Mechanic leaves me hanging

[Kybronco]

So my local dealership won’t work on my bike because they say it’s too old 2004. But they referred me to a guy they said did their overflow and had been in business 18 years. Bonus points for being even closer than the dealership. So here’s where everything goes sideways. I wanted a new front tire and all fluids changed. I also had a problem with the shifter where it had a broken bolt. So I drop my bike off and he calls me in about a week and says bike is done 600.00

he tells me he had to remove the exhaust and some other things to get to where the bolt broke off and then drill it out and retap the hole, thus the extra labor. So ok I don’t care I just wanted my bike so I could ride. I rode it home and parked it in garage. That night my wife sends me a picture of the bike with a puddle of new oil underneath. Next day I call the mechanic and he says it needs a gasket  that he will order and put it on while I wait no problem. 2 weeks of telling me the gasket hasn’t come in yet. I ordered it myself and be here in 3 to 5 days. Now he tells me I don’t need gasket, he says the case cover was damaged maybe by a thrown chain at some point? And I’m like dude you been telling me for 2 weeks I need a gasket. I say I just want it fixed and now he won’t Respond so WTF I guess I’m gonna have to figure it out. What the hell is wrong with people providing good service these days?

[Freebird]

Sounds very suspicious to me.  I seriously doubt that a chain coming off caused the issue.  What chain is he talking about?  I suspect that he screwed something up.

[Marcarl]

Did he maybe use the bottom screw on the middle gear cover to completely drain the oil from the gear-case and then forget to put in a sealing washer?

[Kybronco]

It is the middle case on the left side I was going to drain the oil at some point and take it off and have a look. Is there maybe a cam chain under there? Or what chain is he maybe talking about ? I need to start looking at the service manual.

[RDawson]

No chain there. First thing I would look at is the bottom bolt has a crush washer on it to seal. If he had that cover off and didn’t put that washer on you’ll get a leak there. 

[Marcarl]

It may not be necessarily a chain fro his bike, could have been anything lying on the road that might have kicked up to cause damage.

[Kybronco]

Thanks guys I appreciate everyone’s help!

[Kybronco]

So I drained the oil while I’m waiting on parts. I’m posting a picture of where I see it leaking. I ordered the whole gasket for the cover but later found out there is a crush ring on the bottom bolt so I ordered that last night. I looked it up on partszilla site they call it a gasket not a washer so hope I got what I need. Hard to see but the oil is on that bottom edge of the middle cover on left side.

[Kybronco]

Update. I ordered the gasket after this mechanic said I needed it and then said I didn’t need a gasket I needed the cover because it was somehow damaged. I decided I wasn’t going to let him work I my bike anymore, so I took the cover off and dang it looked like a silicone bomb had gone off in there. No wonder it was leaking. It looks like when he worked on my shifter he removed the cover and didn’t replace the seal he just silicone around where he had torn it. Anyway I got all the old gasket and the silicone off and applied a gasket sealer called gasgacinch. This stuff had a lot off good reviews so I got some and no more leaks . I missed quite a bit of riding time waiting on a gasket he ordered but never came in . Anyway water under the bridge and I got to ride this weekend !

[RDawson]

Congrats 

[luvmy40]

I'd put the word out on that guy. He has no business working on anything, much less motorcycles!

[saddlebum]

Most do not know how to properly use silicone and use way to much or apply it incorrectly.

[larrydr]

I had trouble with gasket at the same location on  my 83 XVZ 1200

I found that the thicker / heavier gasket  did not work

I had the best results with a .008 inch rigid  material gasket , for reason a thicker gasket with load up up oil and start to leak

Some times the little things can make for a pile of trouble

 

 

[saddlebum]

On 7/7/2021 at 12:42 AM, larrydr said:

I had trouble with gasket at the same location on  my 83 XVZ 1200

I found that the thicker / heavier gasket  did not work

I had the best results with a .008 inch rigid  material gasket , for reason a thicker gasket with load up up oil and start to leak

Some times the little things can make for a pile of trouble

 

 

Too thick of a gasket specially were narrow edge gasket surfaces are concerned often cut in half or squeeze out as you tighten the bolts.  (Permatex's The Right Stuff gasket maker) or Loctites Gasket Eliminator  are perfect for totally replacing gaskets were gasket thickness is not important for clearance issues. when using lay a 1/16 inch bead down the middle of the gasket surface and around bolt holes (Do Not spread out specially important with gasket eliminator as it is anaerobic) this eliminates air pockets as it will spread out as you bolt down the part. High temp Red or Grey silicone work well too but I find the above product superior to silicone. Also never patch a gasket it is better to completely remove it. The exception  to that is if a gasket comes away in one piece either completely or stuck to one side then I will either add a tiny bead of gasket eliminator (again do not spread it). The other option is to lay a light spray of permatex high tack gasket spray to all surfaces including the gaskets  then assemble when dry to the touch.

In a pinch were gasket spacing is important and no gasket is available I have cut thin spacer strips and used them with the right stuff embedding small strips on each side of the bolt holes and  being careful not to over tighten the bolts. In some cases when using this technique lay a slightly larger than 1/16 inch bead but do not go bigger than 1/8 inch and again do not spread out. let cure over night in this case.

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by saddlebum

[Kybronco]

Thanks to everyone! Seems like I’m gonna have to wrench on the bike more than I had imagined because of the dealerships and lack of knowledgeable mechanics nearby my area but I have found through the forums that people are willing to help and nothing that goes wrong with my bike hasn’t gone wrong with someone else’s before me. So thanks again!

[larrydr]

8 hours ago, saddlebum said:

Too thick of a gasket specially were narrow edge gasket surfaces are concerned often cut in half or squeeze out as you tighten the bolts. Permatex's (The Right Stuff ) or Loctites Gasket Eliminator  are perfect for totally replacing gaskets were gasket thickness is not important for clearance issues. when using lay a 1/16 inch bead down the middle of the gasket surface and around bolt holes (Do Not spread out specially important with gasket eliminator as it is anaerobic) this eliminates air pockets as it will spread out as you bolt down the part. High temp Red or Grey silicone work well too but I find the above product superior to silicone. Also never patch a gasket it is better to completely remove it. The exception  to that is if a gasket comes away in one piece either completely or stuck to one side then I will either add a tiny bead of gasket eliminator (again do not spread it). The other option is to lay a light spray of permatex high tack gasket spray to all surfaces including the gaskets  then assemble when dry to the touch.

In a pinch were gasket spacing is important and no gasket is available I have cut thin spacer strips and used them with the right stuff embedding small strips on each side of the bolt holes and  being careful not to over tighten the bolts. In some cases when using this technique lay a slightly larger than 1/16 inch bead but do not go bigger than 1/8 inch and again do not spread out. let cure over night in this case.

 

 

 

I have used the right stuff and it has  worked very well ..The last time  I used I did overhaul on a Heston farm tractor 180 horse power  diesel engine and all was fine ..The next I was going use was on 6V71 Detroit truck engine ,... I began to used it when it came out of the tube in a water like juice , so I went to Permatex brand ....I did try it again on the small cover on my 83 XVZ1200 on the small cover and it did not work well  ....that is when used a slim hard gasket material with urethane  coating  to get the job done ...It may be that there a problem with surface of the cover

[N3FOL]

IMO, your mechanic should have at least mentioned to you what he did.  The proper way is to replace the gasket and not just silicone it and have you wait for a good 2 weeks time.  Glad you were able to figure it out.  At least this way, you know it has been done right.  Ride safe.

[saddlebum]

14 hours ago, larrydr said:

I have used the right stuff and it has  worked very well ..The last time  I used I did overhaul on a Heston farm tractor 180 horse power  diesel engine and all was fine ..The next I was going use was on 6V71 Detroit truck engine ,... I began to used it when it came out of the tube in a water like juice , so I went to Permatex brand ....I did try it again on the small cover on my 83 XVZ1200 on the small cover and it did not work well  ....that is when used a slim hard gasket material with urethane  coating  to get the job done ...It may be that there a problem with surface of the cover

That is odd I have used permatex's the right stuff for years and never seen it separate in the tube were I have had tubes of silicone separate and come out of the tube ether watery or grainy.

[videoarizona]

17 hours ago, Kybronco said:

Thanks to everyone! Seems like I’m gonna have to wrench on the bike more than I had imagined because of the dealerships and lack of knowledgeable mechanics nearby my area but I have found through the forums that people are willing to help and nothing that goes wrong with my bike hasn’t gone wrong with someone else’s before me. So thanks again!

Another way to look at it... Wrenching on your own bike will be an educational and fun experience!  The satisfaction of a job done well!

The best part is you have us nut cases here to help! 

Glad you are back on road!

[saddlebum]

11 minutes ago, videoarizona said:

Another way to look at it... Wrenching on your own bike will be an educational and fun experience!  The satisfaction of a job done well!

The best part is you have us nut cases here to help! 

Glad you are back on road!

Plus learning to wrench on your own bike puts you in a better position to know what to do, should you have an issue on the road.

[larrydr]

14 hours ago, saddlebum said:

That is odd I have used permatex's the right stuff for years and never seen it separate in the tube were I have had tubes of silicone separate and come out of the tube ether watery or grainy.

I do know and have used of the permatex designed as a gasket replacement ( designed RTV use )  and it most times worked well  on many a Virago side cover

I prefer to buy it in 12 inch applicator tube ..I do know it helps to keep it fresh and not let it dry out

.Sometimes it only takes one to make you rethink the list of materials