Got any Cylinder Head (Cam) Cover Removal Tips?

[Guest]

Finally getting around to doing the valve adjust on my '83 GS650GL restoration project.

Looks like a previous owner put some red sealant on the old gasket since I see some on the outside edges of the gasket.

All bolts are out and I can't budge the thing to break it loose. I'm thinking about pushing a small flat-blade screwdriver into the old gasket from the side to try to pry the cover loose. I'm not so sure that's a good idea, but I can't think of anything else to try.

So...

Anyone got a suggestion for breaking loose an old stuck cylinder head cover?

Also,

Do you recommend any sort of RTV sealant or anything be applied to the new gasket on re-assembly? I ask since I see a lot of people complaining that they can't get the dry gasket to not leak.

Thanks for any advice.

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[Chris G]

Not a good idea to use a driver of any type, use a plastic / rubber mallet to tap the cover free, use OEM gasket I put a smear of grease on the metal faces before installing the gasket.

[rustybronco]

On the stubborn one's I've used a dull 1 inch wide putty knife tapped into the gasket at varying spots along the outline of the gasket. Take your time and drive it shallow into the gasket only.

[eil]

Do you recommend any sort of RTV sealant or anything be applied to the new gasket on re-assembly? I ask since I see a lot of people complaining that they can't get the dry gasket to not leak.

Most of these people haven't cleaned the mating surfaces properly. Or the mating surfaces are scratched or warped. The OEM gaskets should seal just fine when applied dry or with a very thin coating of grease.

The only place you use RTV is around the bottoms of the half-moon plugs or any place that you know for sure you have a poor mating surface.

[WingMan71]

GOT IT OFF ! ! !

It did have some RTV sealant on it, but only on the half moon rubber seals and also on each of the corners.

I think I'll do the same on installation.

Thanks all for your help.

On to the valve adjustment...

(On initial inspection, everything looks pretty clean under there and no indication of any bad wear patterns on any of the cam lobes!)

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