[Alba44]

Good afternoon,

I recently rebuilt the engine after changing the shifter drum and everything started ok but my biggest fear was realized, there was a significant oil leak coming from the tach cover on the left side (not cable side). I changed the gasket twice and can not torque the bolts anymore. Hardware is new allen heads. Could this be caused by the tach seal on the cable even though this is the other side? Would anyone know a fix for this without having to remove engine again?

Thank you very much!

 

[pattyandrick]

Other side is points assembly
???

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[Alba44]

Sorry that was a bad description i meant other side of the tach cover closest the starter (left). (the side the cable is not inserted into. I have attached some pictures. Thank you in advance

 

[Boomer343]

Did you use new o-rings?
The trouble with using those stainless allen head bolts is that they need anti seize on them or they will gall and be impossible to remove. But using anti seize means you can over torque.
Judging by the gasket you have over tightened and the gasket has deformed.
Yes you can take it apart without removing the engine.
Cam chain tensioner is taken off, valve adjusters are backed off and the engine is put in the position that the cam chain tension should be set at. That spot is where there is the least amount of pressure on the cam from the valve train.
Find TDC on the power stroke for the left cylinder, then continue to move the crank to approx. 90 degrees past the TDC mark. Actually do this step first and check that all the valves are loose.

 

[Boomer343]

You should make sure that the oil is leaking from that spot, it can be deceiving.

 

[Alba44]

Thank you all. I almost positive it is coming from this side of the tach cover as when applying rpm the side bubbles and you can see a flow of oil that runs under and down the fins. I also put a rag down to act as a reservoir and it pulled there and the remainder of the engine seemed dry. I was going to run some permadex gasket maker along this edge to see if this resolved it before having to remove anything again. Could this be caused by an o ring on one of the rockers missing or being damaged? Can this be changed without removing point cover? Thanks again everyone!!

 

[Alba44]

I did a bit of reading on this and also tonight realized that the engine has been running with no breather tube installed at the top. Maybe a silly question but would anyone know if this would cause the oil pressure to build up and leak and would running with no breather tube cause any damage. Thank you!

 

[pattyandrick]

It looks like a gasket leak. The hose only directs emission to the ground.

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[Boomer343]

From your latest picture that is a nasty leak and I would be concerned with oil starvation to the camshaft. Make sure your oil level is correct and avoid excessive running of the engine.
Is it possible the oil is coming from the gasket between the head and cam box? The oil feed for the rhs of the cam is there.

 

[Alba44]

I currently do not have it on the road and i have been topping with oil to just clarify where the leak is coming from and running for 2 minutes at a time on a low idle. Bike is on the centre stand and I believe from the video it is coming out of the left side tach case. This is the second time I have pulled the engine this month and i have changed this gasket with a new one twice. Inside the tach box appears dry so I don't think its a compromised o-ring and the right hand side is also dry so I don't think it can be the oil seal . I am going to clean it off tomorrow night and apply some black permatex around the edge and see if this resolves anything even briefly. There was no leak previously so I find it strange it is now leaking from just this case cover. Does anyone think adding a washer to the bolts inside the case will add an extra level of torque? Thanks again everyone for you help and advice.

 

[Alba44]

Just had a thought and the gasket appears to have a small hole on the cable side. I am thinking maybe I could have installed with this hole on the other side which is allowing for the seepage.

(Not My Tach box)

 

[1Robert1]

Stainless steel bolts require antiseize and only get Torqued to 80% !!!
If the bolts came in a kit, they should have come with washers if they are required...

 

[Alba44]

I wanted to thank you all for your input. Laid of on the torgue and applied some anti sieze on the new allen head ss bolts. Problem was I inversed the gasket and the hole was not on the correct side which did not allow the oil to pull and caused it to leak prefusely. Wanted to share in case someone out there makes the same mistake I did. Engine is dray as a bone. For now. Issue now is i am getting no acceleration above 5rpm

Thanks all

 

[MurronCB350]

Hey folks! I was wondering if someone could tell me the orientation of the gasket for the points cover side? I've done that side twice and can't seem to stop the oil leak. I used the old O-rings the first time, (bad idea), but used all new the next time. Still Leakes from between the head and side cover. Also, could y'all tell me what to torque the cover bolts to? I think I probably over torqued since the gasket looks deformed. Thanks

 

[pattyandrick]

Gaskets only go on one way, line up the oil hole. 7 ft lb torque

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[MurronCB350]

Gaskets only go on one way, line up the oil hole. 7 ft lb torque

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Thanks for the torque spec. I've examined both side gaskets, one for the tachometer side, the other for the point/ignition side and on my 71 K3 the two gaskets that came in the engine overhaul kit are identical. There is an oil hole in the gasket that I assume must be for the tachometer side as it does not line up with any holes on the ignition side. After trying various orientations, there is only one way the gasket will fit properly so I'm going to install it that way. The oil hole in the gasket on this side only lines up with a recess in the engine head where there is no oil flow. Hopefully, the third time will be a charm.

 

[Yendor]

If the gaskets are put on backwards they PINCH the Valve Adjuster O-Rings and force a GAP that causes a leak.

 

[MurronCB350]

Third time was indeed a charm and it appears no oil leak on my short ride around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the engine has no power now, so I'm going to have to reexamine the adjustments and timing. It's very low on gas in the reserve so maybe (fingers crossed) that's the problem. Hopefully nothing serious and I can get back to riding.

 

[raisethe4]

Alba - how is the repair to the tach cover holding up?

I'm having the exact same issue now too after trying some permatex as a temp fix and then finally confirming the leak with baby powder.

Did you need to take off the cam chain tensioner as Boomer suggested? I've only adjusted the cam chain tension as part of maintenance so a little nervous of fully disassembling it.

 

[Alba44]

Alba - how is the repair to the tach cover holding up?

I'm having the exact same issue now too after trying some permatex as a temp fix and then finally confirming the leak with baby powder.

Did you need to take off the cam chain tensioner as Boomer suggested? I've only adjusted the cam chain tension as part of maintenance so a little nervous of fully disassembling it.

Hey Rasiethe4,
My issue in the end turned out to be complete human error and I had installed the gasket the wrong way round. There is a side with a hole that gets oil to the tach If installed incorrectly the oil just pours out of the tach case side. To remove the side you have to take all tension of the tappets to allow the case to move free. Did you recently change the gasket?