The BSA A7-A10 Forum
Technical (Descriptive Topic Titles - Stay on Topic) => A7 & A10 Engine => Topic started by: tim on 09.09. 2018 15:12
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Anybody used the new type copper rocker box gaskets to cure an oil leak on an A7? Or any other suggestions?-please.
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not yet, next time (I don't venture in there unless there's a need)
A lot of paper r/b gasket sold today are not quite wide enough in one part of the rear gasket
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Anybody used the new type copper rocker box gaskets to cure an oil leak on an A7? Or any other suggestions?-please.
Yes I have used them. My rocker cover no longer leaks, a very worthwhile modification in my opinion.
John
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When it comes to leaky rocker box gaskets, I suggest you read the thread starting with John's (chaterlea25) post about making an improved head steady.
Here it is: https://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php?topic=2912.msg19633#msg19633
Richard L.
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Tim
I supply solid rocker box gaskets and I have sold quite a few sets, never had a complaint yet, they are very good and unless you have a real nasty grove in the mating surfaces you will no longer have any leak from there, complete set is £16 plus p+p.
Kind regards TTJohn
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Tim
I supply solid rocker box gaskets and I have sold quite a few sets, never had a complaint yet, they are very good and unless you have a real nasty grove in the mating surfaces you will no longer have any leak from there, complete set is £16 plus p+p.
Kind regards TTJohn
Hi John
Will you be at Hamstreet this Sunday - if so I will pick a set up from you.
Jim (AMOC)
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Quote from: TT John on Today at 16:35
Tim
I supply solid rocker box gaskets and I have sold quite a few sets, never had a complaint yet, they are very good and unless you have a real nasty grove in the mating surfaces you will no longer have any leak from there, complete set is £16 plus p+p.
Kind regards TTJohn
Hi,
I'm also interesting in those gaskets and I'm living in Sweden. How can I order a set?
Best regards
Skott
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Hello Jim,
Yes, I will be at Ham Street on Sunday, I will have a stall there, I will also have BSA M20 head gaskets also, plus loads more stuff.
Regards John
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Skott.
I can post to Sweden, no problem, I take pay pal payment, as a gift please or I get charged 10% commission, a set of gaskets £16 plus £5 p+p to Sweden making a total of £21, the gaskets will be sent as soon as I receive payment.
Many thanks TTJohn
mod edit: email removed, members can PM or mail
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Now I have sent you 21,00£, the adress is to L-J Skott in KALIX Sweden
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Hello Jim,
Yes, I will be at Ham Street on Sunday, I will have a stall there, I will also have BSA M20 head gaskets also, plus loads more stuff.
Regards John
OK mate - see you there.
Jim
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Well, about 20 topics relating to rocker box leaks, so I just picked the one at the top of the list for posting this silliness.
Went out to the annual Chicago Norton Owner's Club Vintage Motorcycle Show on Sunday. Didn't take many pictures, and that's not my reason for writing anyway, but I did love the 1915 Indian in the attached photo.
Having arrived late to the show, after rushing my bike together (after working until 2:00 AM with my son on his Volkswagon brakes), I didn't exhibit for voting. One of the things I DID NOT do in a hurry on Sunday was mount my rocker box. That was a couple weeks earlier. First ride after mouting the box, I noticed significant oil on the top fin of the head, obviously from the rocker box. OK, tightened-down the box a bit, because the bolts did feel a bit slack. On the ride to the show (18 mi. one way), a lot less oil was drenching the works, but still plenty there. Annoying, I told myself, and decided to determine the oil's exact point of departure. This is where the silliness comes in. I cut a doggy pee pad into several strips and wrapped them around the rocker box, secured by twisted wire (should have taken a picture). Took a five-mile ride around town to see if anything was revealed. Abso-*******-lutely! Big oil stain right above the left side of the intake. Today, asked myself, "What the hell is going on?" It didn't take me long to consider that the rocker box gasket might have gotten folded over when installing the box. About two seconds with a very thin artist's pallete knife testing the gasket (my favorite tool. I think) and I found the knife slipping right through the gasket gap where the stain was on the pee pad. Haven't disassembled yet, but confident I won't make that mistake again.
Richard L.
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Why does it always seem that what could be an amusing short story turns into a book? *eek* *countdown* *conf2* *smile*
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i have used the copper gaskets, end of problem !!! it just works
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A picture is worth a thousand words, or, in my case, a million. *computer*
Richard L.
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Anyone else happen to notice that removeing the rocker box is a lot easier than installing it? *smile*
Anyway.. yeah, what I found might just be the cause of the leak. A lot worse than I expected, which was just a little fold-over of the gasket. The broken-off piece can be seen laying on top of the lifters.
Richard L.
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G'day Richard.
Prick of a job ain't it. Would have been a lot worse if it was the exhaust side and blocked the drain hole!
Cheers
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In my experience the push-rod combs are often not quite right. The locating slots for the studs are too narrow. Its worth checking and taking a file to the comb to get it to sit right.
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G'day Rob.
I have two combs. One for the A7 with std pushrods and the other modified one for the Cafe with tapered alloy pushrods that are fatter.
Cheers
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Not sure why you need copper Gaskets, if your mating surfaces are flat they will seal, when i firat assemble a engine the rocker boxes are flattened on plate glass with gringing past, steel heads are normally good but alloy ones often have the incerts pulled up and need flatteng, both alloy and steel heads can be surfaced if needed
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i sorted mine a few years ago and now i notice a slight weep , nothing to write home about but maybe it's because she gets some stick.
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I don't know if anyone else has the same thing or not.
My bike does not leak oil, unless I get spirited with the downshift and over run. That is the only time my rocker boxes will leak a little oil.
I clean it up, drive more carefully and no more leaking. It's weird
Lee
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When leaks are prone to occur at high RPM, wont I am to lay blame on insufficient crankcase breathing.
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I didn’t report at the time, but replacement of conventional gaskets seems to have done the trick for any concerning leakage at the rocker box. At the same time, leaks at the bottom from various seams and the sump plate must be ignored (for now) in favor of riding. Not enough to require increased oil drilling internationally, nor drain the tank on any ride out.
Richard L.
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I've never found leaks a problem on British bikes so long as no one has levered a screwdriver in the joint face (as many seem to do *angry* ) or stripped the threads *sad2*, or its a pressed primary chain-case which are just about impossible to keep oil tight *pull hair out* . The original gaskets were thin and the period replacements were little more than brown paper so joints always showed some staining and the odd weep but then a lot of shafts (gear change, kick start ) had no oil seals. But a slight oil film was normal and not unwelcome and kept the bikes corrosion free.
I don't subscribe to the modern trend for bone dry machinery, bikes cars what ever, I like to see a bit of oil.
My old Land Rover is still going strong at 54 years partly because the rope crank seals and direct-to-outside engine breather have kept the chassis moist with oil. If I look underneath and there's no oil, that's when I worry. The "leak-a-bit-check-oil-weekly" cars and bikes will outlast the "bone-dry-top-up-at-10,000mile-service" cars.
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But a slight oil film was normal and not unwelcome and kept the bikes corrosion free.
Definitely. My centre stand will last for another 100 years with the amount of oil it gets on it. *eek*
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I seem to disagree here. I have tried copper gaskets on both my A10 and a Rocket Three and both times they leaked. I removed them fitted ordinary gaskets and leaks stopped. I have bought a set of aluminium gaskets which I aim to try hopefully with better luck.
Maybe I am doing something wrong but I even tried annealing them with no success
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Copper gaskets did not help my A10 either. Ground the head/box joint with grinding paste and used an SRM gasket now no leaks.
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Just started doing the head leak on the A7 and was planning to use my long time in stock set of copper rocker gaskets when I reassemble. Will report back on the result when its together and running again.
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Copper gaskets did not help my A10 either. Ground the head/box joint with grinding paste and used an SRM gasket now no leaks.
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Strange that because I went to a one piece SRM gasket and now perfect no leaks anywhere. Interestingly I did not have to do the grinding paste trick the one piece gasket worked perfectly
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Copper gaskets are good, but for a really effective seal they need to be used with 3 bond. Mine always leaked fom the L/H exhaust valve area, and the reason for this is that at that point the cover and head surfaces do not line up very well. They are slightly out of alignment so subsequently it is not a good match in that area. I tried many times to get a good seal without success. It would be OK for a while before it started to weep and then getting progresivley worse. Copper gaskets with 3 bond have thankfully resolved the issue.
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Halfords sell a Loctite product ref: MR5922 (from memory) in a white 'toothpaste' tube. This is the best gasket paste I've ever used for conventional joints. I find with rocker boxes it is necessary to flat the surfaces, use good quality gaskets that aren't too thick and tighten the box down very tightly, then go back and retighten. The problems are that the pushrods and valve springs are trying to lift the rocker box off the head, the head steady is vibrating the rocker box on the head, and generally it's not one of BSA's finest designs. Coupled with the fact that it is difficult to fit without smudging the paste and damaging the gaskets we're up against it! However, using the above I've managed to get (most of!) my rocker boxes reasonably leak free.
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I have had leaking RB's since owning the bike and lived with the mess until now. After a full weekend of riding two up, my wife started noticing specs of oil on her jeans!
Maybe its time I got into this and sorted it out I thought so without further ado it was tank off, carby off, zorsts etc.
I found more RTV than I've seen in a long time, PO was a true exponent of the art and as I go around the machine fixing his bodge ups the blue lines have been gradually diminishing. At least I can see where I've been! All joking apart I'm very glad I bit the bullet and got stuck in as look what I found! I will start another thread for this broken valve spring collar but a fortuitous intervention to say the least!
It seems he tried copper gaskets but I'm not sure they are meant to be slicked in RTV like this? Anyway I have a bit more work to do now than I initially thought but do count myself lucky that I got to this before finding out the hard way...Thanks to the missus for having a moan too, cor never thought I'd be caught saying that!
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Nice one BoN - did the broken bit end up in the engine? Exhaust side a bit better than carb side I would reckon as no-one wants to lose bits down the pushrod tunnel. *eek* *eek*
Still trying to find a benefit from a moaning wife myself *pull hair out* *pull hair out* *pull hair out* *countdown* *beer*
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You'll have to switch to the new topic for further updates Worty but yes I found all the bits fortunately. Now to find out what's wrong...
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Buy black jeans, it worked for me, they don't show a thing. Just don't sit on any white chairs. *smile*
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my mate ruff , rip ,who had the triton had a big black leather jacket because he was big and his chain had chucked loads of crud onto the back of his jacket, when he sat in my kitchen chair all the crud was left on the chair .it's still there now cos i'm a scruff and it reminds me of a good mate.