Got Busy and fixed the Oil Leak at the Stator Cover

Decided to fix the oil leak in the stator cover. Took it apart yesterday and went to the Honda dealer today. Yeah, it was both the pass through grommets leaking. Someone else tried to fix the leak and used black silicon sealer...what a mess to clean up. While I was at the dealers I picked up a tube of Hondabond HT sealer (it worked great) 2 exhaust gaskets and decided to install a new O-ring since the cover was off.

The trick to installing the new exhaust gaskets is to pull, just a little to oblong them so they stay inside the exhaust head port during exhaust pipe installation. This is done by placing your 2 index fingers inside and pulling out (just a little) and press fitting the gaskets into the head ports. Works great.

It was impossible to install new exhaust gaskets any other way.

Just thought I'd pass this trick along.

Thanks for the tip regarding the exhaust gaskets Dennis. Good useful information.
Sounds like you did a good job with the oil weep.
I must get some of that Hondabond.

Hi Cookie, Thanks for the reply.

These exhaust gaskets are like O-rings made of heat resistant material with a thin copper cover. Slightly deforming these seals does no harm to them. Since these are not a press fit to begin with, gravity is constantly working against you and makes for a very frustrating install, to say the least.

I would guess the only way to install them, non-press fit (or deforming them) would be to turn the scooter over (bottom up) so gravity works for you.

Congratulations Dennis. Ain't that job a PITA? Simple enough job but...

Did you use anything to act as an alignment guide when reinstalling the cover? In my experience that flywheel magnet tends to pull everything sideways and that just complicates the job --especially if you don't have access to a lift and you're laying down on cardboard (aka Bandito style) on the floor to work.

The "secret" to a once n' done seal is to use Hondabond/Yamahabond sealant.

Tim

Hey Tim,

Having oil drops under the bike is very heart breaking. That's one of those things I had trouble with that stock 59 HD panhead...It was made to leak.  

Now that it's done I sure feel a lot better.

Had a concrete patio slab to work on in the shade. Got this old green blanket I use for this type of work out of the garage.

It all went back together without mishap. Although the 4 exhaust flange nuts were definitely a pain in the A*S...Got her done...Bikes name is going from Old Leaky back to Blue Jay.

One tool that was purchased thirty years ago, made the job a lot easer. It was a set of wobble socket extensions from harbor freight tools.

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-pc-wobble-socket-extension-set-67971.html

Yep, wobble sockets are great. The number of times I used to curse when I almost but couldn't quite get straight on to a fastener head. Eventually I bought a new 1/4" socket set that had wobble extensions and wished I'd got one years ago.

That set of extensions looks the business.