Side covers coming lose.

kingah57

New member
Wondering if anyone is having problems with the side covers leaking on the BP clones?

If so what are you doing to solve the problem.

Thanks
 
I've seen this on here before and I've never had this happen yet with my clones, I think you might want to check and see if your crankshaft has a little end play in it and if it doesn't , add a nother side cover gasket. Also use red loctite on the threads, it will just take a drop. jmo
 
Heres a few FACTS that foresure is contributing to the problem and a fix to solve MOST..

Look at your sump cover, the gasket area.. Theirs a sharp edge running all the way around the gasket area.. Its cutting through the softer gaskets and spitting the outer edge of the gasket out and the inner edge into the crankcase. Instantly without the .020 gasket the bolts are looser than torqued. Good ole vibration takes over then and finishes the job of loosenng up the bolts..

Heres a couple things to help..

Take your sump cover to a bench grinder that has a wire wheel and buffthe sharp ridge till it feels dull / smoother..
2nd > Take your gaskets and lay them down, spray them with clear paint, allow to dry and flip and repeat.. Toughens up the gasket
3rd > If you have a sump cover come loose be sure to replace the hollow dowels.. I'd advise you to not use solid dowels,, almost all the ones we replaced with solids ended up cracking the block..
Lastly,, theirs help coming for 2014.. Sealer will be ok along with studs if your desire.. We will begin adding 2 studs at 3 & 9 o'clock as a safety measure. This will start mid december in our shop.. 2 studs is all you will need.. We will have them available at a reasonable cost. Matter fact we will be putting together a kit,, Suer tough gasket,, 2 dowels, & 2 studs and nuts..
 
i'll add if I may??? get grade 8 bolts from hardware store... with the good lock washers a touch of blue lock tight.... also if its not a bent crank or bur on the crank case/cover you need to look into venting the block... in a good way... =) theres a lot of pressure in there at full rpm a vent doesn't hurt if allowed...
 
Proper engine balance clutch, and anything else hung off the crank doesn't hurt either.....................shake,rattle and roll.
 
Thanks jerry i have said that also about the side covers and every body said i was crazy , i use one solid dowel and one hollow one and a cometic gasket with a good 10.9 bolt with blue loctite works great.
jeff.
 
Harmonics is the problem. These engines are not balanced like they should be. I have even seen the clutch bolts back out on the clones. A good flywheel will help this problem and some well placed Blue Locktite. Jerry Dover is on to something with the paint and the studs. I don't know if it makes a difference but we always used silver paint when we were drag racing on our head gaskets. Something about the pigment helped to seal it up better.
 
Wouldn't the paint break down and flake off causing it to not seal. Don't know just an opinion, only because I do paint and body work for a living and I have doubts about it working. I would think that regular rtv would adhere to any gasket material much better than paint and be allot more durable. What kind of clear are you using, is it spray paint?
 
I like running studs, and will be from now on ..even on stockers. Jerry has them for like less that $10.00...I also use star type washers on them too. JMO
 
Heres a few FACTS that foresure is contributing to the problem and a fix to solve MOST..

Look at your sump cover, the gasket area.. Theirs a sharp edge running all the way around the gasket area.. Its cutting through the softer gaskets and spitting the outer edge of the gasket out and the inner edge into the crankcase. Instantly without the .020 gasket the bolts are looser than torqued. Good ole vibration takes over then and finishes the job of loosenng up the bolts..

Heres a couple things to help..

Take your sump cover to a bench grinder that has a wire wheel and buffthe sharp ridge till it feels dull / smoother..
2nd > Take your gaskets and lay them down, spray them with clear paint, allow to dry and flip and repeat.. Toughens up the gasket
3rd > If you have a sump cover come loose be sure to replace the hollow dowels.. I'd advise you to not use solid dowels,, almost all the ones we replaced with solids ended up cracking the block..
Lastly,, theirs help coming for 2014.. Sealer will be ok along with studs if your desire.. We will begin adding 2 studs at 3 & 9 o'clock as a safety measure. This will start mid december in our shop.. 2 studs is all you will need.. We will have them available at a reasonable cost. Matter fact we will be putting together a kit,, Suer tough gasket,, 2 dowels, & 2 studs and nuts..

I commend your approach guys, however...it's Not the 3:00 and 9:00 bolts that 'Leak'....it's the 5:00 and 7:00 postions that need the priority! Four (4) studs would be Best/Ideal. I use a very small bead of Black Silicon on the Side-Cover side Only, but...I'll give your 'paint' idea a try. Glad 2C the 'studs' are approved cuz that add's strenght too the 'case' as well. JMO
 
Take a side cover bolt and thread it into the block without the side cover. Don't bottom it out. Then see how much the bolt wobbles around. Not close tolerances. Since one of my side covers cam loose I drill the heads of the side cover bolts and safety wire two together three times. Not a problem since, even on my modified. Only studs on opens. Extra work, but cheaper in the long run.
 
Well drilling the cover bolts is a great way to retain them from backing out but when gaskets tear the bolts just become loose. My limited clone has done it twice now and now the threads are bad need helicoils . Just glad found a solution to this madness lol
 
Years ago when I ran open FH's I had this same problem. Found that the mount I was using was letting the block flex under the chassis that was flexing. I switched to a thicker 3/4'' base plate to add rigidity to the block keeping the block solid. This was the only change I made and it solved the problem. IDK if this is what is happening in this particular case but lets cover any and all possibilities.
 
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