80 GS1000 Cam plugs

[jdvorchak]

I just replaced the cam plugs and valve cover gasket. I used Honda bond on the cam plugs and nothing else on the cover gasket. It sat for over a day before I tried a test run so the Honda bond should have set up. Now I was meticulous about cleaning the mating surfaces. Well second test run I had two of the cam plugs pop out! Found one on the floor and the other on the cylinder cooling fins. The only thing I can figure is I'm building up a lot of internal pressure. Now I have the stock vent and tube going to the air cleaner. when I had the valve cover off for cleaning I didn't mess with the steel mesh but now I'm thinking maybe it's clogged up?

Any thoughts?

 

[Guest]

Did you have them in the correct way?

 

[Burque73]

That's weird to have the cam end plugs pop out like that. Some guys have mentioned that inlet on the air box from the cam cover being completely blocked with rust and gunk. Is that and the hose clear?

Were they new plugs? Maybe the wrong ones if so. Silly question but did you over fill with oil, like on the side stand instead of on the center stand? Not sure if that would increase the pressure enough but just a thought.

I tried to install them backwards and it seemed like they would rub the cam end so it's kinda hard to do that.

 

[jdvorchak]

Pretty sure I installed them correctly. They had the smooth side out and the hollow side in toward the cams. No not overfilled with oil. I know the rings are worn with 33k miles but still should have vented. I'll check the entire vent system. Not OEM cam plugs but when I installed them they seemed to fit nice and tight. The reason I changed them was left front plug was leaking pretty bad. I have no recourse but to pull the cover off and check the entire vent system. Since I didn't run it long enough to come up to temp I'm sure the gasket is still ok for re-use.

 

[GregT]

I always put them in with the flange on the inside. There's room and it makes it less likely they'll blow out.

It's possible your cam cover gasket doesn't have the holes for the top vent in the right place...

 

[jdvorchak]

I wondered about that flange on the outside but that is the way the ones I replaced were in there. Also I matched up the old gasket and the new to be sure it was correct. I reused the vent cover gasket. I'm going to pull it apart tomorrow and see if I can see where the pressure build up is caused. At the same time I'll clean the plugs and head surfaces and install them with the flange on the inside.

I've never had Suzuki, or any other Manufacturer, cam plugs do this. But Kawasaki have a flange on both inside and out. They literally blew out! Maybe Honda bond was the wrong sealant? I have High Temp Red RTV here. But Honda Bond has always worked just fine for me in other applications. That is what I use on all of my cam plugs.

 

[jdvorchak]

I just had a thought. I did not put the chrome cam plug covers back on yet. I wonder if they actually push on the cam plugs holding them in? I'll check that as well tomorrow.

 

[Steve]

The chrome covers do not push on the rubber plugs.

I can't imagine why there would be enough pressure to blow the plugs out. My wife's bike has over twice the mileage, no problem with pressure.

I would think that if you had enough blow-by to create that much pressure, the mosquito abatement department in your area might be willing to hire your services when the season comes.

.

 

[londonboards]

I wouldn't put those cam covers in the wrong way round. If you had done that you might not have found out that there was an over pressure situation in the motor. Might have caused some other damage perhaps to oil seals that are not accessible without an engine strip.

I would take the cam over off and fill the see if the oil passageways and drain holes are clear. I am not familiar with the oiling system on these. I think the oil drains down through the cam chain tunnel amongst other places.

When you have cleaned it all up and put it back together, try running for a short period of time without the oil filler cap and measure the pressure there using the palm of your hand. These are low pressure oiling systems and there really shouldn't be much pressure there at all.

I don't know what would create enough pressure to blow the caps out unless they were the wrong caps or you had overfilled the oil.

 

[jdvorchak]

All good advice. I'll probably be able to start my detective work today and I'll post what I find.

 

[Nessism]

Threebond makes all the "xxxxbond" sealers for the big 4 Japanese motorcycle companies. There are a lot of different types though. From RTV to synthetic rubber. For that application the RTV type is best since it fills gaps best. The synthetic rubber type sealer is thinner and best used in applications where there is just a small gap. If your half moon pieces are old and the rubber has shrunk, you may want to replace them.

And before install it's important to clean the half moon and the head with brake cleaner or similar. Slather up the curved portion of the seal and quickly put it in place, along with the valve cover. Then allow sufficient time for the sealer to dry before firing up the engine. 24 hours should do unless it's cold outside.

Good luck

 

[jdvorchak]

Ok here is what I found so far. The breather and tube and air cleaner are all open with no resistance to blowing. The cam plugs are brand new. Two of them are solid and aren't going anywhere. The two that popped out, left rear and right front, upon inspection, I'm not sure what the problem is. I cleaned them again, with brake cleaner, and the mating surface in the head. I think maybe the fault is mine and not getting the entire surfaces clean or coated with Hondabond. The Hondabond came right off with brake cleaner and a mild scrubbing with a brass brush. I may just put them back in with High tenp red RTV just to make sure, if they are deformed, from the factory, and not making contact all the way around. I noticed that the two that popped out look a little different than the others. They are smooth on the outside while the two that stayed in are concave. I don't know if that matters but in my mind the two, that popped out, may not have made good contact on their entire surface mating to the head. Manufacture defect? So I'm going to order 4 new plugs just to be sure.

 

[gs11ezrydr]

I take a few pieces of fuel line and stick them behinde the cam covers cant blow out now. Needa leakdown test.

 

[jdvorchak]

So I did some checking and I bought these from Bikebandit and called them this morning. They are Suzuki OEM plugs. Their customer service is sending me two new ones free of charge! I have bought dozens of parts, tires, tubes and electrical components from them and always been pleased with the price and shipping fast.

I did a leak down test and the engine is worn and tired, but not bad enough for me to spend the time and money for rebuild. The bike runs great and idles smooth and doesn't smoke. The vent is clear. I'm convinced that those two plugs that popped out are deformed from the factory and don't fit tight.

 

[jdvorchak]

Update. The new cam plugs came in and I could see the difference. The replacement plugs had a slight concave exterior, like the plugs that stayed in. I put in the new plugs using High Temp Red RTV and let it sit a full 24 hours. My test run the next day showed no leaks and the plugs stayed in. I guess those two plugs were just not made right. Rode it about 75 miles with no problems and ran great and no oil on my left pant leg or shoe!

Thanks to all who replied and for your suggestions. I guess even though you buy OEM you can still get some defective parts. Sometimes my luck just runs that way.

 

[Burque73]

That's good to know. Thanks for updating us.

 

[Low]

Cam end plugs

Cam end plugs

Hi jdvorchak, mine is still leaking, looking for ideas on here and saw your posts. I'll just wear long pants til it's fixed! How do I rotate the photo? Ok, I'm an idiot, I just saw the posts below. Thanks for all you did to it. it's SO much fun to ride.

 

[Low]

Found a stripped bolt between the cam cover and the second plug in this photo. It wasn't the cam cover plug after all. This photo was taken after I replaced the bolt with a new one using an O ring as a washer and putting JB Weldon the threads, waiting 24 hrs. and taking it out for an hour or so. No more leak! Thanks for your help jdvorchak !!!