Timing cover screws - position and length?

[iansoady]

The A10 is slowly coming together. Took it out for a 30 mile run yesterday and it started pouring oil out of the cylinder base gasket and rocker covers... 

An hour or so later and I discover the PO seems to have re-used torn and split gaskets, not to mention fitting a head gasket without annealing it. Talk about spoiling the ship....

Anyway now have it mostly back together - leaving the rocker cover for tomorrow when I'll be a bit fresher. However, when I'm delving around I thought I'd have a look at the timing cover screws as they're a strange mixture of proper fillister head slotted and Allen screws. But I don't think I have the right set as some seem barely to reach the thread. I've ordered a set from Draganfly but while I wait for them to come does anyone have a picture of the timing cover showing what length of screw goes where?

Many thanks

[brackenfel]

Hi Ian,
This was covered a while back as I had a similar problem and as usual got lots of help.. Someone posted a very helpful chart with screw lengths.. I'm afraid I don't know how to point you directly to a topic - try this http link:-

http://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php/topic,2899.0.html

If I recall - 3 shorter ones around the dynamo, 4 longer ones at the bottom & the rest are the same but a length in between! 

Good luck with the leaks!

Adrian

[bsa-bill]

The big thing (that many of us found out) is make sure all the blind holes are thoroughly cleaned out, over time and careless PO's crud builds up then when you put a screw in it bursts the alloy out at the end of the hole.
Two of mine were like this when I got the bike

[JohnH]

How did you fix it Bill? Did you have to weld the now open end of the threaded hole?

Best,
John

[bsa-bill]

How did you fix it Bill?

One hole is in the timing side case just in front of the maggie stud, although burst the pieces of alloy are still in place so will leave well alone there,
Hole number two is in the primary chaincase, the one at the front of the alloy chain guard part of the inner chaincase, I have another inner case to go on at some point but it needs a bit of fixing as it has a small crack at the very rear ( looks like a chain's come off and jammed ) not a big problem really, on the case thats on I wondered about replacing the missing bit with solder, best do a bit of experimentation first on some scrap alloy.

[iansoady]

Hi Ian,
This was covered a while back as I had a similar problem and as usual got lots of help.. Someone posted a very helpful chart with screw lengths.. I'm afraid I don't know how to point you directly to a topic - try this http link:-

http://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php/topic,2899.0.html

If I recall - 3 shorter ones around the dynamo, 4 longer ones at the bottom & the rest are the same but a length in between! 

Good luck with the leaks!

Adrian

I think I've found it and you're right:  http://www.a7a10.net/forum/index.php/topic,357.msg1643.html#msg1643.

I'm sure the leaks will be fine as the joint faces seem OK.

As suggested I'll run a tap down the holes.

But now it looks as though the advance / retard is not working properly as it's a bit floppy. I'll ask more questions when I've investigated further.....

[tombeau]

This is probably a case of grannies sucking eggs...
but.
Once you've worked out where they all go; Do as I was taught by the guy who mentored me through my first bike build.

Get a a couple of thick bits of card, draw out the shapes of your timing cover and primary chaincase, mark the position of the holes and poke through them with a screwdriver.
Every time you have those cases off the bike, put the screws in the relevant hole in the cardboard. Makes reassembly nice and easy.
Cheers,
Iain

[iansoady]

Yes, the bit of card is a good idea and I did use it for the head bolts and pushrods.

However, as I wasn't sure the mixture of screws I had was correct (and indeed it wasn't), I didn't want to perpetuate any errors.

Incidentally, the depth of all the screw holes except for the three short ones to the top right hand side where the dynamo is seem to be the same measured from the joint face with a vernier caliper. Does this seem right? I haven't looked at the cover to see whether the recesses for the heads are different depths.

Running a 1/4" Whit tap down the holes has recovered some interesting stuff - mostly decades old red hermetite by the look of it.

[bsa-bill]

mostly decades old red hermetite by the look of it.

Yep - if we could find a way to recycle that stuff we could re-open Small Heath

[Goldseeker]

I had my outer timing cover off last weekend and needed to record screw lengths/positions, this is how mine were-