Cylinder head water jacket joint

[scicluna]

Hi, I have an 88 model vmax that has started leaking coolant from the cylinder head water jacket joint. The workshop manual states only to remove them only when essential eg engine overhaul. Wanted to remove them and replace the o-rings and stop the leak, trouble is they are made out of bakelite and won't budge. As it is I will probably need to replace them as they are brittle and falling apart. Is there a method of removing them without dropping bits and pieces of them iside the water jacket, don't really want to remove the head for a couple of shitty o-rings. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks Mike

 

[one2dmax]

You will likely need to remove the valve cover and push them out from the inside. It's common for them to have the tabs break off. We use a "duck bill" pair of pliers when we remove them but they still break on many of them. It's not very common for them to leak. Maybe you can simply rotate them in place and get them to seal up again.

Sean

 

[dingy]

Here are a few pictures that may or may not help. These are VMax 1997 heads.

1st picture shows head with the three plugs that go into the water jacket removed. Just to the right of the cam chain pocket, one of the plugs is laying on its side for reference.

2nd picture is almost the same without the plug. If this plug is removed, directly below it is the water jacket crossover plastic joint. Right under this plug is the round hole in the top of the crossover joint. I have been able to remove the crossover joint intact by inserting a bar into the now exposed joint and prying it out against head.

3rd picture is of a crossover joint. Hole in top of it will be right under plug when it is removed.

Don't have any idea if this can be done in the bike, ain't gonna happen on a Venture.

Gary

 

[davidon]

Hi, I have an 88 model vmax that has started leaking coolant from the cylinder head water jacket joint. The workshop manual states only to remove them only when essential eg engine overhaul. Wanted to remove them and replace the o-rings and stop the leak, trouble is they are made out of bakelite and won't budge. As it is I will probably need to replace them as they are brittle and falling apart. Is there a method of removing them without dropping bits and pieces of them iside the water jacket, don't really want to remove the head for a couple of shitty o-rings. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks Mike

I would highly suggest just taking a socket and lightly tapping it in to see if that stops the leak because they are nearly impossible to remove without breaking (at least in my hands) especially when old. If I ever have to take them out again i will have billet ones made to replace them.