Re-sealing the KTM LC4 rocker cover... a guide.

and had the valve cover both off and on and even took it out and re-oiled it.
i checked and made sure it was correctly positioned and even moved the valve lash.
i believe the spring is correctly positioned and it moves up and returns just fine until you really pull it up and engage it whereupon it sticks and you have to tap it to get it to return.

i have never had a prob firing it with the e-start so maybe i will just decommision it for now as it is hard to get at under the tank and if it got stuck it would kinda suck. I guess i could just check to make sure that it is not hitting the valve arm and remove or hide the cable.

as always your $.02 is welcome

when i move the lever by with a wrench it does start to move the valve and will return but if you pull the lever up more than an inch it sticks

It dosnt need to move that much, from stop to about horizontal is enought to open valve.

After that there is just round part of chaft keeping valve open.

all the other pics i see have it set differently
i thought i tried it that way and it did not touch but i will check again



thanx

I always jam mine up to unhook the cable when setting the valves by prying it up with a screw driver.

When I'm done, reattach the cable and snap it back into place. I have had the darn thing leak oil so pay attention to how it seals.

b

nope mine is set up the same as the picture above

i just unhooked it and moved on

IIRC mine does exactly the same thing. In normal usage it never gets that high.

i will wait until i have the shims and it has been ridden and check again

it seems like you could grind a little more ramp into the contact point as i was getting binding at 1/2 pull of lever

From the original post.....

I'm doing the water pump. I don't see anything in this, or the water pump rebuild that talks about the cam chain tensioner. Can someone enlighten me?

Thanks,
Scott

Well if you remove the waterpump then the end of the camshaft is free to tilt up from cam chain tension... If this happens the cam chain tensioner may take up the slack by pressing tighter and locking in a new position... Then when you return the pump and tighten the cover back down you end up with a overly tight cam chain that puts stress on all things related...

To play it safe you are best off to remove the spring cup and then the tensioner until the cam is bolted in place... Reset the tensioner to zero, put it in place and then return the plunger spring and the spring cup to its place and it will reset the unit to the correct tension...

OK, this half makes sense, because I have not seen inside there yet. I'm going in for a look at the microfiche now.

S.C.

OK, so a swift blow laterally with a rubber mallet won't shake loose the rocker cover, nor will tapping it from a beneath sort of direction with another non-destructive object.

How do you pop this thing loose?

ETA......It's off. I was being maybe a little too easy on it.

S.C.

Good you got it, sometimes just turning the engine a revolution will work as the cam pressure will lift the cover...

A very quick check of the rockers reveals that the intake roller bearing feels rough when rolling it with my finger. The exhaust feels fine. The bike had a tick when I started this whole thing, which is what led me to check the valves, which led me to finding what appears to be moisture in the rocker area (failing water pump), which led to finding this bad roller bearing.

Pics of the rocker are here:

http://www.yarnellpics.com/Motorcycles/KTM-Refresh/2150327_qcd9BN#!i=3490959500&k=Gbxnbsx

I think it otherwise looks good.

S.C.

Sorry if this has been answered before. I did read the entire thread and also the how to inspect valves thread. My question, should I use blue threadlocker(I read that one also) on the bolts for this project- rocker cover and also for the valve inspection?

Also, should I use gasket eliminator 518 or 515? I can buy either.

Thanks for the help.

Blue is perfect on the theads and either of the Gasket Eliminators you mentioned.

If it's the first time you've taken off those inspection covers, sand the ridge off of the mating surface with some 180 grit wet/dry paper on a piece of glass or flat plexiglass, lubed with WD40, then clean and degrease.

Now with a small cheapo metal handle brush you get by the 100 pack at Harbor Freight, dab on an thin but even coat of the Gasket Eliminator of your choice on the top of the valve cover inspection ports. I'd call it a "light smear"-that's what you're after. If you can see through the coat of product because it's so translucent-this is the thickness you're after. Then place the rocker covers on, bronze washer, then allen bolt with a little blue on it and snug it up.

While you're into it that far and have all of the crap removed and out of the way, you might consider sealing up that through hole on the left exhaust stud on the left exhaust port. These are a source of continual leaks on these bikes.

Blue on the valve adjuster nuts with the wobble heads on the bottom?-I wouldn't do it.

Dirty

While you're into it that far and have all of the crap removed and out of the way, you might consider sealing up that through hole on the left exhaust stud on the left exhaust port. These are a source of continual leaks on these bikes.



Dirty[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the help. I will have to read up on the exhaust stud issue. Is the leak you speak of oil or exhaust?

If anyone has a link to a good thread on that, can you please post it? EDIT: I found it- http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141397

Thanks for all of the help. Mine has been leaking for longer than I care to admit, so I'm pretty excited about fixing this oil leak.

I'm finally getting some time this week to tackle this resealing job.

I've read the manual and a lot of extra threads mentioning how to this job, however is it actually necessary to find the TDC for just removing the cover and resealing? My basic thought is to just remove whats mentioned in the guide, then pop cover off - clean up - throw sealent and reassemble.


At this point I want to reseal let it set for a few days and then proceed to ride a few more weeks before the cold sets in and make sure the leak is fixed. If it is, then when the snow falls I'll go back and check all the valve/lash etc..

I'd imagine having the motor at TDC-C is a good idea as otherwise the valve springs will push the camshaft out of place when you remove the rocker cover, as the cover also retains the camshaft.

Cheers
Clint

Yep as Clint says you will have valve spring pressure pushing upward on the cover through the rockers when you go to install if the lobes are facing the wrong way... You don't need to be exactly on TDC, just make sure the cam lobes are both pointing towards a downwards half circle...