Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Chrome cam cover installation

Does anyone have any pointers for installing a new cam cover? Seems pretty straight forward but I would appreciate any comments on problems that may be encountered.

Make sure not to over torque the cam cover bolts. 10 nm is all it takes. Snug them all first and then torque them to 10 nm. Believe me, you don't want to strip the bolt hole. It is a major painintheass.

If it doesn't scare you, I found it a lot easier and much roomier by completely removing the coils and strapping the wire harness up with some zip ties, to the left side is best.

and..... put some rtv in the gasket groove in the cam cover to help hold the gasket in place. And the helicoil size is M6 x 1.....

Actually, do a search in the archives for cam cover and you will find lots and lots of fun facts to know and tell..

I didn't have much luck applying RTV to the cam cover side and instead applied just a very thin film of RTV to the head side, layed the gasket in the right spot and put the cover on top of the gasket. Zip-tieing the wire harness out of the way definitely helps. I also put a piece of masking tape over the rear of the cover so it didn't get scratched. I noticed my factory cover had scratches back there, guess the factory guys weren't so careful.

Cam cover is installed. Thanks everyone for the tips. This job was a little more difficult than I expected mostly due to the tight clearance against the wire harnesses and throttle cables. I removed the two relays and pulled that harness out of the way, disconnected the AI hoses and removed the module. The wire tie trick helped too. I got the cover installed and bolted down and immediately realized that something was wrong - it was still loose! I didn't notice that the rubber washers were stuck in the bolt holes of my old cam cover....Duh. And those things are hard to remove! The end result was worth the effort though, it really dressed up the top of the engine.

Hiya Gooch
I haven't done the cam covers but have done the auxillary power socket (bear with me here!) and also had the tank off several times for other jobs etc and feel that this might be the easiest way to do it.
I haven't seen the fitting instructions and so if you know this already or have done it - forgive me for telling Grandma' how to suck eggs.
Trust me, run the tank low to make carrying it easier!
TURN FUEL TAP OFF!
Undo and remove three allen key bolts holding plastic chrome 'dash' in place.
Zip tie it out of the way to the wire cable router just under the speedo.
Remove the seat to expose the tank bolt. Remove the bolt.
Get a cloth ready for when you undo the spring clip thing at the fuel tap. You should be able to undo the clip by hand.
Gently take the tank weight and slide towards back of bike SLOWLY - there is an overflow or breather pipe up near the top of the tank (underneath). The tank fits on two rubber bungs (fixed to the frame) with two 'c' shaped brackets (on the tank).
Pull the pipe off - nothing should spill out - keep that cloth on the gas tap!
IT'S AT THIS POINT THAT IF YOU HAVE AN ALARM FITTED - IT SHOULD GO OFF! After all, there should be a micro switch under the tank to stop it being stolen! Mine did and I nearly sh*t myself - I have a small garage!!
You will now have loads of room to work on the cam covers and, like the repair manuals say, "re-fitting is a reversal of removal".
Just remember:
1. Don't forget to re-connect the breather thingy,
2. Take care not to trap or pinch the loom.

If you're unsure about messing with fuel etc - take it to the shop - you can never be too sure.
Most of the fun is tinkering with these things yourself though.
Have fun and be safe.

Hey there Gooch
It took me so long to post the reply (computer slower than me!!) I didn't see you had already done the job. Doh!
Good one anyway!

Congratulations! It's surprising how many folks comment on the chrome cam cover given it's mostly obscured by the gas tank.

... or the chrome engine mount ... ?