gs 450 cylinder head

[Robbiem1961]

can any one help me with the issue of gs 450 cylinder head; i had a local garage remove a broken exhaust bolt and fit a 8mm helicoil; however the new stud is loose in the thread and rocks side ways by 3mm or so; also it has broken through the lower portion of the bolt hole side wall; I'm not confident in the "repair" and do not want to refit the head as it is , will the head from the various other models L/E/S fit my TX;

[Agemax]

are you sure they helicoiled it 8mm? with that much play it sounds like you are fitting a 8mm bolt in a 10mm thread. got any pics?

[Robbiem1961]

hello my mate; all the studs are 8mm; the stud that they had refitted was the stud i took to the garage with the head ;i dont know if they would have been 6mm when new; the issue is that the side wall of the bolt hole is broken through; you can watch the stud appearing out the bottom as it's screwed in; access is somewhat limited and i'm not too certain as to whether welding is viable. the portion of remaining thread/helicoil is 8mm or so and i am really not confident; not able to upload pics at the moment. thanks ' Robbie

[Robbiem1961]

i'e now broken the bodged helicoil out of the stud hole; and we're going to build the missing aluminium up using the TIG welder at work; a specialist cylinder head machine shop is to redrill and tap the hole for me; I think i've sourced a genuine new old stock head for a £100; Reeeeeesult;

[Mekanix]

What year head?

The engine is basically unchanged for each model, the differences are in the upgrades and fixes that happen over the years.

Generally its a before or after 1983 that you see the big changes but most are internal or have to do with how many bolts are in the valve cover.

[Robbiem1961]

here we go again good people; i am now in posession of a brand new gs 450 head; however i'm sure that i should build this with new everything; ie valves;guides; springs;seals; and not use the components from my old head; the odometer states she's only ridden 25000 miles;and i am tempted; the main issue is sourcing inlet and exhaust valves; are the bigger gs 850/750 valves compatible; any advice; constructive advice is much appreciated; many thanks in advance Robbie

[Nessism]

New valve stem seals for sure. Only use original Suzuki gaskets. As for the valves, you could measure them but most likely they are okay. Inspect carefully, and lap the valves. If everything looks okay, you should be fine.

[Robbiem1961]

hello my mate; new seals are without question; i'll get the valves measured and see what the wear is; i can use a vernier gauge; but the skill with a micrometer eludes me; i'll use copper slip anti-seize grease on the exhaust port studs;both into the head and on the nuts; whenever and wherever i've ;done this before has resulted in a hassle free strip down; front mudguard bolts are a classic area that suffer from the infamous bi-metal corrosion; copper slip on re-assembly; every time; and it nevers happens again; thank you for advice; Robbie; Salisbury; Wiltshire; England