Ironhead Magneto removal and reinstall drop in?

[Iron Mike]

Note the position of the cam. Use the felt pen as mentioned. Pull mag. DO NOT TURN ENGINE AT ALL. Drop mag back in same position noting location of cam. Align felt pen mark. Done

Absolutely doable on a KNOWN CORRECTLY TIMED ENGINE. Good to know for roadside application.

[Todd007]

Thanks. That what it wanted to hear - the nuances of that method. I haven’t “handled” a magneto to date and wanted to get a sense of how that process might go. Happy to move on from this thread now. . Thanks.

[tiderider]

It's doable for sure, but if you have no mag experience you might want to just set the engine up for the perfect install. If it doesn't drop back into place right I guess you'll get more experience on the second try.

[Ferrous Head]

That's why you set it up as you do for timing the bike.

As you drop the mag in you can see the cam turning as it meshes with the drive gear. If it's one tooth CW or one tooth CCW out you can lift it and turn it just enough to rectify it. It can be a bit more "fiddly" than you would think.

[Todd007]

As a follow up to this, I was able to mark, remove and reinstall the mag using the drop in approach. It took a couple of goes as explained above. But this was my first foray into the cam chest. Did the checked the cams and bushings, replaced corks, mag seal, lifter guide o-rings. I still have one persist leak (rear intake guide), which I’m inquiring about in another thread. So, much thanks for the advice. T.

[Ferrous Head]

OK. Oil leaks.

To fix the leak you must find the source. Far too often people replace gaskets, o-rings, goo and whatever in an attempt to fix a persistent leak. Fr to ofen they are trying to fix it in the wrong location. Where it's not leaking.

It's uncommon to have an oil leak from under the base of the lifter block. But quite common to have a leak at the base of the push rod tubes. Make sure you have the tube installed the correct way up. Flat side goes to the bottom, flared (like a funnel) to the top. The lifter bore where the gasket fits in needs to be clean. Soek gaskets are fine but I really prefer the rubber (neoprene ?) ones.

Wash all traces of oil from the affected area. I often wipe it clean with Methanol as well. Start the engine and let it idle until it's warmed up. 3-4 minutes.

Take a handful of talcum powder (or cocaine, your preference) and blow this onto the affected area. DON'T ride the bike anywhere before you use the powder.

The powder will stick to the oil giving you a much better indication of where the oil is coming from. Highest point is the origin of the leak.

[Todd007]

Thanks. 95% certain it’s a leaky block. Everything is clean. Tubes are installed correctly and seated well. No base gasket leak. I’ve been sleuthing this a while now (but have committed very little cocaine to the project). Frankly, I’d be happy to find out it’s from another source. And will look elsewhere too. T

[Ferrous Head]

So she was sneaking out into the garage every night and squirting a small amount of oil underneath the bike. It was deriving him insane.

Eventually he sold the bike and they lived happily ever after.

The End

[rejeanprimeau]

Hey Ferrous, some women read the forum, stop giving the idea. LOL

[Ferrous Head]

Wait !

What ?

Women can read ?

When did that start ?

Is the Taliban aware of this ?

Oh Gawd, now I;'m in trouble.