From: root@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Red-hot pipes of fire
Summary: More bailing wire!
Date: 14 Oct 92 00:45:22 GMT
Article-I.D.: elektro.1992Oct14.004522.8948
Distribution: usa
Organization: Why do you suspect that?

In article <1992Oct13.031543.18340@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> c150-bt@po.berkeley.edu (Manish Vij) writes:

>Well, the wheelie incident in August 
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm afraid to ask ...


>left cracks in the alternator cover which I repaired with JB Weld.  
                                                           ^^^^^^^
Was this Self Hardening Spooge (SHS) {patent pending} that you used ??


>But the oil leaked slowly and constantly.

That should have told you something ...
{  I know, keep adding oil!  }


>Last night I re-did the cracks with JB Weld 

Didn't learn the first time, huh ??


>and put in an official Kawi gasket on between the cover and the alternator 
>housing.  When I started my EX500, oil started leaking again from the 
>alternator as it seems to receive small spurts of oil every couple of 
>seconds and the seal still didn't seem tight.  

[  Head shaking motions  ]


>At the same time, though the low oil light was NOT on, the pipes began glowing
>red from the exhaust from the twin cylinders.  I flipped the kill switch and 
>the bike backfired and died.  

Just before the exhaust valve parts came out the end of the muffler!


>Thinking the seal wasn't tight enough, I then managed to shear off
>two bolts by overtightening them :-(.

   [  I've got a 3 ft. breaker bar you can borrow ...  ]

 
>1)  I could not fully remove parts of the old gasket from the alternator
>    cover surface because the old gasket stuck.  By leaving it in and
>    putting in a new gasket, could this be causing the leak?

I'd never believe something like that could cause a little oil leak (gush)!

 
>2)  The Kawi is definitely water-cooled and probably oil-cooled, but in
>    general, what sense does it make to cool an engine with hot engine
>    oil?  (I'm assuming that's why my pipes glowed red.)

Yours may be water and oil (mixed) cooled even!  Tell me, did the pipes glow
red before or after you lit the fire in the pan of hot oil under the engine?

 
>3)  I ran it for about 3 minutes on (it seems through the oil window) low
>    oil.  Anything special I ought to do besides refilling it?

I can't tell you.  If I did, then I'd have to kill you.  Besides, this is
a mixed audience and I'm too bashful to tell you in fromt of them!

 
>4)  Why do bolts keep spinning when overtightened, instead of stopping like
>    normal bolts?

That's 'normal bolts' as in '56 Chevy six cylinder ??  Actually, if you would
have used Super Stop {tm} titanium bolts, you wouldn't have this problem.  They
are guaranteed to stop when overtightened!  They pull out their little six guns
and let you have it between the eyes when their tightening torque exceeds 5% 
over nominal.
 
Reading back over your post, did the bolts shear off, or keep spinning?
 

>No, folks, I don't think I'm ever getting into re-boring engines :-).  May
>the world be spared.

Or you, whichever comes first!

 
>   Manish Vij    ::    '89 EX500          \_/ \\/ )  -- -    --
>   mvij@ocf.berkeley.edu                       |/_\  -- -  --   - 
>                                                \_/.  .  . . ........

Disclaimer:  High probability this was a fish line and bait posting, but
             I couldn't help myself.  The devil made me do it!


Charlie Smith   charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org  csmith@dsac.dla.mil  whois ces10
MOA# 52888, RA# 15633, DoD# 0709, AMA# 574722, Buckey Beemers 411, BK Ohio V
BMW K1100-LT, R69S, R27 and other even less worthwhile [ 2 | 3 ] wheel stuff

         {  Friends don't let friends ride with glowing red pipes  }