[TXCHOP]

Great review! Bet you are loving that thing! Nothing quite like a fine tuned, big inch, hi performance machine. I bet Dean will take good care of it on the final tune.

Careful on that bike, they will surprise you every time!

 

[boatnut]

Nightmare continues

I just posted the below in the thread where somebody looking at a used bike with a Jims 131...




MCNEGUY, make sure you pay a whole lot LESS for that bike than one with a stock motor. You will absolutely for sure spend a lot of money getting it sorted out. I have lived, no, still living a nightmare.
Approaching $25,000 on motor alone and still have grief. That's for the motor and subsequent repairs/upgrades.
There is zero warranty on that motor. The stated warranty is a sham. As you have read I got 7,000 miles before it was done. I have yet to have a single person state they had a different experience with this motor.
What's wrong with it? I had the crank full meal deal Dark Horsed, Baisley did the heads, Axtell did the cylinders, T-man cams and pistons, Woods lifters, assembled by the most respected builder in my area. It puked a head gasket after all that. Why? Best guess was it started to pull the head studs. Time serted every single stud. Resurfaced every surface till it was smoother than glass. New gaskets. Lasted 20 miles and puked head gasket again. Exactly same place, same cylinder.
Liner moved??? Who knows. I'm about to slash.


So, here I sit with a broken dream. Any thoughts as to what the hell is wrong? Dean has been excellent throughout this nightmare. He has stood behind his work and I am more than pleased with how he has looked after me. Any ideas as to what the hell has gone wrong?? Front cylinder, basically in the middle of cylinder, carb side is where it's pukin the gasket. Only one gasket available, Jims only. God I HATE giving those people any more money.
So to review, after it puked head gasket first time (1,500 miles) we tore down whole top end, resurfaced heads and cylinders, new gaskets top and bottom, upon re- assembly one of the REAR studs started to pull. We Time Serted all eight studs. Re-assembled, and it lasted 20 miles. Puked in exactly same place.

 

[01fxdx]

what bore size are these things? i don't think they are a stock bolt pattern, that may be why you need to go thru jims? is it a mls gasket from cometic? if so you can call them direct, if not i suggest you do. thay will custom make gasket for you, and rather quickly. i had them do some stuff for me and had it inside a week.is it blowing out near a stud hole? we have a 4.250 bore 124 here that had trouble keeping head gaskets, we machined the surface of the cylinder to have a "fire ring" type scenario around the combustion chamber. works really well.

 

[PRS2XS]

Man, sorry to see someone have so much grief. You should just call G2 and get a 126 for about 7500 bucks . Direct bolt in and no more problems. jmho

 

[boatnut]

01FXDX.... Bore is 4.313 , your correct, bolt pattern is not stock, yes they are cometic gaskets. Appreciate your input. I am not familiar with the "fire ring" machining? I have passed this suggestion along to Dean. I will contact Cometic and see if they can build me some kind of super duty gasket....

 

[beaureed445]

Boat, that sucks to hear. I hope you get it figured out.....SOON.

 

[pwmorris]

I went copper gasket on my old 131". Make sure the gasket perfectly aligns top and bottom, with all holes exactly matching and bore identical.
I would also look at venting/pressure issues, making sure everything is breathing and returning properly.
How is it breathing? These big motors, just like big lungs, need to have a very efficient air and oil cycle and return system.

You will get it sorted out-it is probably something simple.
You have all the good stuff-

 

[boatnut]

Hi Paul, using the T-Man three stage oil pump and Ness Big Sucker 2 with integral breathers. Fairly sure not a breathing problem? Gasket is blowing from combustion
not oil return hole.
Just got off phone with Mike at Cometic tech support. He tells me they are tired of arguing with Jims about there published torque instructions. Tells me it's absolutely wrong when it comes to these big motors. Says to ignore the two stage torque followed with the 90 degree finish. Says to use 9-14-22-35-42 and let sit an hour. Re check, says very common to find one or two will have lost 2-3 lbs? Re set at 42. Following Jims method (as we have been) he claims is an almost sure thing to fail. Says 99% of head gasket failures go away when torqued as per his instructions. Obviously after confirming all surfaces true, studs are stable etc etc...
Just bothers the hell outa me and Dean that it's blown at EXACTLY the same spot twice now. First time lasted 1,500 miles. Second time 20....

 

[01fxdx]

the machining i'm speaking of is cutting the surface of the cylinder down except for about .040 around the top of the cylinder to give you a good smoosh on the head gasket around the top of the cylinder. but it sounds like cometic got you in the right direction, as for the same spot, it's prolly just the path of least resistance. i love cometic, this company sets the standard in the performance industry as far as i'm concerned.

 

[todd comer]

Have a gut feeling that you should go with the copper gasket and use the torque specs of 9-14-22-35-42. Went with the copper myself and will never use any other gasket.

 

[NCTURBOS]

Hey Boat... Is it pushing the gasket between the cylinder and gasket, between the layers, or between the gasket and head?

Is the gasket still in one piece or is it actually blowing it open?


K.

 

[boatnut]

NCTURBOS..... I am away at Sturgis North rally right now, will check with Dean when I get back on Tuesday and advise. First one definitely blew it right out. Second one only went twenty miles and started to leak.

 

[Don Dorfman]

If this persists have Dean pull the barrel and look for witness marks on the base for signs the barrel could be rocking. That opens a new set of issues but won't get into that now.

 

[boatnut]

Thanks Don, I will pass that along when I get back home on Tuesday. I'll continue to post any extra info as I get it. Including what fixed it.....

 

[Don Dorfman]

The stock studs are the defacto standard for most builds, I am not sure what Jims uses or even if your motor has those but those Feuling / ARP look better to me for a motor of this stature.

 

[boatnut]

Found it

So, found this broken bolt when Dean took apart. ( Front right) Thinking is, it was failing the first time around, not visible but enough to lose the correct torque, second time it actually let go. Inspected it and the stud really closely, no signs whatsoever of galling or anything to show it was bottoming out etc? Kind of a head scratcher as to what would cause it, torqued correctly, not bottoming out, 11.2 static comp ( Nothing crazy), must have been a flaw in it?
Dean is putting her back together with all new bolts/gaskets etc as I type this. Get it back tomorrow, hopefully all good and finally finished.

 

[CowboyTutt]

Glad you got it figured out BN! Looking forward to more of your impressions of your new ride! -Tutt

 

[59panhead]

JIM'S make good tools junk engines

 

[Thealien]

Good luck getting and keeping it back together!

 

[Fennellg]

My Woods Lifters also caused me some grief. Going back to my stock ones. Hope it was caught in time.