Air box covers seals

[Roostabunny]

Hello again. I've been trying to find the seals that go between the air box and the chrome covers on the end. Mine are torn and warped. The problem is, I can't find them on any of the fiches. On the airbox fiche, the covers are 7 and 8, but no seals.

Where else can I look to find these?

Welcome, Dogma.

Rite of passage indeed. I was able to save the top half of my airbox... um... rubbers, and save some time on the crafts project. The pics are here.

While you're at it, there's a wee (1/8" thick?) space inside up at the top of the airbox. It's like a channel that runs the length of the unit, and it's where the air flows from the breather hose flange into the airbox. I should say that it's where the air is supposed to flow. It tends to rust in there, and over time it builds up in the narrow space till it clogs it completely, restricting the breather, and potentially causing pressure to build up in your crankcase. This, in turn, leads to extra oil leaks.

I cut a wire coat hanger and put a 90° bend about an inch from the end of the wire. It fit the channel nicely and worked great as a rake/broom for the rust sludge that was clogging mine. The channels open at both ends (at least on my '81 it is) so pushing or pulling the sludge worked equally well.

Someone else on the forum suggested 2mm TIG welding wire, which I'm sure would work great. Whichever you have on hand.

[Dogma]

Roostabunny,

Thanks for the heads-up. I didn't even notice that groove in there. My airbox is generally soaked in oil, so it's due for a general cleaning. I'll be sure to find it now. Great tip on reusing the top half of that gasket too. I'm hoping to come up with a reusable seal on the caps, instead of just laying in silicone every time I close it up again.

[Roostabunny]

Roostabunny,

Thanks for the heads-up. I didn't even notice that groove in there. My airbox is generally soaked in oil, so it's due for a general cleaning. I'll be sure to find it now. Great tip on reusing the top half of that gasket too. I'm hoping to come up with a reusable seal on the caps, instead of just laying in silicone every time I close it up again.

Yeah, check out my pics - I got the weatherstripping stuff from Ace, and I've had the covers off and on a couple of times since then. Totally re-usable. It also worked to replace the disintigrated foam seal between the air filter and the airbox. Maybe they sell OEM gaskets, but getting weatherstripping into place inside that airbox is near impossible to get a perfect seal, even if you can get every last bit of that oil-soaked gasket gunk out.

My tip - scrape out all the old foam from the airbox and then attach the new weatherstripping to the filter, not the airbox. Easier to clean (for good adhesion), and waaaay easier to install with the filter just sitting on the bench. I was careful not to roll the new "gasket" off as I re-installed the filter, and it went in no problem.

In defense of the silicone plan - if you do the Saran trick correctly you'll get a seal that's molded to your covers but is only stuck to the airbox, so it's reusable, too. Hard to visualize, I know.

I had a thought that maybe some non-stick cooking spray (or a dab of canola even. Butter?) on the back side of the airbox cover would work even better than Saran? It'll release, but it's less likely to mess up the curing of the silicone than harsher chems like WD40 or PB Blaster. Haven't tried it. Either way, cooking spray is underrated as a shop tool. Can you tell it's Friday afternoon?

[Roostabunny]

By the way, if no one's recommended it yet, evaulate your airbox boots. Depends on how hard they've gotten in 26 years, but fresh ones go onto the carbs very much easier. Also, they seal, which is the point of this whole excercise. Mine were pretty hardened and felt like plastic. I didn't even realize they were made of rubber till I got the new ones.

Figure on $40 for a set of four, assuming you need them. I think Flatout had the best parts+shipping price, if you don't mind the wait.

[Dogma]

Figure on $40 for a set of four, assuming you need them. I think Flatout had the best parts+shipping price, if you don't mind the wait.

Awesome! I somehow missed the link to the pics earlier. One question about that foam tape: Isn't open-cell foam... permeable? But it wouldn't make sense for weather-stripping to be permeable, would it?

I had a quick fiddle with the boots already. I'd say they're currently about halfway between your new and old ones. Install/uninstall is plenty easy. I'll take a closer look when I clean it all up. I hope to keep them, as I'll be spending enough on the front boots and o-rings already.

[Roostabunny]

Awesome! I somehow missed the link to the pics earlier. One question about that foam tape: Isn't open-cell foam... permeable? But it wouldn't make sense for weather-stripping to be permeable, would it?

I had a quick fiddle with the boots already. I'd say they're currently about halfway between your new and old ones. Install/uninstall is plenty easy. I'll take a closer look when I clean it all up. I hope to keep them, as I'll be spending enough on the front boots and o-rings already.

Yeah - this'll get expensive quick if you're already replacing the carb (aka intake) boots - bummer. Good move though, and make sure you get viton o-rings that'll take the heat. Robert Barr sells them cheap with a stainless hex bolt kit that'll save some time next time you need those boots off. Well, if yours are still moderately flexible you may get away with it, so give it a shot. I might get flamed for saying this, but a little silicone in the grooves when you reassemble them to the airbox might buy you some time on the old boots.

Check for an alignment mark on the boots and airbox. Not sure about the '80, but my '81 had left and right hand boots, and if they're in upside down you will think you've lost your mind when you try to fit up to the carbs. Ask me how I know. :-D Anyway, the fiche will tell you if you have right and left handed boots. Handed boots?

Meanwhile, yes, it's open cell but it's not actually permeable. I think in this case (with the rubber foam tape) the open cell refers to the fact that the edges show the bubbles. It's nothing like, say, polyurethane flex foam that's also used for weather stripping. That stuff's more like upholsterer's seat foam.

[Dogma]

Check for an alignment mark on the boots and airbox. Not sure about the '80, but my '81 had left and right hand boots, and if they're in upside down you will think you've lost your mind when you try to fit up to the carbs. Ask me how I know. :-D Anyway, the fiche will tell you if you have right and left handed boots. Handed boots?

Thanks. I'll keep my eyes peeled for that when the garage gets above freezing again.