Wood in my engine

[Chuck in Indiana]

Maybe I am crazy and lucky but I have reused pan gaskets many times over without a drop of oil seeping out.

I could count the times I've had to replace pan gaskets on one hand.. valve cover gaskets a little more often, but not many of those, either.

[kirby1923]

I could count the times I've had to replace pan gaskets on one hand.. valve cover gaskets a little more often, but not many of those, either.

Same here.....

:-)

[PandionExpress]

Good news!  I dropped the dump and sure enough, my skewer was sitting right there.  So that was great.   Replaced the old gasket, since that ripped before and I was able to make it work.  Got my valves adjusted.  Used my stick. In the right hole.   

Now the bad news. 

Put the valve covers back on.  One of the screws just keeps on spinning.   Pull it out, shards of metal from the threats.   Shoot. 


Suggestions?

Andrew

[oldbike54]

Good news!  I dropped the dump and sure enough, my skewer was sitting right there.  So that was great.   Replaced the old gasket, since that ripped before and I was able to make it work.  Got my valves adjusted.  Used my stick. In the right hole.   

Now the bad news. 

Put the valve covers back on.  One of the screws just keeps on spinning.   Pull it out, shards of metal from the threats.   Shoot. 


Suggestions?

 Yep , the proper thread insert will fix that problem . Some folks prefer the *heli coil* type , some prefer the *time sert* brand . Either way , not hard to fix . You tube is your friend .

 Dusty

Andrew

[lucian]

Good news!  I dropped the dump and sure enough, my skewer was sitting right there.  So that was great.   Replaced the old gasket, since that ripped before and I was able to make it work.  Got my valves adjusted.  Used my stick. In the right hole.   

Now the bad news. 

Put the valve covers back on.  One of the screws just keeps on spinning.   Pull it out, shards of metal from the threats.   Shoot. 


Suggestions?

Heli coil, any auto parts supplier

[Chuck in Indiana]

Wat Dusty said. All is not lost. Any questions?? Ask before beginning.
"Moto Guzzi.. making mechanics out of riders since 1921."

[Kiwi_Roy]

Heli coil, any auto parts supplier

6 mm It will be better than original

[PandionExpress]

O thank goodness.   I figured there had to be something.  Or maybe I was hoping there had to be something.   

The screw hole doesn't exit into the engine does it?  Thinking about the shavings.

Thanks again

Andrew

[oldbike54]

 No , it doesn't go thru .

 Dusty

[pehayes]

This is NOT a real stress location so a Helicoil will be just fine.  Just make sure you get it started perfectly 'square' to the mating surface.  Perhaps make some sort of a drilling/tapping guide block to ensure the squareness.  Don't use a lot of torque on the valve cover or oil sump bolts.  Just slightly more than hand tight.  6X1 is quite easy to strip out of aluminum.

Congrats on finding the wayward wood.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[Zoom Zoom]

Generally, the thread repair kits can be had with the correct drill bit, the correct tap, and several inserts. Cover as much as possible to avoid getting metal shavings inside the engine. For added warm fuzzy feeling, get someone to hold a vacuum right there to suck up the shavings as you drill.

Others may say it's not a big deal, but I would rather take a few precautions than have a shaving get somewhere that might do damage.

John Henry

[Bulldog9]

No offense intended, but you may be better off paying a pro to do this. You're on strike 2 ;-)

[Chuck in Indiana]

Ahh, he'll be alright. He persevered and got the valves adjusted.  This will just be another learning experience..

[Muzz]

Good to see the wood has been removed before it sprouted.

You persevered through the face of the adversity (and an eclectic range of advice)

I am sure you will sort the latest problem.

[normzone]

The voice of constructive laziness here - first off, put it together and ride it.

If it doesn't leak, take your time to getting around to fixing it.

 

[Darren Williams]

For a light duty fix, until you can do it right with a helicoil, there is a quick way to put some threads back in the hole.

First clean the screw and hole thoroughly, with thinner or alcohol to clean and remove all oil residue. Second coat the screw threads with wax. Use a candle flame to get all the extra wax to drip off, turning the screw to get it to run and drip off. When finished, the screw should have a very light coat of wax covering all the threads. Next mix up some JB Weld and swab the hole, a Q-tip works well for this. Put the screw in the hole, turning it like you were screwing it in until it is all the way in, a little further than the assembled screw depth. Let it set over night then assemble the cover making sure you don't over-torque the screw.

This repair lasted several months till is was repaired over the winter.

[oldlegs]

you could use the wood you got out of the sump to fill the damaged thread hole then just use a wood screw. Only kidding, keep at it you will get there, we've all been there.

[John A]

which hole is it? some of the holes you can get away with just using a longer bolt. some you can see the end of the hole where it goes thru the fins and you can run a tap thru it and use a longer bolt.

[dguzzi]

For a light duty fix, until you can do it right with a helicoil, there is a quick way to put some threads back in the hole.

First clean the screw and hole thoroughly, with thinner or alcohol to clean and remove all oil residue. Second coat the screw threads with wax. Use a candle flame to get all the extra wax to drip off, turning the screw to get it to run and drip off. When finished, the screw should have a very light coat of wax covering all the threads. Next mix up some JB Weld and swab the hole, a Q-tip works well for this. Put the screw in the hole, turning it like you were screwing it in until it is all the way in, a little further than the assembled screw depth. Let it set over night then assemble the cover making sure you don't over-torque the screw.

This repair lasted several months till is was repaired over the winter.

There is a loctite product made just for that, and it could be permanent. (until its not)

[LowRyter]

you could use the wood you got out of the sump to fill the damaged thread hole then just use a wood screw. Only kidding, keep at it you will get there, we've all been there.

That was an old trick my late father-in-law would do, shove in a matchstick and tighten the screw.  IIRC, it only works for wood when coupled with some Elmer's glue.

[Darren Williams]

There is a loctite product made just for that, and it could be permanent. (until its not)

Everything called for here was available at the CVS, or Walgreens, next door to the hotel.  It all started with a low side that cracked the stator cover on the engine and was leaking oil. JB Weld fixed the cracked cover also.

Saved a days riding in the Ozarks and got him home 250 miles to OKC. He kept riding the bike the rest of the season before fixing it all correctly.

[PandionExpress]

Ahh, well Ivan going to blame the guy who owned the bike before me for this one. :)     Bolts were stuck good when i took them off.   I'm going to have someone who has rethreaded help me with this anyway. 

Cheers

[Dirk_S]

Might as well add to this thread. I too got carried away with a chopstick (I HAVE done this before, but was careless this time around). About 1.5 inches of wood were chopped off, down through the spark plug hole.

Question is - do I need to fish it out, or is that small enough to be ‘no big deal/ get it out next time the sump is dropped’? (does it even go to the sump or doesn’t it just stick around in the cylinder with the piston below?

[guzzisteve]

I have pulled out wood, took heads off.

[Kiwi Dave]

I have pulled out wood, took heads off.

Nah!  Let it burn.  It ain't gonna last long. 

[Sasquatch Jim]

 The acetylene and oxygen trick might over inflate your engine cases.  Not recommended.
 This whole problem is simple to fix.  leave the hole open and get a friend to help you  turn the bike upside down and shake the stuff out.
 In the future don't poke things into holes that should not be penetrated.

[Muzz]

Sage advice there Jim. 

[Matt Story]

Dirk,

Seemingly no one is willing to advise you on your mistake.  If you don't get the stick out of the combustion chamber, it will bounce around until it burns up or gets pulverized.  It has no place to go.  I would definitely get it out, even if it meant removing the head.

[Mike Tashjian]

Fish it out.  I might try seeing it first with a twelve dollar scope to get an idea of it's exact location.  Maybe a rubber hose with double sided tape on the end?  I have a nice pair of alligator style (SE SPAF-5.5 5-1/2" Stainless Steel Alligator Forceps,Amazon 14 dollars) forceps like those that reach into tight spots. This is an opportunity to put a new tool or two into your box.  Mike

[blackcat]

As above or try a vacuum cleaner. And make sure you get the valves open before using the vacuum.