Not sure if other CRF-450 [and possibly the new CRF-250] owners have had problems reinstalling the two front bolts which hold the valve cover in place? Anyway, I have been battling with the problem for a couple of years every 10 hrs or so when I check the valve lash on my 2002 ... putting those last two bolts back in place is the hardest part of the task. Seems that Honda engineered something that looks incredibly easy but can be real bear to accomplish. Aligning the base of the bolt with the threaded hole in the top of the head is complicated by the fact that the notch in the valve cover makes it really hard to hold onto the bolt head and keep the base aligned, while at the same time, trying to spin it into the hole which is present on the top of a small circular post that is just high enough to keep the bolt from bottoming out in the valve cover above. If you have one of these, you'll understand what I am attempting to describe.
Anyway ... tonight I was playing with these 'favorite bolts' trying to get them into their holes when I figured a simple way to simultaneously hold and align them during the installation process. Just place a sheet of paper towel over the head of a bolt, then force the appropriate socket [adapted with a 3 inch extention] onto the bolt head and tear off the residual paper towel. Now the bolt will stay firmly implanted in the socket and by virtue of the extention you can easily align it with the threaded hole under the valve cover!
Its amazing ... I don't know how many times this simple job has taken me more than 20 minutes to accomplish ... with the described trick, I basically installed each bolt into the threaded hole on the very first try ... maybe two seconds to find the hole and start the insertion process.
If someone else has posted something like this, I apologize. Not being much of a mechnical sort, I thought perhaps others might profit from my moment of inspiration?
terry nestrick :thumb:
Anyway ... tonight I was playing with these 'favorite bolts' trying to get them into their holes when I figured a simple way to simultaneously hold and align them during the installation process. Just place a sheet of paper towel over the head of a bolt, then force the appropriate socket [adapted with a 3 inch extention] onto the bolt head and tear off the residual paper towel. Now the bolt will stay firmly implanted in the socket and by virtue of the extention you can easily align it with the threaded hole under the valve cover!
Its amazing ... I don't know how many times this simple job has taken me more than 20 minutes to accomplish ... with the described trick, I basically installed each bolt into the threaded hole on the very first try ... maybe two seconds to find the hole and start the insertion process.
If someone else has posted something like this, I apologize. Not being much of a mechnical sort, I thought perhaps others might profit from my moment of inspiration?
terry nestrick :thumb:
