The mechanic wants $350 to replace the gasket! Guess it’s on me now. Between the video on how to replace the air box and check valve lash it wasn’t too bad removing everything. I have been a mechanical/ electrical tech for quite a few years now so may be a little easier than others. All prepped and ready for the gasket to show up in the morning and hope be riding tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the advice guys.
$130 Can for a VC gasket
. I've purchased 2 and they have each been under $40 bucks Can.
$130 Can for a VC gasket
I have replaced mine three times. The gasket from the factory started to leak at about 8,000 miles. Nursed it to 20,000 miles and did the valve clearance check. No short cuts done at all. I removed the throttle bodies stock air intake and coils and the plastic covers. Wide open shot at the valves. Prior to replacing the valve cover gasket i cleaned both mounting surfaces. Not only removing all oil residue but ended up with both the engine and valve cover spotless. Followed the manual and replaced the seals around the mounting bolts. I believe this is very important but some will not agree. Carefully torqued the cover down by following the sequence in the manual but only did it in increments of 2 nm's . Took some time to get done but lasted about 25,000 miles with no bending or leaks. Did the same when i replaced cams on bike. Having the Ram air installed the second time it made the job a lot easier. Still removed the throttle bodies because this is a good time to clean them up. That lasted around 25,000 miles. The only reason i replace valve cover gasket and bolt seals is when maintenance is required. The only place i use sealant is around the prescribed areas in the manual. Believe the two factors to my success is All oil residue is removed on both mating surfaces and the use of new bolt seals placed properly on the bike. The valve cover gasket on the bike now has a bit over 16,000 miles and looks like it was replaced yesterday. A really good torque wrench is required to do the job properly. Increments of 2 NM's is not going to happen with a Harbor rate special. Any oil residue on mating surfaces will cause the gasket to move while being torqued down. Now sitting at 66,000 thousand miles with no leaks or bends. Take your bike to a shop and i highly doubt if the job will be done right. They are not about to take that much time cleaning and torquing. Even pressure on the mating surface is very important. The only thing holding the bolts to proper torque is the seal under it. Over time if the seals were not replaced with new ones the bolts will work themselves loose causing uneven pressure on gasket which results in bends and leaks. Am not talking out of my rear end on this one. At 66,000 miles on a 2015 Rocket X that has never seen a shop i might have learned a thing or two. Forgot to mention i remove the gas tank from the bike.$130 Can for a VC gasket
When I've replaced mine, I've lifted the tank, removed the plastic covers behind the forks, removed the 2 bolts holding the coils, then disconnected any wiring that would get in the way, removed the Ramair and replaced gasket, properly torquing the bolts. Even with the proper torque, these newer gaskets seem to squeeze out around number 1 on the exhaust side. Had to replace the gasket again last month within a few thousand kilometers of the previous one. These new gaskets are not as durable as the silicone ones I've seen in the automotive world. They tend to tear when compressed and squeegee out of place.
I guess I'd better keep one in stock at home here since they do tend to give you a lot of notice before failing.
