| Author | Message | ||
     Kinger |
At just shy of 20,000 miles my front gasket let go. Bought the new kit, installed the metal gasket (numbers up!). I put everything back together and it appears to be leaking in more places than before. While tearing it down tonight I found one bolt that had actually backed out a little. I thinking that this is the main cause of the leakage. My plan is to retighten all bolts and put the middle and upper covers back on and see what happens. If i have to realign the metal gasket is it reusable? I have maybe 90 miles on it. Thanks. (A search didn't net any results) (Message edited by kinger on June 19, 2006) | ||
| Jackbequick |
I seem to remember someone saying that those are re useable in a discussion about someone thinking they may have put their on upside down. Mine have worked out perfect so far (2,500 miles). I cleaned the surfaces of all old gasket residue, did not use any sealants or threadlockers, and followed the SM for sequence and torque values. It took some patience and a good collection of drive adapters and U-joints to get everything torqued. Everything except that one right rear Allen head screw under the frame tube, I had to fake it on that one. Jack | ||
| Kinger |
Thanks. I am hoping that my problem is solved now that I torqued everything I could on the front head. A wash on Wednesday and short test ride will tell. | ||
| Patrickh |
no worries on reusing the metal rocker box gasket. You have a torque wrench and a service manual right? | ||
| Bluzm2 |
ALL of the old gasket materm MUST be remove from both surfaces. It is very hard after 20,000 miles. Be patient, don't scrape too hard or you will bugger the gasket surfaces. You may want to tgry gasket remover but use spareingly as some of them will do a job on paint or power coating. Brad | ||
| Jackbequick |
I used a paint remover/solvent called Oops! and pieces of 3M "greenie" to clean the gasket residue off on mine. It took a little time, patience, and elbow grease to get all the remains of the heat activated adhesive from the paper gaskets off. But I did mine in the basement during winter in Maine. Knowing I was not going for a ride anytime soon helps with working patiently. Jack | ||
| Kinger |
I stopped short of removing the lower rocker box and tightened everything up. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to rinse off the oil and see if it still leaks. Thanks for the input!  I will post up if it worked or didn't. | ||
| Aesquire |
Just got a leak on rear box. I at first thought it was Primary gasket, since oil was dripping on the muffler, but after cleaning & riding ( & buying a Primary gasket...lol ) its the rocker box. I will just replace the gaskets, it gives me a chance to think I'm useful. My leak seems to be the bottom one. Good luck Kinger, you should be ok. | ||
| Jackbequick |
Patrick, How many miles on your M2L? And do you know if it has the paper gaskets? My 2000 M2 had the paper originals and started leaking at about 3,000 miles and 5 years old. Going to the metal gaskets with meticulous cleaning and careful attention to the torque specs seemed to do the trick for me. Jack | ||
| Aesquire |
um, paper, about 3000 miles, Hey! you already fixed my bike???? | ||
| Jackbequick |
If you read through the KV I think that just about everyone that got a tuber with those gaskets fixed them eventually. If I had opened a Buell only bike shop in the late 90's and specialized in replacing rocker arm cover gaskets and bypassing crankcase breathers I probably could have made a bundle. :>  Jack | ||
| Kinger |
Thanks for all the help guys. I retorqued everything a few weeks ago, went on vacation, and now finally got a chance to test ride and check for leaks. She is all good! | ||
| Jackbequick |
It's a wonderful thing, isn't it? Summer is here, the riding is good, the leaks are stopped, and you did the work yourself. It just doesn't get any better than that! Keep the rubber side down, ride safe! Jack | ||
| Buell_bert |
Just bought a 2000 m2 with a rear rocker leak. What is the torque specs on the rocker bolts? Thanks for any help. | ||
| Blake |
Bert, See page 3-21 of Buell's online service manual for the S1. Click on the hyperlink for Figure 3-5 to see the associated exploded parts diagram. The torques and procedures are the same for your M2. One very important thing to note, the torque specified for the three item #15 1/4"-20 bolts is too high. I strongly suggest using (not exceeding) the lower bound (10 ft-lb = 120 in-lb) of the specified torque range to avoid stripping the tapped aluminum threads in the cylinder head. This recommendation is based on experience related by fellow BadWeBrs, me included, and an engineering analysis of the strength capacity of the tapped threads in the cast aluminum cylinder head. You may also note that the upper bound of the torque spec for the item #14 1/4"-20 screws is 120 in-lb or 10 ft-lb, the same as the lower bound specified for the item #15 1/4"-20 bolts. Good luck.  PS: I once owned a 2000 M2 that suffered the exact same issue. A new gasket installed on clean and bone dry surfaces was successful, with no further issues. I never did replace the front gasket, and it never did leak, and this was with the old (now obsolete) paper gasket back before the introduction of the new improved steel gaskets. |
