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[PeteF]

Yep, bit more thought and you're probably right. Let us know if it works.

[Wheaters]

Just been trawling eBay. I noticed a 500 Electra for sale (ally barrel and a electric start so not the same as my 2004, iron barrelled, kickstart only model), but still retaining the "old" fashioned, redundant timing case. It has what looks like an additional breather near the top on the rear side of the timing case. If it's good enough for a factory mod. on later bikes, I guess it confirms it will be OK for mine.

[TONUPBOY]

Hey, guys. You've all been really great so far, and I've got full faith that you'll be able to help me out with my latest inquiry. I replaced the gasket on the cb points shaft, and (much to my dismay) I've still got a leak. It's not spraying a mist like it was before, but rather trickling out the bottom, at approx. the 12 o'clock position. I've got two gasket sets that were sent from India, and neither of them have a gasket like the one that came off the shaft originally. What I believe to be the points shaft gaskets in these sets are donut-shaped (think o-ring, washer, etc.), whereas the one I removed more closely followed the contours of the points housing (it has three protrusions on it that look like cogs on a gear, and these are where the three mounting screws go).  I'm beginning to wonder if I should have cut my own gasket using the old one as a template; the gasket I used doesn't surround the mounting screws as the original did. I thoroughly cleaned and put Permatex on both sides of the gasket surfaces before fitting, so I'm very surprised at my misfortune here. There's nothing worse than having to redo a tedious job! Does anyone with a mid 2000's Bullet have pictures of their cb points gasket for reference? Any ideas on how I can resolve this leak without reaching for the RTV? Thanks in advance!

[Paul M H]

Position 3

,
GASKET, DISTRIBUTOR FLANGE


Code: 144623


Price: £1.10


IF you put that no in search box at top it should come up.

[Paul M H]

P/s that's the one used on my 500 Iron barrel bullet never had a problem its a newer version the older one with ears cut out is discontinued as it says but this works better and its not as fragile.

[TONUPBOY]

Thanks, Paul. Well, shucks... I saw that gasket in the kit, but I dismissed it as being for the points shaft because it was so wide the gasket face could be seen protruding when viewed from the left side of the bike and it was pretty unsightly. Do they expect you to trim it? I looked all over Google for a picture of the gasket; guess I should have referred to Hitchcocks search function or the forum before proceeding. Lesson learned.

[TONUPBOY]

You, sir, are awesome! To be honest, I don't think I'd own a Bullet if there weren't such a great support system out there for these bikes.

[TONUPBOY]

Has anyone replaced their points shaft gasket to find that the new style gasket is oversized and can be seen when the assembly is installed? If so, did you trim it? Did trimming it cause things to leak?

[TONUPBOY]

I'm sorry to beat a dead horse, but I'm at my wit's end! I replaced the gasket for the second time with the proper article, and I've still got a leak. I even put liberal amounts of Versachem #2 gasket on both sides of the gasket face, as well as where the inside lip of the shaft meets the timing chest, in addition to tightening the mounting screws down as snug as I could get 'em. Is it safe to assume at this point I've got higher crankcase pressure than is normal, and I need to supplement my breather with either a vented oil cap or valve breathers, as mentioned?

On the bright side, the bike's never ran better! Removing the points shaft and gear necessitated re-timing, and it now starts up on the first kick and purrs like a (big) kitten.

[papasmurf]

Overfilled the oil? (That catches a lot of people out.)