Date: 19-03-24  Time: 08:52 am

Author Topic: These things are sent to try us and try us they do!  (Read 7810 times)

Sidewinder

  • CBT Wobbler
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  • Posts: 34
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 98-99
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These things are sent to try us and try us they do!
« on: 14 July 2016, 09:21:28 pm »
Hi all,
          Can I share a little story with you.
My son and I have both got FZS600 his girl is a 98 and mine a 99, he recently did an oil change on his with no problems and I needed one doing to mine soooo.
With him being crap at electrics, he wanted to add some day running lights, a live socket under his seat (I did it via the fuse box) also change his clock bulbs to blue LED’s and the twin headlight conversion to his bike I said pop over you do my oil change and I’ll sort your electrics stuff.
He cracked on with changing my oil and I sorted his electrical stuff out (yep to those in the know I drew the short straw I know).
Oil changed, engine run with no apparent leaks t’was sorted or so I thought.
The preparation was due to a 600+ mile round trip with an overnight stay that we were both making on 11th July to Rossendale Lancashire we live down south.
Well the day came and we set off no with probs and after a nice long ride we arrived without any hiccups, the bikes never missed a beat, arriving in the dark at the B&B we put our bikes in the garage for safe keeping overnight.
Next morning ready to set off I noticed a trickle of oil coming from a 8ml hex key flat cap situated to the right of the oil level sight glass.   
I hate oil leaks with a passion and my old girl never had one before the oil change.
Looking at it my son said oh I thought I did it back up tight enough and then went on to tell me he cracked it open and then realised he was undoing the wrong thing to drop the oil the stupid plonker!
If only he had told me I would have re torqued the thing however all was not as it seemed after the B&B owner finding me a 8ml hex key I did it up a bit more cleaned the oil up (nothing was worth mentioning in loss of oil the sight glass) so I thought all sorted.
We jumped on our bikes and set off to do what we had to do for the day pulling up at a garage for fuel my son noticed the oil leaking more than a weep.
With a few choice words to the skies I thought get to a motor garage they may be able to help as there was no motorcycle garages nearby.
Well I got to a garage where my son knew the owner and he spoke to Darren of Waterside Autocentre in Haslingden to my suprise it turns out the owner is a biker and his daughter rides in competitions too (she’s only 7) I asked if he could help, after checking my service manual on my mobile it turns out the cap screw is for pressure testing the engine so nothing behind it to break.
Upon taking it off Darren found a hairline crack all around the top of the thread where it joins to the flat cap with an o ring on.
What was happening was when the engine was pressurising it was forcing oil through the crack and leaking so just starting the engine wasn’t enough to make it weep initially I guess (I am no mechanic but can do some maintenance) doing the cap up must have opened the thread a bit more.
Well with a little help from Darren we managed to sort out why it was happening but how could we sort it?
Some metal putty? nah engine pressurised the oil came out so a new cap was order of the day.
That is where the problem started, the part number for this cap is 36Y1518900 and after trying every single motorcycle scrap dealer, Yamaha dealer and shops within 150 miles it was soon realised that no one held this cap or anything like it in stock and the soonest it could be ordered into stock was 3 days, coming around to the thought I would be coming home via the back of a truck my son shot off with the cap to the nearest Yammy dealer called Keith Dixons in Accrington.
These guys went over the top for me after I rang them initially to ask if they had one in stock to be told no for an answer.
Listening to my son plead my plight these guys went into the back of their workshops armed with the cap from my bike and dug out old engines to find one at the bottom of a pile from an old R6, trying my cap into the old engine it worked so they removed 2 and my son was able to purchase them both.
Talk about luck, my son got back to me, the plug cap was fitted in seconds by the gracious Darren and my bike as good as gold with no leaks I thanked everyone in a way you do when someone helps you and I was on my way again, on whole it took about 4 hours so half a day wasted but my old girl was fixed and that was down to 2 great companies who went that extra mile so many many thanks to them both.

I give you this story because this fragile, thin and flimsy little cap stopped my bike dead, it was capable of leaving me stranded 300+ miles from home and not one main dealer or scrap yard had one in stock so touch it at your own peril or get a spare!!
I have got one now and it stays with my bike. 
Cheers all
omnia causa fiunt