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[BayouBiker]

So my 07 SEUC (9K mi) was in the shop from Jan 2-19 for base gaskets on up incl. leaking front & rear heads. (along w/ new battery, front turn signals, tour-pak hinge & liner, seat, hand grips and a few minor issues)

Put on a whoppinng 235mi, and guess what? The base gasket on the left side rear and in the V on the front are leaking. Took in in to the 'trainee' who worked on the bike and he brought out the shop foreman, who informed me that they just recieved a set of newly 'revised' base gaskets that don't even have a part number yet. (do they actually make this sh*t up?) He said the MoCo just happened to send them last week. (The week after my bike was 'fixed'...hmmm)

The first time around it took 17 days, now he says it'll take 2, plus gave me a Qt of Syn3 in case I run low before Monday!??!!
Wow, you'll meet the nicest people on a Harley. </sarcasm>

Anyone hear of these 'revised' gaskets?
or have cylinder base issues?

[Twolanerider]

So my 07 SEUC (9K mi) was in the shop from Jan 2-19 for base gaskets on up incl. leaking front & rear heads. (along w/ new battery, front turn signals, tour-pak hinge & liner, seat, hand grips and a few minor issues)

Put on a whoppinng 235mi, and guess what? The base gasket on the left side rear and in the V on the front are leaking. Took in in to the 'trainee' who worked on the bike and he brought out the shop foreman, who informed me that they just recieved a set of newly 'revised' base gaskets that don't even have a part number yet. (do they actually make this sh*t up?) He said the MoCo just happened to send them last week. (The week after my bike was 'fixed'...hmmm)

The first time around it took 17 days, now he says it'll take 2, plus gave me a Qt of Syn3 in case I run low before Monday!??!!
Wow, you'll meet the nicest people on a Harley. </sarcasm>

Anyone hear of these 'revised' gaskets?
or have cylinder base issues?

If no part number for the part existed then how did they ord.....    ah, never mind.

[sadunbar]

So my 07 SEUC (9K mi) was in the shop from Jan 2-19 for base gaskets on up incl. leaking front & rear heads. (along w/ new battery, front turn signals, tour-pak hinge & liner, seat, hand grips and a few minor issues)

Put on a whoppinng 235mi, and guess what? The base gasket on the left side rear and in the V on the front are leaking. Took in in to the 'trainee' who worked on the bike and he brought out the shop foreman, who informed me that they just recieved a set of newly 'revised' base gaskets that don't even have a part number yet. (do they actually make this sh*t up?) He said the MoCo just happened to send them last week. (The week after my bike was 'fixed'...hmmm)

The first time around it took 17 days, now he says it'll take 2, plus gave me a Qt of Syn3 in case I run low before Monday!??!!
Wow, you'll meet the nicest people on a Harley. </sarcasm>

Anyone hear of these 'revised' gaskets?  uuhhhh no....  (magic no part number base gaskets?)
or have cylinder base issues?

Anyone hear of these 'revised' gaskets?  uuhhhh no....  (the infamous magic no part number base gaskets?)

[Hoist!]

Yep, just in! New P/N FHDFTW-07/08ABCDEFG!!!

Hoist!

[BayouBiker]

I will try to get more information  + ask to see the difference between the current & 'revised' version...

I'll take a camera in case   

[grc]

My understanding of the overall issue is that no one would be seeing base gasket leaks if the head gaskets hadn't allowed oil to run down the stud holes in the cylinder.

I'd love to stand there and watch this dealership tear your bike down and then compare the base gaskets (before they have a chance to "disappear" them) with the new secret "special no-number" parts.  I have a feeling they have confused head gaskets and base gaskets in their haste to make excuses for what was obviously a lousy repair attempt. 

Jerry

[BayouBiker]

I'd love to stand there and watch this dealership tear your bike down and then compare the base gaskets (before they have a chance to "disappear" them) with the new secret "special no-number" parts.  I have a feeling they have confused head gaskets and base gaskets in their haste to make excuses for what was obviously a lousy repair attempt. 

Jerry

Good idea, except that given my feelings toward these guys right now, I'd hate for them to spew some more stupid bullsh*t, then things wouldn't be pretty. 
They think they calmed me down with the free qt of oil and the offer to come 30mi with pick-up & delivery of the 'Lil Mermaid'.  Guess that keeps me away from the shop!

They did use the new head gaskets 2 weeks ago and did the base gaskets even tho' I never noticed a leak there.
Do any of y'all think it could have been liner slippage? I asked them to check it on the last repair.
Maybe the cylinder has warped due to excessive heat? 
Rode down Bourbon St on afterwards to view Mardi Gras aftermath, and oil temp hit 250 (only stopped the bike once- to look into a strip club doorway ) ambient air temp was 61.

Seriously though, I think that with the many repairs being done:

(along w/ new battery, front turn signals, tour-pak hinge & liner, seat -2nd time, hand grips and a few minor issues)

It is time to research on 'lemon laws' or something.

I love this bike, but all the problems are driving me crazy.

PS - thanks for letting me 'vent' on this...
My last Ultra had 89k mi at trade in w/ very few issues!

[Chief]

I do believe there is some confusion here. These motors don't use a base 'gasket', but instead use a base o-ring. The job of the o-ring is to keep oil vapor that is in the crankcase from coming up and out of the crankcase. That is the only fluid that should ever be at that surface.

We're seeing this problem because the head gasket is leaking and allowing oil to flow down the studs and then weep outward to the outside of the case. The studs are outside of the o-ring, so there is nothing to stop any oil that makes its way down the studs to seep out onto the sides of the case.

WARNING! I have heard of dealerships using Yamabond to seal the cylinders to the deck. This prevent the oil seepage from getting on the case, but does nothing for solving the HG problem. It merely hides the existence of a problem.

I would not allow them to 'glue' my motor together to hide a failed head gasket.

[sadunbar]

I do believe there is some confusion here. These motors don't use a base 'gasket', but instead use a base o-ring. The job of the o-ring is to keep oil vapor that is in[/in] the crankcase from coming up and out of the crankcase. That is the only fluid that should ever be at that surface.

We're seeing this problem because the head gasket is leaking and allowing oil to flow down the studs and then weep outward to the outside of the case. The studs are outside of the o-ring, so there is nothing to stop any oil that makes its way down the studs to seep out onto the sides of the case.

WARNING! I have heard of dealerships using Yamabond to seal the cylinders to the deck. This prevent the oil seepage from getting on the case, but does nothing for solving the HG problem. It merely hides the existence of a problem.

I would not allow them to 'glue' my motor together to hide a failed head gasket.

Using Axtell cylinders - the Cycle Rama base gasket approach is to use a Cometic base gasket and an o - ring - and to use gasket cinch...

[Chief]

Using Axtell cylinders - the Cycle Rama base gasket approach is to use a Cometic base gasket and an o - ring - and to use gasket cinch...

I understand that Scott. I'm just trying to clear up a misskomunicayshun problem that there are actual base gaskets on the bikes coming out of HD.

How long before you take her out for the inaugural run?

[sadunbar]

I understnad that Scott. I'm just trying to clear up a misskomunicayshun problem that there are actual base gaskets on the bikes coming out of HD.

How long before you take her out for the inaugural run?

yep..

The snow in front of the man-garage had another 22 inches added to it this past week....and I hear that damn GroundHawg saw its shadow...  Forecast is for 8 below zero tomorrow with wind chill of 20 - 30 below...   

[FNGw/08SERK]

yep..

The snow in front of the man-garage had another 22 inches added to it this past week....and I hear that damn GroundHawg saw its shadow...  Forecast is for 8 below zero tomorrow with wind chill of 20 - 30 below...   

Scott, need to send out a personal thank you for not sendin' that chit over here!!  That doesn't happen often. 

[Serkcus]

Now you guys are confusing the Chit out of me!  When mine leaked at the front cylinder there seemed to be what appears to be a thin grey edge of what I assumed to be a gasket.    Of course it's not been fixed yet so what the heck do I know. Maybe some kind of paste or gunk they put in as they were expecting the head gasket  The leak ? The rear cylinder is only leaking from the head gasket, I guess that's one of HD good ones. 

[Chief]

Now you guys are confusing the Chit out of me!  When mine leaked at the front cylinder there seemed to be what appears to be a thin grey edge of what I assumed to be a gasket.    Of course it's not been fixed yet so what the heck do I know. Maybe some kind of paste or gunk they put in as they were expecting the head gasket  The leak ? The rear cylinder is only leaking from the head gasket, I guess that's one of HD good ones. 

I don't know about what you saw, but Harley does not use base gaskets, just an o-ring around the spigot that rests right on the edge of the bore into the case.

[grc]

Maybe a picture will help.  As Chief pointed out, what we have been calling a "base gasket" is in fact an o-ring that fits in a machined groove in the crankcase.  The head gasket edge will be visible with the engine assembled, but you can't see the o-ring.  The only other seal at the base of the cylinder is at the oil drainback hole (oil from the heads drains down through the cylinders, into the left crankcase half, then over to the right crankcase & cam chest where it is picked up by the scavenge side of the oil pump).

Sorry about my previous non-precise use of the term "base gasket".  While the 0-ring is in fact a type of gasket, o-ring would have been the more correct term. 

If you look at the upper section of the attachment, you can see that the cylinder studs are outboard of the o-ring seal.  Any oil that makes its way into the stud holes at the top of the cylinder will seep out at the low side, since there is no gasket between those holes and the outer edge.

Hope this helps  -  Jerry