88 TRX300FW
So, my entire top end was coated in years and years of oil turned sludge. From the top engine mount to about the 3rd cooling fin the entire top end was coated in this 1/8" thick sludge. Not a sign of the case could be seen anywhere it was so bad. So I ordered up some new valve cover gaskets and spent 6 hours cleaning the engine and replacing those O-rings, also of course adjusted the valves.
As I was taking off the top intake cover I noticed two of the "cylinder cover" bolts were not fully seated. I could SEE they were loose. The loose ones were the long one above and a little behind where the hard oil line bolts up, and the one farther in behind that, directly under the top engine mount.
The inner one, under the engine mount, tightened down fine. However the long one just above the oil line just turned and turned. Knowing what I'd find, I unscrewed that bolt. Sure enough, the entire end of the bolt was covered in nice aluminum threads. I was able to unscrew the treads whole from the bolt. The steel bolt was of course fine, but I know there are no threads left at all in the engine, as I had them in my hand. So that's going to have the be heli-coiled in the future.
It's been that way for some time it seems, so I guess it's not catastrophic. But when I pull the engine to fix my stripped out oil drain bolt, I might as well get this addressed as well. My question is where does that long bolt screw in? It's far longer than the "cylinder cover" thickness (no idea what that part is called, the piece the valve covers bolt to). It seems like it goes down into into head 2" or more. Does it go deep enough that it's all the was down into the case? All the way through the "head".
Can't tell from the diagrams. Just trying to figure out all I'm going to have to replace to fix this. Doesn't seem quite long enough to reach the case, but far to long to just bolt into the head. So a little confused.
So, my entire top end was coated in years and years of oil turned sludge. From the top engine mount to about the 3rd cooling fin the entire top end was coated in this 1/8" thick sludge. Not a sign of the case could be seen anywhere it was so bad. So I ordered up some new valve cover gaskets and spent 6 hours cleaning the engine and replacing those O-rings, also of course adjusted the valves.
As I was taking off the top intake cover I noticed two of the "cylinder cover" bolts were not fully seated. I could SEE they were loose. The loose ones were the long one above and a little behind where the hard oil line bolts up, and the one farther in behind that, directly under the top engine mount.
The inner one, under the engine mount, tightened down fine. However the long one just above the oil line just turned and turned. Knowing what I'd find, I unscrewed that bolt. Sure enough, the entire end of the bolt was covered in nice aluminum threads. I was able to unscrew the treads whole from the bolt. The steel bolt was of course fine, but I know there are no threads left at all in the engine, as I had them in my hand. So that's going to have the be heli-coiled in the future.
It's been that way for some time it seems, so I guess it's not catastrophic. But when I pull the engine to fix my stripped out oil drain bolt, I might as well get this addressed as well. My question is where does that long bolt screw in? It's far longer than the "cylinder cover" thickness (no idea what that part is called, the piece the valve covers bolt to). It seems like it goes down into into head 2" or more. Does it go deep enough that it's all the was down into the case? All the way through the "head".
Can't tell from the diagrams. Just trying to figure out all I'm going to have to replace to fix this. Doesn't seem quite long enough to reach the case, but far to long to just bolt into the head. So a little confused.
