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Solution to an old problem

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1.7K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  neumannzz  
#1 ·
Hey everyone. If you've read some of my old posts from way back I mentioned having a coolant leak after a valve job. I was given lots of sound advice like re-seating the o-rings on the water pipe or replacing the seals on the water pump. But I believe I have found the real problem and its something I'm guessing that isn't very common. As it turns out the tab on the valve cover that holds the screw for the water pipe on the right side was bent down, which i guess must've propped up the water pipe, hence causing the leak. Either that or it was something else having to do with the valve cover. Anyway I replaced the valve cover and so far, it seems the leak has stopped. I used to have coolant all over the right side of the bike, puddles near the engine mounts and it would smoke a bit on start up(from burning the coolant that dripped on the pipes). So far I've taken it for a few rides and it seems like its doing well. I thought I would post this up here on the off chance that someone else may have similar problem in the future and this may help them out.
 
#2 ·
Those coolant pipes are a pain. Didn't have one seated properly, it kept shorting out one of the spark plugs. I thought my engine case was cracked, I was getting pops from the side of my engine where the water drains from the spark plug well.
 
#3 ·
Yeah they can be problematic. The screws that hold them down were stuck the first
time i removed them and the replacements stripped the holes. Which is why I wanted
to replace the valve cover in the first place.
 
#4 ·
BC500EX said:
Yeah they can be problematic. The screws that hold them down were stuck the first
time i removed them and the replacements stripped the holes. Which is why I wanted
to replace the valve cover in the first place.
A requirement for working on a Japanese bike is an impact screwdriver. The Japanese make good products, but Phillips screws for some reason are their Achilles heel. If you encounter more than token resistance during your first attempt to loosen any screw, immediately go to the impact screwdriver. You will save yourself a so many headaches this way, the $7 to buy the tool from Harbor Freight is a pittance.
 
#6 ·
If they're "stuck in there good" the answer still isn't forcing it. Screws are not rated for torquing. Penetrating lube and more time would be the next step, then trying the impact driver again. Heat cycling it with a torch and some shielding for the surrounding bits would be less risky than forcing things. Patience, not force.

Of course, it's possible the PO before you (it was a used bike, right?) may have forced them IN, making the holes cross threaded, so the replacements tore out the crossed threads, in which case, nothing you could have done except replace it like you did.
 
#7 ·
Well regardless of what screwed up the holes, replacing the valve cover solved
the bigger issue which was a persistent leak. Besides, only the heads on those
screws were messed up. Since it is a used bike, there really is no telling how it
got like that.