What is a Harley Rocker Box?
On a Harley, the rocker box is the enclosure that sits on top of the valve head. It is literally the box the rocker arms and rocker shafts live in. That’s it.
What is the purpose of the rocker cover gasket?
Its role is to hold the rocker cover in place, protecting the engine cylinder head and preventing oil from escaping your engine. The rocker cover gasket is made from rubber or durable plastic and is positioned above the engine cylinder head to prevent oil leaking out of the engine’s valve cover.
What’s the best way to replace a rocker cover?
You get cork gaskets, 2 types – pattern ones are cork only, genuine Ford ones had metal pins embedded so that you couldn’t over-compress the gasket. They also have 1 self-adhesive side which makes a big difference! Clean off any oil, peel the backing paper off and stick the gasket onto the cover. Waggle the cover on.
What causes oil to leak out of the rocker cover?
Sometimes it can even crack. A hardened, damaged, under or over tightened or broken rocker cover gasket will result in oil leaking out of your engine and often all over the rest of your engine and engine bay.
How to install a rocker box cover on a Harley Davidson?
You will need a little blue Loctite on the cover bolts to help keep them in place. Make sure the gasket stays in place, run the bolts down snug and then torque to spec. Be careful not to damage the chrome surfaces. Mike walks through the same process for the rear Harley rocker box cover. He goes through the torque sequence using the dog bone.
How to replace a Ford rocker cover gasket?
Then 8 10mm bolts on each rocker cover, remove cover & old gasket. You get cork gaskets, 2 types – pattern ones are cork only, genuine Ford ones had metal pins embedded so that you couldn’t over-compress the gasket. They also have 1 self-adhesive side which makes a big difference!
When do you replace rocker box gaskets on a Harley?
The next versions, which lasted until 1990, were made of zinc and leaked the most. Subsequent versions were rubber. Removing rocker box covers to replace the gaskets is a straightforward process. Very experienced mechanics can do the job without removing the gas tank but less experienced mechanics should probably begin this job by remove the tank.
How do you remove a gasket from a motorcycle?
Remove the six Allen bolts and washers that connect the rocker cover to the rocker assembly. Begin with the front rocker box and work on one cylinder at a time. Remove the metal D-ring if your motorcycle is equipped with an Evolution engine. Note the top, bottom and orientation of the D-ring. Completely remove the old gasket.
What kind of gasket does a Harley Davidson use?
Leaking rocker box gaskets were a particular problem with Harley Evolution engines. Harley went through four generations of lower rocker covers and four versions of the middle cover, or D-Ring, as the motor company tried to solve the problem. The earliest gaskets, from 1984 to 1987, were made of cork.