I am helping a friend. I am a great car mechanic but not a bike mechanic, and he knows nothing and has no money for a shop. His bike is leaking oil through the rocker cover bolts. I assume he needs gaskets? He was able to snug one bolt he could get to without removing the tank and slow the leaking, but not stop it.


Thanks in advance for any assistance. We are trying to get ready for Daytona Biketoberfest

 

Sometimes tightening makes it worse...if you distort the sealing washers under the cover bolts...remove them one by one and replace the sealing washers on each...
Assuming it is leaking from under the cover bolts.

 

It is coming up the bolts for sure. So I guess there are o rings or bolt gaskets? Wonder if we can buy just those or have to buy a hole rocker cover seal set? Cash is limited for him right now

 

under the chrome washer is a fiber gasket/washer. Or sometimes they are just copper washers if I remember right. Not sure, been a long time since I messed with them much. I think if you can remove one and see what you have sealing it you can then find a solution. Tightening them may well work. Older bike and you never know what kind of moron may have messed with that. I seem to remember two stiles of sealing those. Crush washers and round fiber washers under the steel washers. Could be confused though

 

There are two options of what could be there.
Either fiber washers made from gasket material or copper crush washers.

Since they are already leaking you aren't going to hurt anything by trying to tighten them up. 10 - 13 ft lbs of torque.

Remove the tanks and tighten them up in an x pattern.

The odds are it won't work and you will have to get new gaskets.

 

You should be able to get the gaskets from your local HD Dealer part number 63858-59. should be about $10 for the full set of 8. impo the copper ones work best... Don't know who sells them though. just found these on ebay, James complete rocker kit with copper gasket.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-ROCKER...a993d2&vxp=mtr