Don't use 'em! That was my dealer's approach. Even with all the talk about engines swallowing the backing plate screws I bought the SE air cleaner anyway. My thought was to have the dealer do the install, first because they had to remap the EFI and also in case I did swallow a screw they couldn't blame me for a bad install. I planned to check the backing plate screws every so often as part of my maintenance routine anyway, so I figured I'd be safe.

So yesterdayI'm inthe garage looking for a box to store my stock AC and hardware. I took a close look at my old AC parts and I found something that got me pissed: two sealed plastic parts bags, one with three backing plate mounting screws andtheotherwith the unopened tube of Loctite that came with the AC. Geez, I can see reusing my old screws but not using the Loctite??? I went right over to the bike and pulled the AC to see if the backing plate screws were tight, and found that they didn't use any screws at all. Instead the plate is hold on only by the nuts that hold the two oil breathers. The whole works is mounted to the head. It's very solid, and unless you really flex the bottom of the backing plate the gasket sits tight around the air intake.

Anyone else seen this type of dealer install? I wonder if it's addressed by a factory service bulletin or my dealer did it on his own. Anyway, I'mok with it for now. I had thought of cutting a circle out of hardware cloth (a very coarse metal screen that woudln't restrict air flow) and mounting it over the air untake using the backing plate screws, but now I'm not so sure I'll need to do that.

 

There's a reason we call em stealers and recommend doing **** yourself.....

I call em that to their fat faces when I absolutely HAVE to buy parts from em. Bastards.

 

You're naughty.

 

Lets see a pic of their work. Maybe they are on to something....

 

Sounds like you got a tech that was in a hurry to get the bike in and out, ended up doing the job half-assed. Since they get paid on a flat rate basis, i.e. they get paid $x.00 an hourfor the hours booked (whether they finishthe jobin less or more time) many techs tend to rush to try to get it donein less time to get another bike in. the more jobs they can get in in a shortsr time, the more money they make.When people rush they often screw up or use questionablemethods to get the job done fast instead of "right".
As 6o66er mentioned, that's why they are called stealers.

 

I'm glad I got a K&N. You just pull the old gasket and plate off the stock filter and it drops right in with out any additional hardware.

 

Interesting, I had the stealer install mine 2 years ago because I was scared of servicingit and screwing up the warrenty. After I got rapedwith the 1000 mile service,Isaid no more, time to get a service manual and do everything myself. Anyway...

After hearing about all this backing plate screw mess, I tore down my SE breather. The three backing place screws where there, but only slightly tight. Not a drop of loctite to be seen on them. So the kit came with loctite. Wonder what my local stealer did with the loctite that came with my kit?Now I gotta go buy some red loctiteand butter them up before I hit Myrtle Beach bike week.

 

I am a little confused about this whole "swallowing the backing plate screws" issue. I put the SE air cleaner/breather kit on my girlfriends 2006 Sportster and those backing plate screws are captive in the backing plate. You first screw them through the backing plate, and then into the carb. After trheading them thru the backing plate, there is no way for them to get back out and get sucked into the carb. I've had the bacing plate off several times in the last couple weeks to do some work on the carb (rejetting and changing needles), and I still see no way for those screws to get out. Even if they worked lose from the carb, they are captive in the backing plate and couldn't possibly get out. What am I missing here? By the way, I have never put any locktite on those screws either, and every time I take it apart, everything is snug.

 

what years suck the scews in? just bought an se a/c today installing tomarrow.
thanks

 

Don't know. My 2006 1200 Custom SE cleaner backing plate screws are not captive. They screw out and are not attached to the backing plate itself. Mine were not necessarily loose either after a year and a half, but they were not snug.