Timing Inspection Cap and Crankshaft End Cap

[MORTYandrick]

It really does annoy me that these things come with a slit which has no standard tool to get them off so you have to end up using something like a coin to remove them and may or may not destroy the slits.
They don't like to come off when you want to because they're never taken off for ages unless for for valve clearances:


1) Is it ok to spray WD40 along the edges to try and get a cap off
2) The caps seem to be non magnetic. ,I am going to replace them immediately with ones that have allen sockets. I know the alternator sits right behind the right crank case cover and there's a rotating magnetic field involved. Would metals of magnetic nature for caps cause an issue?

The next two are purely hypothetical:
3) Suppose there's a small hole in said cap and the bike is ridden- what could happen?
4) suppose tiny hole in the right crankcase cover- what's the impact? (left cover-then you're obviously fucked cos oil but no oil reaches the right cover does it?)

[stinkwheel]

[MORTYandrick]

Woops sorry yes I mixed left and right.

What if you plugged the hole with a piece of metal like a torx head bit which fits super tight and snug in the hole- is it ok to ride?

I've wasted too much time on it I'm actually sick of it now. The damage has been done and I've given up and am getting garage to do it and getting new one. Grabit extractor didn't work -it just stops rotating in drill and drill makes that screech cos it wants to turn but the tight cap is stopping it, Centrepunch and hitting with hammer didn't- bugger is on so bloody tight. so I've resorted to lodging torx for now.

Prevention is better than cure: For the new one will undoing it and putting multipurpose grease on inner and outer threads every few thousand miles to keep it lubed be ok with the O-ring on the cap? won't damage the O-ring?

Edit: By file it so it fits - it'd be like an arch with the curve of the arch the exact same curve as the curve of the slot in the cap? Any other materials that could work other than a flatbar (don't have)?

Cheers btw.

[Raffles]

[lingeringstin...]

[MORTYandrick]

I agree- I seriously dislike tools which can only be used for one thing. The whole point of getting a tool is that you get to use it for various tasks and avoid paying someone else to do it so the investment eventually pays off. that doesn't happen with specialist
Certain manufacturers as you say are a massive PITA
If everyone bought every such tool they could all start their very own motorcycle garages
Thanks for the tip Raffles! I think I'll stick to barebones methods like Stinkwheel's though for the above reason