Throwing oil from somewhere.

[John Schmidt]

Rode to get a haircut, didn't notice anything. Got home after taking the long way back....beautiful evening. Went to pull my boots off and the left one had some liquid on the toe. After changing clothes I went out and checked and sure enough, there's an oily residue on the left radiator pod on the back side facing the rider. Plus the same thing on top of the valve cover. A quick check didn't show it coming from the shift lever seal, but there is some drips on the floor ahead of the lever. I guess tomorrow I put it up on the center stand and see what I can find. Hope it's nothing serious, think I'll keep the garage door shut though in case my two Harley riding neighbors/friends should go past. We never miss a chance to rag one another.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Check your fork seals. That oil can blow back quite a ways.

[Gary]

Check your fork seals. That oil can blow back quite a ways.

That's my guess as well. Check for a puddle tomorrow on that fork side if its blowing that amount.

Shifter seal shouldn't blow forward.

[B]

Check around your valve cover bolts and make sure none are leaking... Been there. 

[John Schmidt]

Did a quick check of the forks last night just before bedtime. No leakage there so today I'll start looking in earnest. From the looks of things on the surface, it might just be what B suggested...loose valve cover bolts. I'll post updates.

Doug, a weekend ride sounds good to me. Maybe we could hook up at the Cracker Barrel in Lakeland like we did one time a while back. If it's the weekend, we might even get Easygoer(Paul) and a few others to join us. And, if he's real nice to us, we could invite that old coot that lives down in Lake Flacid....uh, I mean Placid. 

[Chrisj CMA]

Did a quick check of the forks last night just before bedtime. No leakage there so today I'll start looking in earnest. From the looks of things on the surface, it might just be what B suggested...loose valve cover bolts. I'll post updates.

Doug, a weekend ride sounds good to me. Maybe we could hook up at the Cracker Barrel in Lakeland like we did one time a while back. If it's the weekend, we might even get Easygoer(Paul) and a few others to join us. And, if he's real nice to us, we could invite that old coot that lives down in Lake Flacid....uh, I mean Placid.  

I posted about this a few weeks ago.  If its the valve cover, its not loose bolts.  tighten them up and you might break them off.  Its probably the rubber grommets that fit inside the flat chrome cover just underneath the head of the bolt.

If this is the cause, you can remove one bolt that is leaking and one that is not, switch them and replace.......dont overtighten them.  The swapping thing made my leak go away for a couple weeks until the new rubbers showed up, now its tight as  a drum again

[TJ]

Watch it you old fart..... 

[John Schmidt]

I had recently checked/adjusted the valves and the left valve cover gasket had slipped out of the groove on the cover and dropped down inside a little. It was only the top of the cover and right in the center, and only about 2" long. But was enough to cause oil to splatter out when running at highway speed. It took a good 30 min. to clean all the oil off before starting the bike and start looking. It seemed a little noisy and took a couple minutes for me to notice the gasket. I could look down from above the cover and actually see the rocker arms moving, and as I increased the rpm it started to splatter out that crack. I pulled the cover, cleaned the gasket and cover, used copious amounts of Honda Bond(hi-temp gasket seal) and put it all back together. As for tightening the bolts, I learned about that many years ago on my first Wing, a '75 that came with a snapped cover bolt. The trick is to rotate your tightening sequence same as on a wheel or cylinder head. Let the gasket and sealer do the trick for you and just screw them in until they either bottom out or resist turning. Then STOP...and you'll never break one.

The only bad thing that happened in the repair was when I went to retighten the highway peg on the engine guard. I had to move it to get the cover off, but the threads stripped in the peg arm when I went to tighten it down. I'll try a heli coil first for a temp fix, then maybe invest in new ones.

[Chrisj CMA]

I had recently checked/adjusted the valves and the left valve cover gasket had slipped out of the groove on the cover and dropped down inside a little. It was only the top of the cover and right in the center, and only about 2" long. But was enough to cause oil to splatter out when running at highway speed. It took a good 30 min. to clean all the oil off before starting the bike and start looking. It seemed a little noisy and took a couple minutes for me to notice the gasket. I could look down from above the cover and actually see the rocker arms moving, and as I increased the rpm it started to splatter out that crack. I pulled the cover, cleaned the gasket and cover, used copious amounts of Honda Bond(hi-temp gasket seal) and put it all back together. As for tightening the bolts, I learned about that many years ago on my first Wing, a '75 that came with a snapped cover bolt. The trick is to rotate your tightening sequence same as on a wheel or cylinder head. Let the gasket and sealer do the trick for you and just screw them in until they either bottom out or resist turning. Then STOP...and you'll never break one.

The only bad thing that happened in the repair was when I went to retighten the highway peg on the engine guard. I had to move it to get the cover off, but the threads stripped in the peg arm when I went to tighten it down. I'll try a heli coil first for a temp fix, then maybe invest in new ones.

Well, unfortunately...the other bad thing that happened is the "copious amounts" of gasket sealer.  The rubber gasket is designed to seal without it, and the rubbers on the bolts are designed to just compress as the bolts flat bottom out (which is what they should be able to do).  If I were you Id order new cover gaskets and when they arrive, clean all that gunk off and put it on dry and clean.  But thats just me, I believe in doing it right.  Every Valkyrie I have ever seen with gasket sealer on the valve cover(s) was still leaking after some time........its a bandaid and not the real fix IMHO

[John Schmidt]

Well Chris, I've used the sealer in that fashion since the mid-70's and have never had a valve cover gasket leak. That's a lot of valve covers over the years; at least four different GL1000's, three 1100's, a 1200 and a 1500 Wing. Now, this is the third time I've removed the valve covers on the Valk and in the case of this gasket, it was my goof that allowed it to slip out of the groove it's seated in. I'm not going mess with success covering that many years.

[Chrisj CMA]

Well Chris, I've used the sealer in that fashion since the mid-70's and have never had a valve cover gasket leak. That's a lot of valve covers over the years; at least four different GL1000's, three 1100's, a 1200 and a 1500 Wing. Now, this is the third time I've removed the valve covers on the Valk and in the case of this gasket, it was my goof that allowed it to slip out of the groove it's seated in. I'm not going mess with success covering that many years.

Time will tell, maybe youre better at applying that stuff than most, but Honda created a scientific process of a self torquing bolt that uses a compression gromet thing to seal the holes that gets squished at the end of the bolt travel.  Its a good system, makes for a clean install and neat finish.

I had a Yamaha Maxim 4cylinder.  The H-shaped valve cover used the same principle.  One time after I did the valves I couldnt get the thing to seal....I took it to the dealer to confirm my suspicion that I needed a gasket.  He had told me those never need gaskets.  Well, long story short he used gasket sealer on it... worked for a few weeks and then back to leaking.  Once I cleaned off all that gunk and put on a brand new gasket it never leaked again. 

[John Schmidt]

It appears you're addressing two separate things; the valve cover gasket and the cover's mounting bolts. I've never had a problem with leakage around the bolts and their associated rubber plug type gasket. I have had a leakage problem on a valve cover in the past when not using any sealer, even though the gasket was new as were the bolt gaskets. When I applied the sealer to the cover gasket, the leak went away so I stuck with the practice from the beginning. When snugging down the bolts, I watch what happens and if I don't get an appropriate compression on either the bolts or the cover, it's time for new bolt gaskets.

I think this horse has now left the barn. 

[Blackduck]

Repeat after me: Permatex No 3 Aviation sealant.
Mighty fine sealant and on paper gaskets you can usualy remove and reuse gaskets if you have to.
Works on most gaskets, just be carefull on any that may squish or move .
A good thread sealant as well if you do not wish to go to Loctite.
Cheers Steve.
PS. yep, can see the back end of that horse

[John Schmidt]

I've used that before, found it hard to come by and a bit expensive when I found it....at least around here. Good stuff, I'll agree.

Giddy up!!   

[rodeo1]

yer supose to adjust the valves ?

[Chrisj CMA]

yer supose to adjust the valves ?

Well maybe not as often as the book says, but after the first 20K and then every 40 or 50K as a minimum unless there is an issue to fix.  Just make sure you get things back together properly so you dont repeat  Mr Schmidt's oil scare and dont overtighten the cover bolts (they break easily).  The only place that calls for a tiny dab of sealant is the little squarish "corners" of the gasket near the cam bearing seats.  Other than that its simple, why wouldnt you check them?

[Chrisj CMA]

John,
 How many miles do you have on that beauty? How many times have you checked/adjusted valves? Did you need any adjustment? I have never done mine Just curious if that's something I should be thinking about? Sealskiner used to tease me all the time, "Doug, would you leave that bike alone and just ride it" I was always tinkering with it when I first got it, but never have checked my valves.

Its the first check thats most important.  Seems every valkyrie I have worked on with each subsequent check there are fewer and fewer adjustments needed.  My last one at 120K needed no adjustments after 50-60K miles

[John Schmidt]

John,
 How many miles do you have on that beauty? How many times have you checked/adjusted valves? Did you need any adjustment? I have never done mine Just curious if that's something I should be thinking about? Sealskiner used to tease me all the time, "Doug, would you leave that bike alone and just ride it" I was always tinkering with it when I first got it, but never have checked my valves.

I have 40k now, would have a lot more if I could travel at will but a caretaker role doesn't allow it. Anyway, I checked them at 12k and it was a waste of time, checked again at 24k...another waste. So I didn't bother until last month, adjusted two exhaust valves and only slightly at that, I could have let it go another couple years or more. At my age that's probably the last time I'll have to adjust them unless I decide to replace the belts and decide to pull the valve covers while I have my hands dirty. 

[Ricky-D]

My only remark to this thread is about the comment about using locktite on the valve cover bolts.

There are not many (very few) places on the Valkyrie where locktite should be used.

The valve cover bolts are not needing any locktite and doing so will increase the possibility of breaking a bolt exponentially when time comes to removing them.

Actually the best practice would be to use some antiseize on those bolts.

***

[Blackduck]

I mentioned Loctite but nowhere did I mention about using it on cover bolts, all I stated was Permatex No 3 makes a good thread sealant.
There is in fact a lot of places to use Loctite on the Valk, Mother Honda used it for intial assembly.
Using the correct grade Loctite has many benefits including corrosion prevention and the correct torquing of fastners.
Anti seize is not a cure all and can cause problems. A couple these being galvanic corrosion and over torquing of fasteners.
Cheers Steve

[Tundra]

I mentioned Loctite but nowhere did I mention about using it on cover bolts, all I stated was Permatex No 3 makes a good thread sealant.
There is in fact a lot of places to use Loctite on the Valk, Mother Honda used it for intial assembly.
Using the correct grade Loctite has many benefits including corrosion prevention and the correct torquing of fastners.
Anti seize is not a cure all and can cause problems. A couple these being galvanic corrosion and over torquing of fasteners.
Cheers Steve

That terminology brings back fond memories from many years ago... I was in U.S. Coast Guard Structural Aviation A-school in Elizabeth City North Carolina. Beautiful State, beautiful people(women)
  Galvanic corrosion...dissimiliar metals in the presence of an electrolite? or something like that?

[Sigrún]

yer supose to adjust the valves ?

Rode to get a haircut

You're supposed to cut your hair......??  ???

[Chrisj CMA]

All this talk of gasket sealers, thread lockers, antisieze.  I have done the valves on many Valkyries, never seen a valve cover bolt corroded, never used anything except a tiny dab of high temp RTV on the little square corner pads of the gasket (as called for) The bolts are chromed top to bottom is maybe why they dont corrode.  Why make a perfectly simple job so contraversial.  Take the bolts out remove the cover do what you need to do, clean and put it back on, no muss no fuss........unless you want to complicate it, and then argue about it for a week............the bolts are the type that when they bottom out they are done........dont put a gorrilla grip on them after they bottm out or they will break

[PhredValk]

My rule of thumb; steel bolt into aluminum, anti-seize, Steel into Steel, locktite.
Fred.