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Bike is a 2006 ZX-10R. I've taken out the screws in the air box to split it into two halves for cleaning (not just taking the lid off). Putting it back together, I'm noticing some gaps that were previously sealed with some sort of black rubber like material. The gaps aren't anywhere near the screws, so it isn't at matter of being misaligned or needing to be tighter.

Now I'm looking for something to use on the seam to fill in the gap in a few places and also create an airtight seal. I had a go with clear RTV, but it doesn't seem to be bonding well enough to the plastic air box to give me confidence it will last any acceptable amount of time and not break apart and get sucked into the engine. Is there something more acceptable for this sort of thing?

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  • Short term? Duct tape. That's how it got it's name.
    – finleyarcher
    Aug 8, 2017 at 22:34

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If I were you, I'd use some 150-200 grit sandpaper on the two edges you are trying to seal. This will give the area a good bonding area to work on. You'd then need to clean the two halves of the air box with isopropyl alcohol or acetone to get them thoroughly clean. Then apply RTV to one side and stick the two sides together right away. You want a little bit of "squish" to come out. Between the scuffed up edges and the thicker portions on each side, it won't come out and your air box will be sealed without issue. You don't need a lot of squish, but enough to form a bit on both sides of the box (inside/outside).

Something else to think about here is, you won't draw enough vacuum to pull the RTV into the air box. You'll have a large hole in the inlet side and a large hole (or even holes if going to separate throttle bodies) on the other side. Air basically passes through the box, but with the holes there, there's not much force being applied to the box at all. It just guides and shapes the air. I don't think there's much worry about it pulling the RTV through no matter what you do.

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  • It is also possible to get a rubber strip 1/2" or 3/4" wide that is sticky on one side that could do the job - cleanliness as @Paulster2 answer.
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 8, 2017 at 19:06
  • @SolarMike - Sounds like a reasonable alternative.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Aug 8, 2017 at 20:20
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    @raydowe There are different grades or RTV or adhesives, make sure you are using one intended for plastic bonding.
    – finleyarcher
    Aug 8, 2017 at 22:36
  • Thanks. Found some straight up silicone that mentions bonding to plastic, so went with that. Sanded and cleaned with isopropyl. I also noticed during reassembly that the large gaps are in areas before the filter, so likely not an issue.
    – raydowe
    Aug 11, 2017 at 8:39

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