Rusted exhaust studs.

[luhbo]

 

.. Maybe Italians are just born knowing everything about maintaining these bikes... ?

 

Or they just translate 'shop manual' to 'shop' manual Anyway, you can find a (not complete) list of torque values somewhere on the first pages of the manual.

 

Hubert

[gstallons]

Done! The rusty studs came out easily. Turns out there were gaskets in there after all, really crusted up and they had some surface rust too. Not pretty. Cleaned the threads out with wd40, a tap, and carb spray. Put the new studs in with some nickel based anti seize (they're stainless, didn't want to have them gall or break threads, didn't want to use thread sealer and never be able to get them out.)

 

Cleaned the inside of the ports out as much as possible, but I didn't want to abrade or score the mating surface so I went easy on them. Put some silicone sealant on the inside of the gaskets. Then buttoned it all up.

 

I torqued the nuts down to 15lbs. Didn't want to over do it and risk breaking threads. The nut on the under side of the header is in a real awkward spot. Can't really get a ratchet let alone a torque wrench in there. So I tightened both of them with a spanner by feel, as best I could.

 

Took her out for a spin after and all seems well. No signs of exhaust blowing out anywhere. So, on to the next rat's nest... Thanks for your help guys.

 

Edited to add: why does the, official no less, workshop manual suck so much? The instructions amount to this: "take it apart, then put it back together again." No mentions of torque. Or measurement of wear. No indications for the sizes and thread pitch for fasteners. The workshop manuals for my early '70s Hondas are better than this. The manual for my '86 Yam srx600 lists every single nut and bolt on the bike including the torque for each one. The v11 Sport manual is anxiety inducing in its lack of detail. Maybe Italians are just born knowing everything about maintaining these bikes... ?

Just get them snug and retighten them before each ride for the next 4 times you ride. Check them occasionally after this. You will get accustomed to what is tight and too (snap or twisting off) tight is.

[sp838]

"Just get them snug and retighten them before each ride for the next 4 times you ride. Check them occasionally after this. You will get accustomed to what is tight and too (snap or twisting off) tight is."

 

Will do. Took her out last night, didn't have time to check afterwards, will check tomorrow and gently re-tighten as needed, if needed.

[luhbo]

Be carefull. Stainless usually is much softer than standard steel bolts are. And stainless is not always stainless, so keep an eye on those new bolts.

Hubert

[AndyH]

Only had the loosening problem after fitting the Mistral X-over so maybe doing so pushed things out of line a bit.

 

Anyway, after losing/nearly losing the dome nut a few times and having pushed the tightening/retightening as far as I dared, apparently to no avail, I used a medium thread lock to keep things in place and haven't had any problems since.

[Baldini]

...instead of acorn nuts (which can trap moisture)...

Just pack them with copper grease.