Transmission questions

If you remove the plugs then oil will certainly creep into the combustion chamber by the level of oil moving upwards in the camshaft space.
It would be best to just drop the oil before removing engine from bike.

I find it hard to imagine how the starter would be able to produce enough force to bust a head gasket with hydraulic lock. Maybe I'm wrong. Wondering did the oil creep out somewhere else and just "appear" like it came from head gasket.
 
I drained all the oil that I could by removing all 3 drain plugs before removing and inverting the engine. It is possible that the oil film that I was seeing between the head/block came from somewhere else I suppose. When the starter wasn't able to turn the motor and I thought the battery might be low, I put it in 5th gear and rocked it back & forth a couple of times causing the rear tire to skid without turning over the engine. Maybe that was enough to cause head gasket failure (?). When I removed the head, I was amazed at the seemingly small amount of oil that caused the lock. Still seems strange....
 
Last edited:
Glad you didn't get a hydraulic lock, causes bent rods and other problems.
 
Unless oil drained past the rings and back to pan in between time you removed the head.
 
I got her back together and she fired up and sounds good. I haven't ventured out yet to see how the transmission shifts due to recent storms and wet roads however.
When I first started it, it seemed like forever before the oil pressure light went out. It really had me worried. I was actually considering suicide as an alternative to taking the engine apart again.......just kidding, of course. Anyway, so far so good.
 
I took my first ride today since the rebuild and it runs and shifts great. I really think that the stouter detent spring is more responsible for the fix than the replacement of the slightly worn and bent shift fork. Regardless, all seems to be great now and the many hours spent was worth it. Now I have the ride that I plan to keep. I will be selling my '05 Rocket this summer as well as my Virago. I have to keep the Wing because it has the only passenger seat that my wife approves of. Thanks for all the info & advice along the way.
 
It seems like the hydrolock would have shown up when you were turning the engine over to check the valve clearances
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Early vs late R111 transmission / drivetrain comparison experiment.
Replies
4
Views
808
Sparky59
Transmission 2006 Rocket 3 classic
2
Replies
15
Views
2K
Mongler07
C-Clip failure...trashed transmission.
2
Replies
19
Views
6K
Manic_Mechanic
Clutch slippage/4th gear issues
2
Replies
15
Views
3K
Journeyman
Transmission "clunk".
2 3
Replies
23
Views
5K
Walking Tall
Menu
Log in
Register