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Lifter cuff bolts breaking, is it still happening?

Started by les, September 28, 2020, 08:41:01 AM

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les

I've got a 131" crate engine in my engine bench.  I'm going to install the S&S lifter cuffs.  Are the OEM bolts still snapping off, or has H-D fixed the bolt and thread locker problem on later engines?

les

Ok, I'll ask another way.  Has anyone broken a lifter cuff bolt on a 2019 or 2020?

KiwiRob

Recently installed a big bore 124 piston and cylinder kit to my 2019 107 fat boy, along with a cam and lifters change. Removed the stock cuff bolts with no problem. - Rob

les

Quote from: KiwiRob on September 28, 2020, 11:41:07 PM
Recently installed a big bore 124 piston and cylinder kit to my 2019 107 fat boy, along with a cam and lifters change. Removed the stock cuff bolts with no problem. - Rob

Thanks, Rob.  That's encouraging.  So, it felt like normal blue loctite when you removed the bolts, right?  Because when I removed bolts on a 2017 (that I broke the bolt) I could tell that the loctite just didn't feel right.

KiwiRob

It felt a normal blue loctite removal. I've since come across a tip from Fuelmoto, where they use a heat gun to heat the area around the cuff for removing bolt. - Rob

Jamie Long

Based on the motors we see here nothing appears to have changed with the tappet cuff bolts, the Motor Company does not want these bolts to come out. Simply apply a little heat and it's no issue.

les

So, I'm not going to be taking the cam chest apart.  I plan to use a propane torch and try to give it a little heat from the top.  Will the torch damage the black powder coating of the engine around the lifter blocks?  Or, should I try to use the heat gun from the top?  I don't know how susceptible the plastic cuffs are to direct heat.

Sunny Jim



Rokinrider

I used a heat gun and they came out like nothing.
Mclintock! swell party were the whiskey?

Hillside Motorcycle

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les

Quote from: Rokinrider on October 01, 2020, 04:29:19 PM
I used a heat gun and they came out like nothing.

So, you're talking about using the heat gun from the top, right?  Not from the underside (inside the cam chest) of the lifter blocks.

les

I used the heat gun from the top, on low setting because that was plenty hot.  I directed it down into the channel next to the bolt hole.  I held it there the entire time I was slowly turning the bolts out.  I expected the rear bolt to come out easier because the channel was winder with better access, but that bolt came out the hardest.  My hand was shaking the entire time I was removing the bolts, because I've already been through a broken lifter cuff bolt.  It ain't fun.

Everything went smooth, but taking those two bolts out is not a job I ever look forward to.  Thanks for the comments and help.

KiwiRob

I must have been lucky when I did mine. Anyway, if I have to do it again on another M8, I'll definitely use a heat gun. - Rob

sfmichael

Quote from: les on October 02, 2020, 10:49:58 PM
I used the heat gun from the top, on low setting because that was plenty hot.  I directed it down into the channel next to the bolt hole.  I held it there the entire time I was slowly turning the bolts out.  I expected the rear bolt to come out easier because the channel was winder with better access, but that bolt came out the hardest.  My hand was shaking the entire time I was removing the bolts, because I've already been through a broken lifter cuff bolt.  It ain't fun.

Everything went smooth, but taking those two bolts out is not a job I ever look forward to.  Thanks for the comments and help.

:up: :baby:
Colorado Springs, CO.

cmashark

I will cut the pushrods, pull lifter blocks, and lifter cuffs while the engine is at full operating temp.  Then I take a nap for an hour or 2 and then go back out and finish the job. Never had one that was difficult to remove in the 8 or so M8 cam swaps I've done. At full operating temp, the top of the case, where the cylinder spigots are, typically measures 330 degrees at full operating temp.
2021 FLHXSE

les

Quote from: Sunny Jim on September 30, 2020, 04:17:32 PM
Use a heat gun! As in 'very hot hairdryer'

Sunny, I did another one using the heat gun with success.  I hold it on low setting for about 5 minutes, then switch back and forth between high and low heat while slowly removing the bolt.

Now, how do I solve the problem of my hands shaking from nervousness while I'm removing the bolt?   :hyst:

Hossamania

Quote from: les on June 10, 2021, 04:56:52 AM
Quote from: Sunny Jim on September 30, 2020, 04:17:32 PM
Use a heat gun! As in 'very hot hairdryer'
Now, how do I solve the problem of my hands shaking from nervousness while I'm removing the bolt?   :hyst:

A couple of cocktails to calm the nerves...
If the government gives you everything you want,
it can take away everything you have.