ST3 Oil leaks and missing bolts.

[Sabcat]

I've got an ST3 that leaks oil. Shocking, I know. I know the rocker cover gaskets are leaking, does anyone know if there's other places oil I should be looking for leaks?

 

A mate also has an ST3, it has the same oil leak problems as mine but also has some missing bolts - one from the crank case end cover, 2 from the exhaust manifold and one from the inlet manifold. It runs a treat (or like smokey noisy epicentre of evil depending on your pov) but obviously we want to get the bolts replaced.

 

Gaskets are easy enough to find, not sure where to look for the bolts though. Anyone got any ideas?

[smileypete]

Quite a few methods on the web, one is to clean the eng then give a dusting of talcum/baby powder/cornflour before running, to show up a leak.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[RLWP]

I'd forgotten about this. I'll do some research tomorrow. I expect the bolts are going to be common to several engines

 

Richard

[Sabcat]

Quite a few methods on the web, one is to clean the eng then give a dusting of talcum/baby powder/cornflour before running, to show up a leak.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

Good plan. I'll try that.

I'd forgotten about this. I'll do some research tomorrow. I expect the bolts are going to be common to several engines

 

Richard

 

Nice one, thanks.

[bizzard]

Nuts and bolts on ST's should generally be UNF sizes including manifold and timing gear case nuts and bolts.

[Sabcat]

Nuts and bolts on ST's should generally be UNF sizes including manifold and timing gear case nuts and bolts.

 

Cheers. I suppose taking one of the others out and seeing if it fits and if it does taking it down to somewhere like Midland Fastners would be a plan. It'd probably mean buying 100

[bizzard]

 

Cheers. I suppose taking one of the others out and seeing if it fits and if it does taking it down to somewhere like Midland Fastners would be a plan. It'd probably mean buying 100

You can measure them, but yes taking them along as a pattern might be best. The bolts probably have UNF stamped on the heads.

[RLWP]

No need to buy 100, my supplier will supply even one bolt

 

Richard

Edited September 1, 2014 by RLWP

[Sabcat]

That makes life easy. Thinking about it, I've got 84 bolts left over from my last trip to Midland Fasteners when I rebuilt an American screen printing press and some kind soul had decided it was too much trouble to find a 9/16 spanner and rounded 16 of them off.

 

The chances of them being the right size are slim to non existent. I'm never that lucky.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Sabcat

[Sabcat]

Further investigation of the missing end case bolt is that most of it isn't missing, just the top 1/8" or so. None of the others look as though they've ever been taken out so I'm guessing it took a knock when the engine was put into or taken out of a boat/dumper truck/cement mixer or wherever else it's found itself in the last 40 years. As it's not causing a problem - no leaks from the end cover - I'm inclined to just leave it be.