GS1000 Base Gasket Replace. w/ Pics

[Billyboy]

Well, the leaky base gasket needs to go.

I have never done anything like this before. Total newb. Hopefully you fellas can answer a few questions and this can provide a rudimentory "How to:" for us mechanically inept.

I got my parts from Z-1 Enterprises and I'm all set to dive in.

I was bored tonight, so I told the Mrs. see ya later and off to the shop I ran.

Set the Crank at "T" for cylinders 1-4.

Pulled the valve cover, and lightly clamped down the intake cam with vice grips, as per the manual.

Took off the cam bearing caps and gently set them aside.

I noticed that this bearing looked a little browm compared to the others. Something to be worried about???

 

[Billyboy]

Pulled the cams out and set aside.
Note: Use something to prevent the cam chain from falling in!

I was pleasantly surprised at how nicely the head came off.

Theres a little carbon, but doesn't seem terrible. I know I was running rich last season due to 4-1 and pods/rejetting.

 

[Billyboy]

Cylinders just popped right off!
Man! I should've cleaned the engine BEFORE I started this.

Does this cam slider look normal. That seems like a wicked bend.

 

[Billyboy]

Them I just cleaned up the bolts a bit, and the block, taking extra care not to knock any grime into the crankcase.

Enough for tonight. Going to watch LOST!:-D

 

[1980GS1000E]

Thanx for your excellent pix! And you were correct about cleaning the engine first. My guess on the brown bearing is too high a temp is occurring at that spot causing oil breakdown.

 

[Guest]

nice work mate!
nice pictorial, too.

yup, the rear cam chain guide is quite curved. inspect it for excessive wear though.

and yeah, nice cam chain suspension device there :-D

 

[Guest]

btw, photo no 2 - no cam chain tensioner sprocket?

 

[Billyboy]

btw, photo no 2 - no cam chain tensioner sprocket?

I was unaware that the GS1000 had a sprocket on the cam chain tensioner.8-[

 

[Guest]

I was unaware that the GS1000 had a sprocket on the cam chain tensioner.8-[

what i meant is a sprocket in between the two cam sprockets to keep the chain pressed down and in place. "tensioner sprocket" is the best term i could think of that was supposed to sound technical - lol

 

[Billyboy]

There's a kind of "bridge". (?)

The chain tensioner is on the backside, under the carbs.

 

[Guest]

There's a kind of "bridge". (?)

oh, don't worry, probably just my memory failing me... might be a "bridge" only on my 850 as well ... i kinda thought there was a sprocket there

excuse the ignorance

 

[BassCliff]

850 cam pic

850 cam pic

The 850 top end looks like this:

The cam chain guides are a little different between the 850 and 1000.

Thank you! Thank you! That was my "Profound Glimpse Into The Obvious" for today. 8-[ :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Big T]

Cylinders just popped right off!
Man! I should've cleaned the engine BEFORE I started this.

Does this cam slider look normal. That seems like a wicked bend.

The curve is normal You should consider changing that one (rear) and the front one as a preventative measure while you that deep in the motor.

Put some rags or paper towels under those pistons to keep gunk out of the bottom end.

Looks good. How are your cylinders inside?

 

[Guest]

The cam chain guides are a little different between the 850 and 1000.

Thank you! Thank you! That was my "Profound Glimpse Into The Obvious" for today. 8-[ :-D

maybe obvious to you, but news to me. thanks!
(so, i should shut up on the things that i don't really know about, shouldn't i? )

 

[Guest]

Right on Billy!! I'm doing the same thing again this weekend with a redone head with oversized intake valves, new seats and guides.
This bike is gonna rock!

 

[BassCliff]

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing!

Mr. Billyboy,

I just wanted to say thanks for the nice pictorial. I know I'll be digging deep into my motor one day. Now I can do so with a little more confidence. I appreciate your efforts.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Billyboy]

Thanks Chef.

Cliff, Thanks for the clarification on the 850 engine.

So I was going to clean up the cylinders today. Is it fairly solvent proof? I was thinking of methanol or xylene to clean it up. (I don't have varsol).

Are there any oil passages I sould ensure get clean?

I want to paint the cylinders black. Any recommendations on the paint?

Also, what should I use to remove the carbon from the pistons and combustion chamber? Brass brush?

I'm not going to rebuild the head. The PO told me the top end was done just before he got it, and the ease of disassembly supports that.

 

[Billyboy]

The curve is normal You should consider changing that one (rear) and the front one as a preventative measure while you that deep in the motor.

Put some rags or paper towels under those pistons to keep gunk out of the bottom end.

Looks good. How are your cylinders inside?

The cylinders look good so far. I just had a quick look last night, but I'll get some pics. I think the rings are good too, given the fairly recent top end rebuild.

 

[Guest]

You got very lucky. that is the easiest base gasket I have ever seen. The 25 yr ones can be a real pain to get off, espescially if they haven't been leaking recently.

 

[Billyboy]

Thanks. Yeah. I think I did ok. Could've been much worse.

The base gasket was a total disaster! Brittle, busted. It just came apart.
I got the jugs cleaned up a bit. The cylinders look awesome! I can still see the cross hatch pattern. What looks like lines are just finger swipes. I gave them a coat of WD-40 to keep the rust away while it's off the bike.

I'm a little concerned about this doohickey. Is it supposed to just slide out? Could this have contributed to the oil leak?