| Author | Message | ||
     Jlnance |
Any particular gaskets? There's a bunch of 'em. Beats the hell out of buying them one at a time doesn't it?  | ||
| Ulyscol |
I am interested in the rocker box gaskets/o-rings. That is what failed on my bike, just curious what it is. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Well, I've had it. Got the engine rotated down and looked around. Oil everywhere. Muffler was covered in oil. No way to tell a specific "leak." I figure it has to be something that I took apart; I didn't touch any oil lines, so it's got to be some top-end interface. So I'll disassemble everything from the base gaskets on up, meticulously clean and reassemble (with new gaskets, obviously). Y'know, I am SICK AND TIRED of wrenching on this stupid bike. I've already spent several days. I'm gonna spend most of my Thanksgiving break. Who knows how much more time. I'll probably get it back together and it'll still leak. This is the first H-D-based product I've ever had. Sure doesn't seem very oil-tight compared to ANY of my other bikes (Ducati, Aprilia, Kawi dirt bike). My Ducati never leaked a drop before or after my complete engine overhaul. And the Uly isn't THAT easy to work on. Having just spent 10 minutes wrestling the headers off...I've had it. Have a beer and get ready for my 8:00 class tomorrow. If I can't get this bike fixed I'm gonna trade it in on something else (probably not worth much at 55K miles). And to think that two months ago I was a big Uly evangelist... P.S. Anyone know if the cylinders can be removed with the engine rotated down without removing the studs? Enough clearance? | ||
| Chadhargis |
I was going to suggest removing the engine completely. It's more work on the front and back end, but it sure makes doing any work on the engine a lot easier. | ||
| Rotorhead |
No need to back slide on us now Rev_Greg. I figure the rear cylinder could be pulled up through the frame. The front would be the one to think hard about. Don't rush and it will work out fine. With the amount of oil you will probably find one small o ring pinched or gasket tear, and then the awesh!t moment or two. The collective badweb family has faith in you. | ||
| Tootal |
Time to walk away. You have reached peak frustration. My partner, for 26 years, can take one look at the expression on my face and know I'm about ready to throw something or kill somebody!  You just have to walk away and clear your mind. Don't go back until your ready. I'm sure you know that already, I'm just saying we've all been there and understand.  | ||
| Bud |
come on DR Greg I am SICK AND TIRED of wrenching on this stupid bike. you got it so far, even the best mechanic makes mistakes, has seen a forgotten middle rockercover gasket, from a well known master mechanic over here, no biggy, just a lot off work with a xb model to fix it i feel for you, after yet a other intake gasket fix or the very nice tube buell pushrod cover seals, sometimes there going good in one's , the other time, is stopped because i was going to take a hammer and see if this would make theme go in.. funny how taking your mind off for a few hours can change the flow, after a few hours, i fixed theme in 5 minutes or did i tell you about the time a customer brought in new head for his xb, to find out after you did mount every thing back, connecting the wiring , that the head temp sensor is missing... even the hole is missing... man, i love the new sportster heads ...NOT please, don't give up so easy on the bike, happy tinkering best regards, bud | ||
| Treadmarks |
Yes, they will both come of when the engine is tilted, without removing the studs. Don't give up Doc. If I lived near, I would come by and knock it out. Any one live near the Doc? | ||
| Dr_greg |
I know which one I wish I owned right about now...   IMHO the Uly looks pretty dumpy compared to the GS. I haven't got a spare $20K so it's a moot point. Too many frump kids and a deadbeat wife. No, I'll persevere. This whole thing is like a bad dream. A spark BLOWS OUT on the way home. The fix: remove engine. Only from a H-D product. Guys, I treated this bike better than my deadbeat wife. I installed the spark plugs (and everything else) with lots of TLC. Are the heads made of butter or what? At 55K miles I guess I've reached the expected life of the thing. I did like it a lot and I actually hoped to keep it forever. Or, like the legendary Johnny Mathis (Olympic-caliber high jumper, BTW) said, "until the 12th of never, and that's a long, long time." Maybe more like the 12th of December. P.S. No Uly wizards in New Mexico; only state above Mississippi (sorry to offend anyone) on the charts. P.P.S. Thanks for the cylinder removal info. I'll probably be at that point sometime Friday evening... P.P.P.S. This engine is even greasier than a bicycle chain! Disgusting. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I know which one I wish I owned right about now... Until you do your first clutch replacement:    } | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Nightmare on BMW street. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I know hindsight is 20/20, but before I opened up an otherwise flawless engine, I would have been REALLY tempted to try this first: http://www.henkelna.com/cps/rde/xchg/henkel_us/hs. xsl/1554_USE_HTML.htm?countryCode=us&BU=ut&parentr edDotUID=brands&redDotUID=0000000I5Y | ||
| Johnboy777 |
At least their drive shafts are reliable! . | ||
| Natron |
Good luck hunting down the leak, Doc. To Ft_b's point, I wonder if a BMW has ever been totaled after a failed clutch replacement. They all look like they should be.  (for once, the buzz saw smiley is appropriate) | ||
| Preybird1 |
Wow no thanks, Thats major bs | ||
| Treadmarks |
It could be alot worse Doc.  How would like to be on this list. | ||
| Ulykan |
Makes most of the issues on Uly seem minor. INCLUDING my heat/rust issue.  Are BMWs really this unreliable or does it just seem that way? | ||
| Natron |
Ulykan, I think it just seems that way. If I had one and the final drive was that good at lighting cigars, I would make sure everybody on the internet knew about it. Given, I have no personal experience with BMW motorcycles. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
""Are BMWs really this unreliable or does it just seem that way"" Good question - I'd like to take a moment and field that one, if I may. Well, you see, it's really hard to get an accurate fix on the the extent of the so-called final drive, or FD problem, because the BMW guys like to whine so much. I really don't have the official stats on this one, but I'd have to say that upwards of 75% of this is just plain whining - but who knows, it could actually be more. . | ||
| Hughlysses |
I think BMWs are very reliable motorcycles; they're just not infallible as some would have you believe and they are definitely NOT inexpensive to repair when they do break. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hey, guys, do me a favor and post your anti-BMW arguments somewhere else. OK, it was my fault for posting the GS pic, but my problem is ongoing and I'd rather have people posting articles that help me out or at least sympathize. BTW, it looks like the cabling to the starter motor is the first thing to stretch as the engine is rotated further down. Is there any other practical limit to rotation angle? | ||
| Hughlysses |
So, Dr_greg, you still have no idea where the oil is coming from? That's crazy. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
"Are BMWs really this unreliable or does it just seem that way" ......... I really don't have the official stats on this one, but I'd have to say that upwards of 75% of this is just plain whining - but who knows, it could actually be more." I was very seriously considering purchasing an R1200GS before I bought the Uly. I'd spent the previous 25 years (about 300k miles) on BMWs. Two issues dissuaded me. Several ergonomic problems that I did not think that I should have to correct on a $16k motorcycle. Also, in the past four years, I've had five friends purchase new BMWs. Save one, all have had catastrophic final drive, transmission, or both, failures. Did not seem a good way to go. I have three friends who rode Ulysses(es?). The biggest problem that any of them reported was repeatedly breaking the clutch cable guide. Mark in Arizona | ||
| Stevem123 |
Hey Dr.Greg, Don't fret. I've seen very experienced mechanics have moments of frustration including myself. I wouldn't be suprised if it's only a pinched rocker cover gasket and weeping base gaskets. ALWAYS replace base gaskets when breaking loose the head bolts. The new steel base gaskets may be better but I'd still do it just to be on the safe side. OK here's my nightmare mechanic story: I did a total rebuild on a V8 454 engine with the pretense of using it in a yet to be purchased project car. Financial situation led to selling the engine so off it went to guy needing it for his truck. I get a call from the buyer saying it has no oil pressure! Come to find out the guys at the machine shop had turned the crankshaft down .010 under size and didn't bother to stamp the shaft or tell me and I had used the stock size bearings. Ended up costing me a bunch in the long-run but I learned a valuable lesson. ALWAYS check clearences before buttoning up the engine cause you never know....... Hope that helps to keep you motivated! BC Steve | ||
| Dr_greg |
So, Dr_greg, you still have no idea where the oil is coming from? That's crazy. That's right. There's a ton of oil on the muffler (front, rear, the whole thing). There a little oil on the rocker box covers (they were COMPLETELY coated in yucky gunky dirt/grease when I first removed them at the beginning of the job a few weeks ago). There looks to be oil on top of the fins at both the rocker box/head interface, and the head/cylinder interface. And of course there's oil dripping from every projecting point, since it flows downhill and drips from the "points." Oil, oil everywhere. Now---as I said---a little oil looks like a lot. It HAS to be something I disassembled. Just HAS to... Well, the weather forecast for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is rain, which is perfect. Really; since I'll be working in my nice heated garage. Maybe I will pull the engine. Might even split the cases while it's out. Beat myself over the head with the crankshaft. | ||
| Bud |
BTW, it looks like the cabling to the starter motor is the first thing to stretch as the engine is rotated further down. Is there any other practical limit to rotation angle? front motor mount hitting tire, engine hitting the swingarm, if your going to take the cylinders off, do the extra effort off lift the bike away from the engine, when your rotating, it's only a few wires and the shock, support the engine / back wheel and lift the rest off the bike over it, makes the wrenching a lot easier | ||
| Natron |
Hey, guys, do me a favor and post your anti-BMW arguments somewhere else. OK, it was my fault for posting the GS pic, but my problem is ongoing and I'd rather have people posting articles that help me out or at least sympathize. Dr. Greg, Apologies. Unfortunately my experience level with my own Ulysses is nowhere near as involved as yours in either the mechanical or the mileage arena. I will return to my prior position as avid reader on this thread. | ||
| Tootal |
Your right Dr. Greg. 9 times out of 10 if something goes wrong it has something to do with what you just fixed. I have been rebuilding/repairing equipment for over 30 years and that rule is true almost every time. The other rule is that you fixed the weakest link and now it broke somewhere else because you fixed the symptom and not the disease, but an oil leak does not usually fit that one. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I wasn't working to bash BMW but rather explaining that NO bike is perfect, that there are always issues that are more difficult on one bike than another. A clutch is much easier on a Buell than a BMW because of the way it's designed. Conversely, a head gasket replacement on a BMW would be a breeze compared to what you are going through right now. ChadHargis had a transmission go out on a Gixxer 600. It was easier to chunk the entire engine and buy another than it was to open the case and dig into the transmission. I would dig into the entire rear of the engine from the base gasket out. If it didn't leak before you opened up and leaks after, I agree with you. It HAS to be something you disturbed while you were in there. | ||
| Treadmarks |
When I installed the 1250 cylinders on mine, I didn't need to rotate it much more than the limit of the starter cables that attach to the frame near the fan. The rear cylinder will come up through the frame. There was no O-ring between my cylinder and head. Points of interest: Change out all the gaskets as a set. Lint free rags under your pistons to prevent debris (and wrist pin keepers) from entering the crankcase. Walk the head bolts down with only a socket and extension, no tools. Use only light engine oil on threads and seating surface for head bolts. Anti-seize or grease will cause hydro static lock which could lead to false torque readings. Install well greased new o-rings on top of pushrod boxes and position midway down sealing area. Loosen the lower pushrod box bolts to prevent binding during assembly. Install James (or whatever the name was) blue intake seals. Factory intake seals suck.  Keep a light heart Doc. I was ready to fire up the sledge-o-matic when my uly began sucking oil through the intake valve guide seals with only 8000 on the clock. My options were to take it to the dealer and let someone I didn't know and his hamfisted helper work on it, or fix it myself. Needless to say, I chose to do it myself. It now has 20k on the clock, don't leak a drop and runs like a beeyatch in heat. Take your time, have some fun, and do the job right.  |
