Cleaning Intake Boots

This is genius! http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=37200.html

I'm very excited about this solution... I was really worried about how just the silicone would look... but this is great, plus added protection.

I assume a good cleaning would need to happen before they're sealed up. What have you used in the past to clean these boots? (mine have wd-40 all over them from vacuum testing).

Also, because I don't want to remove these boots, do most people do this repair while they're mounted to the bike? Just curious, thankS!

 

I would not recommend removing them unless you want to deal with broken bolts in your head. The bolts are very soft and usually VERY seized. They will seem as if they're turning but before you know it the heads snap off. Don't ask me how I know this...I'm trying to forget about the hell I went through with mine earlier this year.

 

WHAT bike?

The 550s are much less prone to manifold bolt breakage, as their bolt holes are blind (don't go all the way through) so they can't corrode from the backside. If it's a 650/750 then that is a very valid caution.

If you're asking about cleaning the cracks out prior to packing with silicone, the best way is to flush them with a solvent-type carb cleaner while flexing from the inside with your fingertip. Same for the packing process; flex from the inside to "open" the crack, pack with RTV, then wipe off (or spread) what squeezes out when they're allowed to go back to normal shape.

 

Well, I have seen a lot of posts about repairing cracks in the rubber intake boots with RTV. RTV is not rubber, it is silicone. It does not make a good bond, it it more like chaulking a crack on a window or door trim. It just covers up the crack, and will need redone from time to time.

However, from working as a tire repairman for several years in my youth, the bicycle innertube method seems to be a decent approach. (I didn't try to repair them, just bought a new set) But, I do not feel that RTV is the best compound/adhesive for this repair. Has anyone ever had to repair a hole in a bicycle tube? There is a cheap tube of compound that comes with the kit. Do not like it, but it works. The professional tire repair shops use a very good cold vulcanizing compound in a small brush top can. It actually makes a chemical bond between the "tire and patch". In our applications, it would be the intake boot and innertube section. Do a google search for vulcanizing cement. You can get it from most tool and equipment suppliers like harbor freight, grainger, etc. It is a much better compound than RTV, and is roughly the same cost as RTV.

 

What about those "new" on-tv spray rubber products that are now available in stores?

 

Ironic...I just was watching an advertisement about "flex seal" on tv. It is a spray can rubber sealant for like gutters and such. I have no experience with that stuff, but I have with the vulcanizing compound. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it work very well in repairing rubber. Logically it would work just as well on the intake boots and is more permanent than RTV.

 

Yes, mine is a 550, and I really want to avoid removing the boots to avoid any possible damage. I'm going to get on this process immediately, can't wait to test the differences!