| Author | Message | ||
     Cmgaviao |
So...I suppose I could just put this in the general XB forum but.... With an impending (If I get my bike in time) trip to Mexico, I opted for a non traditional service option...A guy who isnt familiar with Buells (friend of a friend type of thing. I usually take it to the stealership but I'm tired of driving to BFE...besides, the last time I took it there the forgot to attach some things. I needed an all around general service and I seem to be leaking from both rockerboxes. Also decided to get a ceramic coated header put on. Both of which appear to require dropping the engine. The friend who is not a buell mechanic opted to bring in a friend who is a harley mechanic, who quoted 8 - 10 hours to change the rockerbox gaskets out and the header. Now...I'm no mechanic...but previous experience of helping someone to change the gaskets on my old x1 tuber (including drilling out the broken exhaust studs and bolts (I said I wasnt a mechanic didnt I), might have taken us about 4 hours. I skimmed the service manual, it doesn't seem tooo difficult to me....but what do I know? What's a reasonable estimate for someone who knows their way around a wrench but not necessarily a buell to do those jobs? TIA | ||
| Hughlysses |
You don't have to drop the engine, but you do have to rotate it. Here's how I think it'd go: Let's see, remove the airbox (inner and outer), remove the baseplate, remove the muffler, disconnect 2 engine tie-bars, jack under the engine, hoist to hold up rear of bike, loosen rear mounting bolt, remove front mounting bolt, rotate engine forward & down. You might have to disconnect part of the wiring harness. That's all probably a ~2 hour job for somebody that's never done it. At this point the header is an easy swap (just like a tuber). 30 minutes max; maybe a little longer if you change the gaskets. The rocker gaskets may get a little more complicated. Turn the crankshaft until one cylinder's valves are unloaded, remove rocker box, replace gasket, reassemble. Repeat for other cylinder. I'd guess at least an hour. Now, rotate engine back into position. Reinstall bolts, tie-bars, airbox, and muffler (using new front clamp). Maybe an hour? So that's 2 hours, 0.5 hours, 1 hour, plus 1 hour = 4.5 hours. If you have to scrounge for tools, run into snags, drink too many brewskis, or break for a meal, it could easily turn into 8 hours. | ||
| Uly_man |
"What's a reasonable estimate for someone who knows their way around a wrench but not necessarily a buell to do those jobs?" That question is like asking "how long is a a piece of string". This sort of stuff is part of the way the world is now. Gibberish. If you are not happy with the estimate/price for the work to be done, which they will give you, then do not have it done. Easy and simple enough. | ||
| Cmgaviao |
@Hughlysses, Thanks for the detailed response. Hopefully I'll get to watch again and learn a thing or two. @Uly_man agreed....sometimes you're not happy with it but you do it anyways because that's just the cost of doing business and you gotta gitterdone.... I thought it seemed a bit on the high side from past experience, but it seems from Hughlysses post that its not and I just was looking for some confirmation either way. I kind of feel that's what these forums are for so that we can take advantage of each other's experience. | ||
| Redtail |
Gibberish The hard thing is finding a mech you can trust. The price may be worth it if you don't have to bring it back and if you don't mind spending the money, if you don't work on it yourself. Bottom line make sure you get a good mechanic one that is familiar with Buells, HD dealership or private mech. | ||
| Fung |
I had the dealer replace the gaskets It was $300-350 that was worth it to me. I can't imagine what 8-10 hours would cost. | ||
| Choyashi |
I did mine myself.... Something seems wrong to "me" when you have to pay $300 or $400 to replace a $5 gasket. Oh yeh, and today the Harley Dealer quoted me 3 hours to change a stator! But, that's the cost of running a business. Go by the book, and when you do the job in one hour take the poor slobs money anyway! Well, bend me over and you know what.... | ||
| Prowler |
I've done a rocker box gasket change on my Uly. I've also done a bunch of Sportsters. Took my time and it ran about 4-5 hours including the engine rotation and general cleaning in that area. Also found that the grooves in my upper rocker boxes were cast too deep and were not allowing the rubber seals to contact the bottom of the rocker covers,possibly causing the leak. I had to put a bead of silicone in the rocker box groove, let it set up and then install the upper seals and rocker covers. Has been good for 4k miles since. If your mechanic is not familiar with these bikes, it might be wise to look elsewhere for someone to fix your bike. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
Prowler, I did exactly the same to a friends bike, mine has never had the leak, but my friends first i cleaned and put new gasket but the issue continued so i did the silicone solution, he has about 5k kilometers and no more leaks. | ||
| Swampy |
Also there are alot of electrical connectors to disconnect. Have a tube of dielectric grease for when you put them back together and clean the frame and engine where the engine ground attaches along the upper tie bar. Change your spark plugs while you are able to see them clearly. Good luck |
