question for high milage apex owners

[biffdotorg]

lol i am the op biffdotorg. been keeping an eye on the oil tank as i expected it to fail before now. always carry oil in the saddle bags. during off season i stuff a white paper towel under the tank to see if it is leaking lately. before care_bear started riding it, i rode it hard and agressive on a bunch of whooped out trails as well as breaking trapping trails with it.

That's so funny, this thread got so long, I forgot who the OP was! ha!

Mine was seeping just slightly, and didn't realize it till it sat all last summer. But now, after doing the epoxy fix, it's really coming on strong. I may have "cleaned" the edges a bit much before epoxy. I hope I can save my oil while doing it again, but if I lose 3 quarts of oil because I had to drain the tank so be it.

Maybe this time, I will do it in a nice warm environment instead of the 50 degree shop. That will make my wife happy.

 

[maim]

lol that is why i gladly pay for the propane to run the heater in the garage. boost it with the wood stove when i am in there but usually holds it at around 55 f at -4 f outside temp. learned to do all my fixing outside at same temps and colder. learned the value of wind shelters early and now am experianced enough to apreciate heated repair areas when ever i need to use them.

 

[biffdotorg]

lol that is why i gladly pay for the propane to run the heater in the garage. boost it with the wood stove when i am in there but usually holds it at around 55 f at -4 f outside temp. learned to do all my fixing outside at same temps and colder. learned the value of wind shelters early and now am experianced enough to apreciate heated repair areas when ever i need to use them.

My shop is heated as well, it’s just that the recommended epoxy wanted 70 degrees for 48 hours. So I obviously didn’t let it cure properly. I took it off tonight, and brought it in the house this time. We will be in Texas for the next week. So this will give it more time to cure..

 

[biffdotorg]

OK, I pulled my oil tank last night. And looked to be seeping from the area nearest the bolt hole on the bottom. I think that is common. I ground the epoxy off that I had put on there, and cleaned up the aluminum. I will hit it again today for it's cure. For those that have done this fix, did you replace the o-ring that goes around the oil pickup in the bottom of the tank. Something was telling me that o-ring may have been pinched or not sealing as well. The oil was there, but not sure if it was coming out there or just settling there since it's the lowest point. I guess a couple dollar o-ring is good insurance.

I love this sled so much, I just want it perfect again. I don't even want to look at other sleds, knowing they will all be compared to my beloved trail tank.

 

[CaptCaper]

My shop is heated as well, it’s just that the recommended epoxy wanted 70 degrees for 48 hours. So I obviously didn’t let it cure properly. I took it off tonight, and brought it in the house this time. We will be in Texas for the next week. So this will give it more time to cure..

Nothing beats a warm light bulb near by on it to cure it out.

 

[maim]

I've got over 17,000 miles on my 08 and had also checked those bushings but for me, my slop was attributed this steering relay rod, #29, as both ends had play in them. Was just a bear to replace.

View attachment 158892

well, put the lower a arm bolts in earlier in the week and decided to check all steering components for play. other than parts #30 and 32 in the pic, all the tie rods have some play but not horrendous. need to rebush the pitman arm and idler arm as they where rocking a bit. i will get them in the off season when i do the annual oil filter. thanks to whoever said to check. drag link to them had almost no plaqy.