GoldwingDocs Newsletter comment

[pshaginaw]

I just read the Jan. 2020 news article about the screw stuck in the valve. Stuff falling into bike engines happens from time to time when amateurs, and even professionals are working on bikes, so I thought I'd share with y'all what I do. I work on a lot of bikes besides Goldwings, so I have a collection of rubber stoppers and golf tees that I use when detaching any hoses, tubes, spark plugs, manifolds, or any other item that opens a hole that can cause a problem. Before doing anything else, I immediately plug the hole with the right size stopper to prevent anything entering the hole that might cause trouble. Even commercial publications such as Clymer or Haynes, and shop manuals also instruct one to plug any removed hoses with a golf tee. Rubber stoppers of all sizes are easily available from home repair or hardware stores, and they won't react with gasoline or solvents. A little precaution can avoid an engine teardown. Just say'n.

[WingAdmin]

I just read the Jan. 2020 news article about the screw stuck in the valve. Stuff falling into bike engines happens from time to time when amateurs, and even professionals are working on bikes, so I thought I'd share with y'all what I do. I work on a lot of bikes besides Goldwings, so I have a collection of rubber stoppers and golf tees that I use when detaching any hoses, tubes, spark plugs, manifolds, or any other item that opens a hole that can cause a problem. Before doing anything else, I immediately plug the hole with the right size stopper to prevent anything entering the hole that might cause trouble. Even commercial publications such as Clymer or Haynes, and shop manuals also instruct one to plug any removed hoses with a golf tee. Rubber stoppers of all sizes are easily available from home repair or hardware stores, and they won't react with gasoline or solvents. A little precaution can avoid an engine teardown. Just say'n.

Very good advice, but in this case it wouldn't have prevented the problem: it was a screw that worked itself free over time, and unfortunately it happened to be the screw holding down the screen that prevents things like screws from getting down into the engine.