| Author | Message | ||
     Bear_xb |
Hello Buellers, I am new to the forum and am looking for some help. I purchased my 2004 XB12s a little while before I left for deployment as a project bike since the engine wasn't in the frame. I got a friend who put the bike back together for me while I was deployed and delivered it back to me when I came home. The shop that did the engine work cut one of the push rod tube gaskets so we had to rotate the engine down and replace that. I was able to ride during the day only because the headlights and horn aren't working. I took it to a shop to diagnose the issue and here is where the Need Help part come in. The shop told me that my rear shock reservoir leaked onto the relay block and fried the horn and lights relays. They are saying that I need a new block so they can wire it in and replace the old one and they also say I need to replace the rear shock. I was wondering if anybody out here has those parts or the ability to help me rebuild the shock if that is possible(I don't know where it is leaking from). The wiring issue might be the bigger problem. I really hope not because I just want to ride. I love the bike and the few times I have been on it are amazing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am located in the Biloxi, MS area. Thanks for the help and welcoming to the forum. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Welcome Bear. Thanks for your service. If that gasket was the top of the pushrod tube where it goes into the head, that is a REALLY easy gasket to assemble wrong (or right) and cause a leak. A good engine builder recommended to me to just put a smear of RTV up there after assembly and before you put the rocker box covers back on every time you have removed the head, just because it is so easy to end up with a leak there. It happened to me, and I was careful assembling. Shock leaks on an XB are REALLY rare. And while I don't have an XB12 in front of me, I'm struggling to see how a leaking shock could end up fouling a relay block. And also struggling to understand how an oil covered relay block needs replaced as opposed to just cleaned. And for that matter, how a shock even if leaking could leak enough oil to ruin relays. I guess it's all possible though. You should be able to score a stock shock on Ebay for not too much money. Just be careful to get the right one, they have changed a bit over the years. The "wrong" one could probably be made to work in most cases, but it will be less grief to get the exact part and there should be plenty out there. I'd be nervous about the relay block replacement. What are they going to do, cut every wire and splice on the new wire? I wouldn't want that if I could avoid it, that's a lot of failure points. Or cut off all the old connectors and put in new connectors, shortening the wires to the relay block by 1/4", and creating a bunch of new non factory crimp connectors? Another no thanks. Or are they replacing just the block, but reusing all the wires, in which case why bother? The old block, unless melted, is just dirty, and the new setup would have the same electrical connection issues the old setup has. So not to disparage another shop, particularly when they have seen the bike and I haven't. And when they may have more experience than I do (I've never had to deal with an oil soaked relay block). But something sounds odd here to me. (Message edited by reepicheep on October 06, 2016) |
