valve cover warped?

hh72385 · #1 (**permalink**) 09-20-2010, 08:05 PM

I have a small leak on the left hand side of the engine right inbetween the valve cover and the gasket. First of all i noticed the the bolts were pretty loose not even hand tight. So i tighten them a little bit now the leak isnt as bad but it still leaks. Can the valve cover have warped? like many others my ds overheated and i had to limp back to camp, could the engine running hot cause it to warp or did the gasket fail? any ideas on how to fix the leaky area?

diesel101 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-20-2010, 09:02 PM

Well the limp mode happens because the ecu has a real low setting stock i think, so it wouldn't get hot enough to damage anything, it would stop itself before hand. The race ecu as far as I know just removes that temp setting.

When the bolts got loose maybe the gasket got some crap in there and won't seal properly or came out of place... Gasket sealer and mybe see if it's out of place or get a new gasket... You should be fine

hcomras · #3 (**permalink**) 09-20-2010, 11:38 PM

agree with diesel101, bolts probably worked themselves loose and the the gasket prob got crap in it...my local dealership is NOTORIOUS for reusing parts like the gasket and oil filter (i know this first hand lol) maybe the dealership didnt tighten the bolts or use loctite? anyways the limp mode mightve occured from oil lose (was the oil level low?) or just a coincidence. there are tons of ways to fix the limp mode without the race ecu, just do a topic search for overheating or check out the FAQ

fast507 · #4 (**permalink**) 09-21-2010, 12:44 PM

Cast aluminum is unlikely to warp. More than likely the gasket was, as you said installed improperly, not torqued, or even worse, pinched and then tightened at some point. I get so pissed off when guys who call themselves pro mechanics half-ass their way thru a job as a way to try to beat the flat-rate book and make billable hours. It doesn't take any more time to install something right the first time than it does to do it a second time to fix it.

When I was a service manager, every customer was entered under a mechanic's name. Each mechanic was responsible for completing his work, and delivering to the end customer. He was back billed if the customer returned for the same condition within 2 weeks. Cut my labor losses significantly.

Much to my disappointment, it seems as if there are a bunch of guys half-assing service work on the Can Am's, moreso than it seems with other brands.

Seems like there ar a bunch of guys on this site that have dealt with this like you have, HH....

hcomras · #5 (**permalink**) 09-21-2010, 02:13 PM

Truer words have never been spoken lol...unfortunetly its probably easier to become a can-am mech now rather than a honda/yami/etc because they still yield a high demand for service...since they rarely see a ds compared to the other quads, its easier to blow and go and move on

azirish · #6 (**permalink**) 09-21-2010, 06:53 PM

just got mine back from 6 month service(my wife bought the service contract when she bought my bike!) when i got it home i had oil all over my trailer and the skidplate, i checked the oil level and there was no oil in it!! when i took it back to them they took it in the back then came out and said it was fine, they just forgot to clean it!! i told the guy about it not having oil and he actually said i must not have checked it right cuz it is full!! not check the oil right? really? so after i threatened to pull him outside for calling me a liar and being lied to, i am now awaiting a phone call from the owner of ridenow powersports to discuss my compensation for his service departments idiocy!!