery when they came out - glad I did it now.
The heads of the front cover screws are about the only corrosion on the bike (as I'd hope on a sub 4000 mile bike) but they're pretty grotty - I'll probably replace them with OEM zinc plated. I wish the previous owner had ACF'ed it

 

[sieve68]

Nowt wrong with a bit of patina

 

[MWH]

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/136102-Front-cover-corrosion-pics

That has pics of it being done insitu.