Oil Weep

[Jim Bronson]

Well I was cleaning out the garage today and ran across an unopened tube of Genuine Harley Davidson High Performance Sealant, Gray. Is it worth running a thin bead around the cylinder base where it meets the case? Is there enough pressure to blow a hole in the sealant? I'd guess it is nothing but some flavor of RTV, but I remember using RTV in the navy to seal all sorts of things.

[PoorUB]

Don't bother. You will end up with a bigger mess than the oil seepage! You will have RTV smeared all over, and a oil leak!

[Jim Bronson]

I can mask the seam with painter's tape, so I can apply the sealant without making a mess, but unless there's a good chance it will work, I'll forget it.

[koko3052]

I have two thoughts of that & neither is success.
The oil will still weep thru the seal or IF the seal holds, the oil will back up & weep around the part of the base that you can't access to seal.

[jrgreene1968]

I have two thoughts of that & neither is success.
The oil will still weep thru the seal or IF the seal holds, the oil will back up & weep around the part of the base that you can't access to seal.

Yep.. sounds messy to.
I pulled mine apart last night, o ring wasn't hard, but the jug had hardly any resistance when pushing it into crankcase. Almost like the o ring was just to thin.
I'm redoing my whole top end while apart, but I'm going back with genuine HD gaskets and seals everywhere but the head gaskets

[Jim Bronson]

I have two thoughts of that & neither is success.
The oil will still weep thru the seal or IF the seal holds, the oil will back up & weep around the part of the base that you can't access to seal.

I didn't think about that. I can't possibly apply sealant to the areas between the cylinders, and I think there is some leakage from there. It would probably be a waste of time. 

[koko3052]

I have two thoughts of that & neither is success.
The oil will still weep thru the seal or IF the seal holds, the oil will back up & weep around the part of the base that you can't access to seal.

I didn't think about that. I can't possibly apply sealant to the areas between the cylinders, and I think there is some leakage from there. It would probably be a waste of time. 

Always some merit to different points of view.

[Jim Bronson]

You bet.

[kd]

I originally posted this in the wrong thread but here's where it belongs.

It sounds like this is settled but I have one more suggestion. There was a thread here over a year ago about sealing I think panhead case halves that were seeping.  I seem to remember it was with a type of Loctite made fore sealing cracks.  IIRC it was thin and crept into the seam (after cleaning with solvent) and was effective.  It may be an option to give you some time to plan a repair or maybe a little build up.  I think rababos contributed his experience with it so hopefully he will see this and chime in.  He may need a PM to make him aware of this thread.  Orrrr .... I may be wrong on the final outcome of that conversation.

After a short search here's one thread,

https://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php?topic=88696.msg1012969#msg1012969

Here's another,

https://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php?topic=106528.msg1264151#msg1264151


After posting this in the other thread a member offered the name of the product as Glyptal

[koko3052]

There is a green colored Loctite or Permatex that is made for wicking that I used a long time ago to try to stop some hard to get at bolts from loosening...can't remember if it worked.

[Jim Bronson]

That's Loctite 290. If it is thin enough to apply with a needle oiler, it may be worth a try.

[kd]

I think ensuring it is oil contaminate free will be important.  The 2 threads I attached do discuss this and methods to accomplish it.  If it doesn't work, you are where you are now. If it does, it'll buy you some time but I wouldn't consider it to be a permanent fix.

[Jim Bronson]

Thanks for the threads. The wicking feature of Loctite 290 is appealing. It can withstand temps up to 300 F, and I don't know if that's good enough. As you mentioned, there's also the problem of cleaning the area between the cylinders. Maybe it is worth a try.

[kd]

The threads I posted have descriptions from previous users on how they cleaned the work area before applying the sealer.   

[Jim Bronson]

The threads I posted have descriptions from previous users on how they cleaned the work area before applying the sealer.   

I don't think those methods will work very well between the cylinders. I'm thinking cut a clean shop rag into strips, soak in a solvent of some sort, and run it through the area in one direction only. Repeat the process a few times with new strips until they come out clean. Then figure out what product to use. There are basically two types:
either an RTV-based sealant like Loctite 518 or use Loctite 290 wicking threadlocker. The RTV-based products would stay on the outside of the seam and possibly do the trick, but I like the 290 better, since it supposedly creeps in between the gap and then hardens. Either way, it wouldn't be a big or expensive job to try. Thanks!

[hardheaded]

Flex seal as seen on TV .  Clean and apply .  Worth a shot.

[kd]

I think I would try warming it up (heat gun or hair dryer) shoot brake cleaner or something similar with a tube nozzle and hit it with compressed air and repeat.  Then use the Loctite prep solvent intended to degrease and prep for Loctite products.  If you have to buy a small aerosol can you will use anything remaining in the future (like when you tear it down to fix it later)

[smoserx1]

Another common leak area is the stator grommet.  I tried RTV there once, lasted a few days at best.  I would forget about it till you are ready to fix it right.  It is a fairly big job for a do it yourselfer but make sure you use the best o-rings down there you can get.  I would use Harley parts here.

[Jim Bronson]

From the spec sheet, it looks like the Loctite prep stuff is mostly just acetone in a spray can.

BTW how many shop hours would it take to replace the o-rings?

[JW113]

Exactly one weekend and 3 6-packs of beer.

-JW

[Jim Bronson]

Exactly one weekend and 3 6-packs of beer.

-JW

... and more skill than I have. 

[Hossamania]

I know my skill limitations, and when to pay the man. On that one, I pay the man.

[Jim Bronson]

I know my skill limitations, and when to pay the man. On that one, I pay the man.

That's my thinking, and if you botch a job and have to take it to a shop to finish it, you'll be on their s**t list. Cha-ching!

[Ohio HD]

Jim, did you try to get the shop to warranty it?

[Jim Bronson]

Jim, did you try to get the shop to warranty it?

I'll be taking it in for a new tire in a few weeks, so I'll ask them about it then. The same shop installed my stage 4 kit about two years ago, and I think they reused the base o-rings. I didn't think about it or I would have asked them to replace them.