Base gasket leakage 81 850

[talkinboutshaft]

My left foot is becoming increasingly oily, even after short rides. The leak seems to be coming from the base gasket right in front of the starter.

Has anyone experience with a leak like this? Is there any recourse to pulling the entire top end and resealing with new gaskets?

Anyone ever tried re-torquing the head? If I do that, should I loosen everything and start fresh?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

[Nessism]

Common problem.

You might want to perform a hot compression test with throttle open to judge the engine sealing. Many people change the rings and valve stem seals while the engine is apart but you can reuse those parts assuming the compression is good.

Oh, and OE gaskets are far superior to aftermarket. Tons of threads detailing problems so please perform a search before ordering an aftermarket gasket kit.

[RHODESIA SMITH]

let me know how you get on , as have the same issue. Gaskets are bit hard to come by here and also the $$$$$'s to buy them.

[DimitriT]

There are a few spots where the base gasket is rather narrow. One of them is the
near left corner. An oil passage there and the narrow gasket makes it a great spot
for it to leak.

Unfortunately there is no solution other than to strip down the whole top end. If
you do replace the gasket I've found it is a good idea to first get the surfaces as
clean as possible, then apply a thin layer of sealer to both sides of the gasket
and, most importantly, use a good torque wrench and follow the torque specs.

I replaced a gasket due to a leak similar to yours with the cheap aftermarket kits
which sell on ebay for about $60. The aftermarket gasket is thinner than the OEM
but seems to work fine if you coat it with sealer (especially the area around the
oil passages) and torque it properly.

[rustybronco]

My left foot is becoming increasingly oily, even after short rides. The leak seems to be coming from the base gasket right in front of the starter.

If it's getting soaked, check the cam cover gasket and the half moons for leakage

Anyone ever tried re-torquing the head? If I do that, should I loosen everything and start fresh?

if the base gasket isn't protruding, check the torque on the four outer chrome acorn nuts (two per side). if they are loose you might be able to buy some extra time by re-torquing them. in my opinion, the only way to proper check the torque on the inner nuts is to to remove the cam cover, put penetrating oil on them and leave them soak for a few days. then in the proper sequence, loosen them 1/8' turn and re-torque all the studs, nuts, bolts to the proper torque and in the proper sequence. this MAY help you buy some time. but, if the base gasket appears to be sticking out further than normal after you are finished re-torquing, the base gasket (and 6 o-rings) have had it. keep in mind that rust on the inner studs and nuts make it hard to get a proper torque reading.

the base gasket on my '82 started leaking last year. I found the four outer nuts had loosened.

the head, base gasket and o-rings are sitting on the shelf waiting... 29 years old, it's only a matter of time.

[talkinboutshaft]

Base gasket leakage 81 850

Thanks for the replies. I will try the loosening/retorquing procedure first, as the gasket is not sticking out at all.

If that doesn't do it, I'll strip it down to the case and post my progress as it goes back together.

I have an entire replacement top end that I will get ready to put on with new rings, guides and seals.

I really wasn't busy this summer anyway. It's never sunny here and there's nowhere to ride, so I don't mind.