Valve covers leaking

[karospirit]

I noticed that oil is seeping out (lil more than seeping though) from the top part of both cylinders. I went to the dealer who said that the valve covers are leaking. To fix the problem, the engine needs to be taken apart which is beyond my skill level. The mechanic said it takes a whole day of work and costs about 1500 bucks (which I don't have).
Has anybody had the same problem and could tell me what parts I need to buy? I have another mechanic at hand who would fix the bike and adjust the valves at the same time for less than an arm and a leg. However, he wants me to buy the parts upfront.
Thank you

[macmac]

Well there is no need to adjust the valves because they are hydralic and so are self adjusting.

The engine don't come apart much, but it does have to be removed from the frame to get the valve covers off.

If I were you i would either get down and detailed looking hard for the leak or have you tech do it.

Then with Ivory Soap as a ordinary bar you would wash with, wipe and smear it at the leak, and the leak will stop for a long time.

If you want to go the real way you need 2 gaskets and 4 cam seals. Each clyinder gets a 1/2 circle seal on each end, and a gasket each..

These are not very expensive parts.

Another way if you want the right parts and the soap idea isn't yer cup o' tea, is to drop the engine in the frame, which is a sort of cheat, just enough to get the job done.

You go about this the same way as pulling the engine, and stop pulling the engine when there is enough clearance to get the covers off.

You might consider prining out the on line manual here and the torque specs for your tech. he will need them or a book.

[karospirit]

Okay. Thank you. I ordered the parts from the dealer even though the department insisted that I only need 2 seals, not four. I have an ivory bar here and will probably put that on in addition if you think that would be a good idea. I have a mechanic who will help me out. Or other way around. Lol.
Happy holidays and thank you for the information.

[landman]

:( good luck with your new year project.how many miles are
on your bike?

[macmac]

I could be wrong about the shaft end seal and how many. I wasn't looking in the book and thought there were 4.. The soap trick is a trick, where you find the area and fill it with soap. it works well to stop a oil leak where there is no pressure.

You smear it in the area as best you can and repeat if there is more leaking. You can slurry the soap and paint it in the area as well if the area is hard to reach.

The best fix isn't usually as difficult as dropping most any other engine, but on a Nomad/vulcan there is no choice.

[nomaddriver03]

Not knowing what year or how many miles are on your bike, but I would try checking the torque of the valve "Rocker" cover bolts before doing anything else. I looked at the service manual for the 1600 engine, and there it indicates the proper torque and torque sequence for the valve cover bolts. The cover bolts only have 78 in-lbs of torque. Its possible they have loosened up. Is it also possible that the spark plug tube o-rings are leaking? Spend a little time trying to localize the leak and go from there. Hope this helps. :)

[macmac]

nomaddriver03, That would be nice... Just how would you accomplish this with the engine in the frame?

Other wise you are correct dead on right! It would indeed be the first thing to check, since the plugs and gasket are rubber and probably you are correct, but no one can access the real vc bolts because they are buried under the chrome covers that are fake valve covers...

With out dropping the engine about 2 inches there is no way to get at these bolts.... ouch huh?

[nomaddriver03]

macmac,

I am in the distinct disadvantage of having my newly purchased Nomad in dealer storage until the weather here improves. But looking at Section 5-20 of the 1600 service manual, there are 12 bolts that hold down the fake rocker case cover. The cover is bolted down with these 12 bolts to properly seal the gasket between the cover and the cylinder head. Again, not having my bike in front of me I am making an assumption that the bolt heads can be tightened and reached with the tank removed. There are several photos in Chapter 5 ( Engine Top End ) that clearly show many of the bolts. Ouch. The gasket is not very wide around the entire perimeter of the surface it has to seal, and it probably needs all the torque spec to prevent it from leaking. I'm just curious. How many other Nomads have had this problem?

[macmac]

I have no idea how many.. I consider this a flaw in design. To me it is just nuts to have to drop which is a cheat, or pull any engine to do mundane ordinary repairs.

You will note page 5-20 starts with remove engine..

These are very different bikes from any other bike i ever saw or worked on myself.

2 alternators, 2 rec regs, a frame that unbolts??? huh? but it does. A really big bike with hardly any room to add accessories, just stange bikes. I had a 01 that was stolen and have a 06 now, but never the less these are vert strange bikes.

You have caused me to wonder about cheats. To me a cheat is a good thing, a way around a problem that results in a good repair just the same.

Maybe a new gasket can be slipped over the VC with some care since it is rubber, and so could be installed with just pulling these 12 bolts per VC... maybe..

FYI, there is a work around for the inner water pump oil seal. A very clever someone figured this all out with no help from me..

Probably that inner water pump oil seal is my biggest pet peeve going on any bike, and several share this offensive feature.

That page with out looking will like start with remove the engine, SPLIT the CASE!!!

Thankfully there is that work around, but I bet the dealers don't know it.

I am just up nawth of you I think.. So while I have no idea where Strykersville is, I do know where NY is.. and yer weatha' is a bit like mine.. sucksdonuit...

[classic1]

Hey cougar, when I had my 01 1500 classic, I had a slight oil leak down the fins of one of the heads. I took it to the dealer and he fixed it and said that oil was leaking from a nylon threaded plug at the top of the cylinder where they do the compression check. As said search and make sure where the leak is.

[karospirit]

Well, thanks to New Hampster...lol..and NY and VA. I have a 03 Nomad 1500 if that makes any difference. Weather is great here. 20s, 30s over night and 70s during the day. SUCKS WITHOUT A RUNNING BIKE. No wonder I am so grumpy.

[dogdoc]

This is just passing along info: you could add a little Lucas oil stabilzer which tends to swells seals and it has worked on a few bikes on this forum in the past. Good Luck. :-)

[macmac]

C O U G A R, This is a simple case of 'PMS".....

Parked Motorcycle syndrome....

Doc, Lucas oil stabilzer doesn't swell seals, it is viscous and bridges seals wich stops the flow of oil passing thru. The last thing anyone wants to do is use a product that swells seals, which there is!!!!! Don't do it!!!!!

What happens if you do is one day the seal has a massive breakdown and falls to bits, and that sort of fix ruins all other related seal thru out any engine.. A real bad mess.

It is one thing to use a internal sealer because it is viscous, and a chemical fix that eats seals by swelling them first!

[rallyjunkie]

This is some good info guys..Yesterday, after going on my 120 mile ride the other day, I went out to wipe the bike down and noticed a small amount of leakage at the fins on the right side of the rear cylinder..I have not looked for the leak yet, but will shortly..This thread will give me some ideas.

[karospirit]

Hi Rallyjunkie,
that is a beautiful bike you got there. And welcome to the forum. :) People here are really helpful and know what they talk about. I feel I can ask anything and learn a lot about my bike at the same time.
K