O-rings on cylinder block

[Guest]

Hey There,

I have a question regarding the four o-rings that fit on the bottom side of the cylinder block on a 1981 GS1100E. I am rebuilding the top end, and was wondering if the four o-rings need to be seated all the way down in the groove or can they be slightly pushed in place with my finger? It seems like the o-rings want to deform some when trying to push down in the groove with a small plastic doll rod. I am afraid of pushing them fully in the groove because they would most likely get damaged, upon removal, if that is not the case. When removing the original ones, it seemed like they may have not been fully pushed down in the groove, but with it being 35+ years old, it's hard to say. I do not want to proceed until I know for sure what is proper. My large detailed manual does not specify whether they need to be fully seated in the groove or not, just to install them. Please help! I cannot continue on until I know for sure. Thank you.

[Nessism]

If you are talking about the O-rings that fit around the cylinder sleeves it doesn't matter much. They aren't even needed. I'd leave them sort of on the top edge of the groove and don't worry further.

[B-town_Blaster]

Thanks for the quick reply and info. The O-rings are in fact the ones that fit around the cylinder sleeves. They did seem to somewhat seat in the groove by just working them in a circular motion around the sleeves, opposed to trying to push them all the way down in the groove which would place them below the surface of the gasket face, while making the O-ring appear to be getting distorted while doing so. Funny you mentioned not needing them, I myself, were trying to figure out what purpose those O-rings provided.