RODS build........

[fifer]

I just dont trust f*****ng garages anymore!
Hey Luke...got a pic of the tool(s) you made?
 I'll bring it up to you to do!
 
 Been discussing with a mate at work what I should do about the engine leak....
 The recon guy says he will pay for the bits I used  . Im taking that to mean ,the seal,the speedy sleeve and the eng/gbox oil..about £75 I reckon.
 Should I just take the money and walk away? (he'll probably argue about the amount ).this could leave me open to an expensive crank replacement and or re grind etc later on
  ..OR ..should I push him to replace the crank and re grind etc etc.This would mean loss of the trike for a couple of weeks minimum  TBH and I would lose the £75 .Either way I feel Im between a rock and a hard place. Just want to ride the thing,not waste another load of time ,plus I feel I just cant keep pumping wonga in to this!
 All opinions appreciated ! (even ones I dont want to hear! )

Rod , did you fill in the scores prior to fitting the Speedi sleeve ? .
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Personally , I would just ride it all summer and put thousands of miles on it  .
I take it that the leak is showing from the bottom front of the gearbox where the bell housing joins onto the engine ?
There is a notch at the bottom of the box so why not just make up a very small , easily removable , catchment tray with some absorbent material inside and fix it to the engine plate  .
.
.

[Manky Monkey]

Purely personal opinion -get out there & put some miles on it before you lose all enthusiasm for it.
For me, the whole point of a hardtail Reliant trike is it's basicness -that's what makes it fun to ride. They leak a bit, they rattle a bit -but they go on forever.
Fix what you need to & learn to live with the rest.

[digger06]

a speedi sleeve should last the engines whole life, usually they are harder wearing than the parent metal,
if its still leaking its ether a bad fit (unlikely) or a bad seal, did u fill the grind marks up before fitting as fifer said?
did you bearing seal it?it helps if its real bad...
the decision of what u wanna do is up to u though,
personally
id drill a hole in the bell housing and run it, provided the clutch doesnt get any oil on it, think of it as a self changing oil system

fork seals,
 i only use original seals , check to see if  the stanchions are worn (you,l see it) ,after that its bush replacement time,,

[Manky Monkey]

Favourite trick for fixing rust pitted fork stanchions was always to fill the pitts with Araldite glue, then gently sand it smooth. Fit rubber fork gaitors to hide any leaks! I always assumed the slot in the bottom of the gearbox bellhousing was an oil drainage hole 
I'd never advocate riding something unroadworthy, but I reckon you're over-thinking it all a bit Rod. Ride it & enjoy it before you build all the fun out of it. 

[spanners]

ITS NOT LEAKING  its just marking its territery

[digger06]

I always assumed the slot in the bottom of the gearbox bellhousing was an oil drainage hole 

it fills up with water if its blocked, dont ask me how i know

[Bus Boy]

HOW DO YOU KNOW?

[digger06]

a 3 wheeler, and a water crossing in denmark 10 yr ago,

[ROD]

I didnt fill the grind mark,but I followed the instructions to the letter,including applying a sealer(instant gasket) before fitting the sleeve.Afterward I checked minutely for any imperfections in the surface. I also fitted a slightly narrower seal,which made the actual seal contact area slightly back from where the glitch was,and check measured everything ,literally about 10 times,to make sure it would clear the glitch(which was by now under the sleeve). I taped the end of the crank and oiled it to make sure the seal didnt snag as it went on. There used to be a product called 'wellseal' or summat which we used to use to seal the join twixt seal and housing,but I didnt think it was necessary TBH,as the metal on the outside rim was covered in rubber anyway .maybe its coming from there? Hey Ho,I know I should really go out and ride it,and I do realise its a bit ott,but now the problem is implanted in me brain...........

[ROD]

Aaaaaaarrrgggghhhh!.....frustrating waiting for the bits to do my suzuki front suspension. Still waiting for some bushes for them! Been a while now,need to ride the beast!

[Manky Monkey]

Stop faffing about Rod! I want to see it on the road now!

[one arm bandit]

just fill the fork legs with old socks bash um back together and let the front tyre down a bit........

[Manky Monkey]

Yeah, that's why people come here -good quality engineering advice.

[fifer]

Originally posted by one arm bandit  ;
just fill the fork legs with old socks bash um back together and let the front tyre down a bit........

Originally posted by Manky Monkey ;
Yeah, that's why people come here -good quality engineering advice.

I get my socks from Tesco , would those do or do I need Marks & Sparks socks ?
Also,I need to know if my plain socks are suitable or would patterned ones be better ?
I have just been informed that I can get lots in something called a sock et set from some place named Halfords
The only thing that is putting me off buying aforementioned sock et set from some place named Halfords is the fact that apparently I have to have a rats**t in the box  
Pretty unhygienic I would have thought ?

.
As for letting the front tyre down , do you think if I told the tyre that I was going to take it ballroom dancing and the did not turn up that it would be let down enough ?
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Yours sincerely ,
Stu Pitt
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[spanners]

  pmsl,,nice one fifer