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Replacing Head Gasket. What else??

  • Thread starter Thread starter heyblue46
  • Start date Start date
H

heyblue46

Guest
hello everyone,
My head gasket is leaking on my '80 GS1100ET. I've already bought a gasket kit for the job. I have close to 40,000 miles and its a daily rider with no discernible loss in power.

What else can I expect to have to replace or fix while in there? Can I count on HAVING to replace certain items, such as the cam chain? Should I expect to have to hone the cylinders and replace rings? Right now I'm running on a tight budget and want to get out as cheap as possible, even if that means going back in in another year or so.

Thanks for the advice.

Steve
 
heyblue46 said:
hello everyone,
My head gasket is leaking on my '80 GS1100ET. I've already bought a gasket kit for the job. I have close to 40,000 miles and its a daily rider with no discernible loss in power.

What else can I expect to have to replace or fix while in there? Can I count on HAVING to replace certain items, such as the cam chain? Should I expect to have to hone the cylinders and replace rings? Right now I'm running on a tight budget and want to get out as cheap as possible, even if that means going back in in another year or so.

Thanks for the advice.

Steve
Click to expand...
If cylinder compression is fine then you should have no other problems. The cam chain should last for another 40K miles.

Hap
 
I'd replace the cylinder head cover gasket and breather gasket as well.
 
blowing a gasket

blowing a gasket

how doo, ive just rebuilt my "et" after a rebore etc, my advice is that if it aint broke dont fix it, get a gasket for your engine but get a copper one as you can re-use them, you will need some copper sealant that you have to cover the whole gasket surface with, the gasket supplier should advise you what to buy, put it on quite thick around the cam chain tunnel as you will notice that your old gasket has an in built "o" ring around this area, the gasket and sealant is not to expensive and you may need a new rocker gasket, if you need any more help just email me and i will help as much as i can, good luck....
 
gasket probs

gasket probs

how doo, its me again, the sealant is called permatex ultra copper and its ?7.00 and the head gasket was ?32.00 and the rocker gasket was ?12.00 and i used Debben performance in hampshire uk, the web site is excellent, hope this helps......
 
I guess to each his own, but I would at least hone the cylinders and put new rings in as long as you have it all apart. Also (just to be clear), if you replace the head gasket you'll need to replace the base gasket as well.

Be prepared though. When I pulled mine apart I started discovering things that I wish I hadn't known about. And its hard to put it back together without fixing it.
 
Valve guide seals.Also clean all of the carbon off of the valves and ports and lap the valves= cheap horsepower. Tony
 
minutemen said:
Valve guide seals.Also clean all of the carbon off of the valves and ports and lap the valves= cheap horsepower. Tony
Click to expand...

Lap the valves?? I've always worked on my cars and such but not a mechanic. I have no idea what this means.

Thanks,
Steve
 
When you lap your valves you take a lapping compound which has abrasives in it. You apply a little to your valve and seat of the head and spin the valve with a dowel rod with a type of suction cup at the end that attaches to the flat side of your valve. This mates the valve and seat so they seat properly to get maximum compression. Suzuki does not recommend this because they say it removes the hardener on the valves and they will wear out quicker. If you do do it use a less abrasive compound and don't overwork the valve.
 
mark said:
Also (just to be clear), if you replace the head gasket you'll need to replace the base gasket as well.



Just learning here :-D ... Why do you need to do this?
Thanks for the education.
Click to expand...
 
GregM. said:
mark said:
Also (just to be clear), if you replace the head gasket you'll need to replace the base gasket as well.



Just learning here :-D ... Why do you need to do this?
Thanks for the education.
Click to expand...

The cylinder head being bolted down also clamps the cylinder block, releasing the pressure by removing the cylinder head, almost always leads to leaks from the base gasket.

Dink
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Dink :-D

I'm getting lots of good info from you today \\:D/

This site, and all you experienced m/c experts, are such a valuable RESOURCE !!
 
mark said:
When I pulled mine apart I started discovering things that I wish I hadn't known about. And its hard to put it back together without fixing it.
Click to expand...

How about sharing what you found--and what you did about it. Thanks

Tomcat
 
Just to clarify, do you mean the valve cover gasket? It sits above the cylinders, at the very top of the engine. If that's what you're referring to, I'd suggest checking the valve clearances.

Brad bt
 
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IF.. you're going to have the head off to replace a gasket due to a leak, do yourself a small favor, and swing by a local automotive/bike machine shop and have them check the head surface for flatness and for cracks. Make sure the leaks aren't caused by a warped head or cracks in the aluminum casting.
 
tomcat24551 said:
How about sharing what you found--and what you did about it. Thanks

Tomcat
Click to expand...

Well, the big thing I found was a deep scratch in one of the bores that was causing low compression in that cylinder. Rebore, oversized pistons and rings. $$ (parts on the way, can't bore until you have the pistons of course). Since I'm doing that, it makes no sense not to re-grind the values, get new seals etc. right? More $$. :-D

One of my cam covers (the one that actually holds the cam to the head) was held on by only three bolts...the other one was stripped. That will need a heli-coil. God help me if I screw that up.

Stripped cam chain tensioner bolt. Helicoil.

Head surface has some pitting....impossible to fix but far enough away from the bores that it won't hurt anything.

Side bolts that held the head to the block were the wrong ones without deep enough threads. New bolts.

I'll be glad when its done and glad I went through it, but its been a lot of work to fix a little leak..............
 
Think about cam chain guides. Check them close for wear. Replacement guides are available at www.vansantent.com for about 60 bucks for their premium hp model
 
Mark,
You've never seen a U-haul/armored car following a hearse to the cemetary have you? You can't take it with you, so you may as well spend it here on something you enjoy :) A few engine improvements sounds to me like a sound financial investment in pleasure :)
 
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