I am having troubles keeping the clutch cover from leaking oil at the seams to the crank case. I have replaced the gasket two times already, making sure not scratches or dings are in the sealing surfaces, cleaning it real good and stuff. It always starts leaking again after a few hundered miles, and at the same spot. When I had it apart I checked for any kind of surface faults and couldn't find any. It always leaks right in front of one of the bolts that holds the clutch cover on. It's the bolt right next to the front cylinder to crankcase nut, behind the oil filler cap. I meticoulusly torqued all the bolts with 13 Nm in a criss cross pattern in three steps. I am at my wit's end what to do anymore. Anybody else have a leaking clutch cover, or am I the only one here? I always use the OEM gasket, and there's additional sealant applied on the gasket in that area from the factory, but doesn't seem to work. There seems to be plenty of sealant, because when torqing down it squishes ot a tiny bit. My torque wrench is a real good one from Europe, brand is HAZET and was about $200 new. So I don't think this is the culprit. I even read that other people reuse the old gasket...how in the world do they keep it dry??? Any ideas?

That sucks.  I put mine on by tightening from bolt A all the way around to bolt Z, using a worn out ratchet and guessing at how tight they should be.  Hasn't leaked a drop.  I used NAPA gasket goop instead of a paper gasket though, so maybe that takes up any slack.  Good luck getting her sealed up.

Sandy

As you  probaly know, a mirror or similar piece of glass is one of the best tools to check the trueness of the edges.  Good luck should you have to redo it again.

Are you sure you are holding your mouth right when you tighten the bolts?  It doesn't work unless you stick the tip of your tongue out and thingy your jaw to one side.  I'm of the belief that not holding your mouth right is the cause of most mechanical failures that people experience.

Glad you enjoyed it.  I see the censor screwed it up a little.  You are supposed to, ummm... calk your jaw to one side.

I recently put a new timing chain tensioner in,I used a new gasket,I didn't have any kind of gook so I used vasaline,it's what we always used when I was a kid,and low and behold it still works,oh and I also use the tongue between teeth and jaw c0cked to the side,I don't own a tork wrench,or a tork spanner for that matter.

ralfyguy wrote on 09/05/08 at 10:15:19:



Good to heard..... if it comes back,  take a look at the bolts.  If I recall correctly there are different lenght bolts and if you put a long bolt where a shorter bolt should go you may bottom out before getting tight.  

How do you know if you messed up..... well, when putting the boilts in, the bolts all can be pushed in so far then you start threading then in.   Well, they should all be sticking out about the same amount at the hittting the threads point (this was a tip from Savage Greg)

As I recollect there is also a dowel tube in that area. If it is hand made, or there is some old gasket at the bottom of either side of the oversize hole, it cold be slightly standing off the cover from the case. I think that is one of the ones with the required plastic/rubber combo washer under it. Max