Rocker cover stripped thread.

[markkfletcher]

Hi all.

I have an oil leak from my left cylinder head, and I stupidly over tightened one of the four non-removable bolts. It no longer gets any purchase and I assume I have stripped the thread.

Can this be repaired?

Also (I'm out in France right now) any suggestions for a temporary fix for the oil leak - it currently running along the top of the cylinder, collecting at the filler cap and spraying onto my trouser leg!

Thanks

 

[markkfletcher]

Wow, it turns out I have not just stripped the thread, I have severed the bolt at the top of the thread. Not surprised it is leaking badly.
What is the fix to that?

 

[waterloo700]

Calls for an inventive bodge until you can get to a decent garage - you will need to buy another bolt of course but if you can plug the hole nothing will get harmed until you can do a proper fix.

I've had to helicoil the thread hole for one of these in the past but - assuming you can get the broken stud out - you won't need to do that.

Good luck anyway

 

[Timolgra]

Get some brake cleaner remover the cover and rubber gasket then clean all surfaces until they're free of any traces of oil, use the best high temp silicon sealer available from a garage, clean it up and seal it best you can then leave it overnight.

That should get you home when you need to sort it properly

 

[Neil W]

If you are lucky and have access to a fine pin punch and small hammer you may be lucky enough to be able to tap the broken bolt around and remove it , worth a try if you have to take the rocker cover off , if not lay bike on its side and clean area properly and put together with some good quality silicon sealant .

If yoy have engine bars a wooden wedge between the bars and the rocker cover may help to cinch it down

 

[markkfletcher]

Get some brake cleaner remover the cover and rubber gasket then clean all surfaces until they're free of any traces of oil, use the best high temp silicon sealer available from a garage, clean it up and seal it best you can then leave it overnight.

That's a good tip. Thank you.

 

[markkfletcher]

If you have engine bars a wooden wedge between the bars and the rocker cover may help to cinch it down

I'll try that too.

Thanks all.

 

[markkfletcher]

So just to finish up this thread.

I got home fine - threw a bit of oil around on the way, but it was messy rather than dangerous.
One thing I discovered was that it doesn't take much pressure on the rocker cover to stop the oil leak - I couldn't get the block of wood to work, so I ended up binding it up with some old wire I found lying around. Worked fine.

Got home and put off fixing it because I thought it would be a hell of a job. Sure enough there was none of the bolt protruding, so I had to centre punch and drill it, and then used the smallest bolt extractor and lo and behold:

Excuse that gratuitous picture, but I was quite proud of myself!
Thanks everyone for the help along the way.

 

[Hay Ewe]

Feels good when it all works out doesnt it!


one thing though, would have been good to put a good rag all over everything else in that picture, now there are bits of drilling and stuff to clean up and float around in the oil
sure, the filter should catch them all in good time, but till then

 

[Packer]

You are a lucky man, tales are legion of snapped stud extractors making everything ten times more difficult to fix.

 

[gog]

second the 'lucky man' with that stud extractor - first time i used one it snapped and cause several more hours of swearing. now i drill a hole and hammer in a torx bit, works well.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Have you got that bolt extractor in a drill chuck?
Brave man.

 

[markkfletcher]

You are a lucky man, tales are legion of snapped stud extractors making everything ten times more difficult to fix.

Cripes.

 

[markkfletcher]

Have you got that bolt extractor in a drill chuck?
Brave man.

Ha, yes I did think that might not be the smartest idea as I was doing it, but it was the only chuck I had to hand. I did it very slowly!

 

[markkfletcher]

one thing though, would have been good to put a good rag all over everything else in that picture, now there are bits of drilling and stuff to clean up and float around in the oil
sure, the filter should catch them all in good time, but till then

Yep, I'll do that next time - I spent a while cleaning up swarf and a broken drill bit afterwards. Would hate to think what that could have done if I'd missed it.

 

[The Other PaulG]

Good work, and great to see a thread like this that doesn't end with "...so how can I now remove the bolt with the remains of the extractor in it.."

Must be Friday!

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Extractors should be made with a weak point in the shaft and flats below, so you stand a chance of getting it out again.
Anyhow, glad it worked out for you.