Triumph Bonneville crank case leak

[sixto]

The brother-in-law has a '71 Triumph Bonneville with a serious crank case leak when parked. Do I dare tear into the crankcase with basic tools and a shop manual? This'll be my first non-automotive engine venture.

Sixto
87 300D

[kmaysob]

id say you will know real quick weather you have the tools to do it. is it currently running? if it were me, i would go for it. bikes are just like cars, you just gotta be more careful not to overtighten things

[spdrun]

It's an old Brit bike. It needs to mark its spot.

[kmaysob]

Originally Posted by spdrun

It's an old Brit bike. It needs to mark its spot.

Whats harleys excuse ?

[sixto]

Low miles and very clean runner. The engine might be bigger than my uncle's TR-2.

Sixto
87 300D

[Can't Know]

That sounds like a Bonnie.

I wouldn't touch it.

If you know the name Peter Egan, you know how good a mechanic he is and you also know his love of British machines (and Guinness).

I remember a column of his where he talked about how ridiculously hand-built, modified and massage their engines were, as well as the goofy spanners and other tools needed to work on them. Their standards were in some cases so loose that you couldn't even reliably swap rings from one cylinder to the other.

He took his to a specialist...even he wouldn't open it.

That right there would be enough to keep me out of it.

Good luck.

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by kmaysob

Whats harleys excuse ?

From Milwaukee?

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by Can't Know

That sounds like a Bonnie.

I wouldn't touch it.

If you know the name Peter Egan, you know how good a mechanic he is and you also know his love of British machines (and Guinness).

I remember a column of his where he talked about how ridiculously hand-built, modified and massage their engines were, as well as the goofy spanners and other tools needed to work on them. Their standards were in some cases so loose that you couldn't even reliably swap rings from one cylinder to the other.

He took his to a specialist...even he wouldn't open it.

That right there would be enough to keep me out of it.

Good luck.

I worked with a guy several years, since then has retired, who worked in a Triumph BSA shop when he was very young. He was also a very good mechanic and said some similar things even though he had lots of experience with them.

[t walgamuth]

He just needs to avoid parking it.

[tyl604]

On my old Triumph the tools you used were a special size named Whitworth (as I remember). Is this still true? Regular tools were not sized right.

[E150GT]

Do it man. MY friend has one too. It had a hellacious leak but he fixed it.

[Air&Road]

I think they're called Wentworth, but I'm not sure.

[Skippy]

Whitworth fasteners: British Standard Whitworth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I would do lots of research before attempting anything major on anything old and British. There's a reason Japan became dominant in motorcycle manufacture.

[Air&Road]

Okay, I stand corrected. Whitworth it is. Thanks for the link. Learn something new everyday around here.

When I was an elementary schooler, my Dad hired an British guy as a mechanic in his shop. The old fellow showed me some tools that had some strange markings on them. I expect that this is what they were.

I got quite an education on English automotive terminology from him. For instance, he did not "tighten a bolt," rather he "put a spanner to it." I also learned things like bonnet, boot, windscreen and others.

[t walgamuth]

I think whitworth fasteners took a normal spanner but their threads were different. Wikipedia confirms that.