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883 Cam Cover Removal Question

propflux01

Active Member
I would like to remove the cam cover on an '05 883 so I can polish it as part of a detail job. Can I pull just the cover without disturbing anything else? I do not wish to remove cams or anything like that, just the cover and then reinstall it after I polish it.
 
I am not sure if the rubber mounts are the same as the solid mount sportsters but when I took the cam cover off of my 93 sportster 2 of the cams came with the cover as there are bushings in the cover that help support the cams
I had to remove the rocker boxes and the push rods to allow the lifters to be raised to get the cams back in place cam gears had to be lined up correctly with the supplied markings on the gears

Brian
 
This is what I was kinda afraid of. I work in aviation and in one of our engines there is an accessory drive section that has a front cover very similar to the way the 883 engine cam cover is. I can remove that cover while the gears stay in place. I was hoping I could do the same with the 883's cam cover.
 
It may be that if you laid the bike down on its left side the weight of the cams would hold them in place while you pull the cover
However that may cause other issues
Or perhaps pull the cover a wee bit and get a large screwdriver or other thin object in and push the cams fully on to the engine side
Or just pull it and see what happens but be prepared to strip the rocker boxes to get it all together
When I did mine I had just put the rocker boxes back on after polishing when I pulled the gear case cover If I had known then what I know now I would have done the gear case first

Brian
 
I would agree with Brian...
The cam covers on a sport HOLDS the cams ends in place... BUGGER to get it back on correctly like fin said.

Suggest you Polish it In Place...:newsmile07:

signed....BUBBIE
 
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I would take the top end apart first, this will save you a lot of agravation IMO. This is like taking the cam cover off a Panhead , if 1 cam falls out or cam shim slips all bets are off Good luck
 
Suggest you Polish it In Place...:newsmile07:

signed....BUBBIE

You Guys over that side of the pond must be really strong as I cant lift my sporty off the ground let alone hold it against a bench polisher with the correct amount of force to refinish the gear case cover :p

Brian
 
I was hoping I could further this thread by asking a question directly related.

Like the idiot newbie biker I am, I accidentally pulled the cover off about 1/4 inch. Maybe a hair more. (The rear brake rod prevented me from going further). I heard a little suction noise and lost a small amount of oil before I realized I was being stupid and placed the cover back on. I topped of the oil and ran the bike. Everything seems okay aside from the fact that I may have created an oil leak.

The question is, did I possibly do something that could be causing damage as I continue to ride that I'm not thinking about?
 
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Welcome to the forum. You didn't say what year your bike is, but if you didn't take it far enough off that the gears unmeshed and it runs well, I'd say you're OK.
 
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