Replacing valve cover gasket

[Guest]

I have a 82 GS850G would like to use silicone type but am told I cannot if my tach drive is located there. Any Ideas are welcome Thanxs.

[eil]

Uh, well, is it? Take a peek and find out. But I'm pretty sure all 850s have the tach drive in the head. So a silicone gasket should fit okay. I've read that those who used them didn't keep them for very long.

[Steve]

I have a 82 GS850G would like to use silicone type but am told I cannot if my tach drive is located there. Any Ideas are welcome Thanxs.

It isn't, you can.




But, ... should you?

I bought one and installed it on one my past 850s. Sold the bike before I could evaluate whether I liked the gasket.

For the price of that gasket, you can get three 'regular' ones from Z1. With proper care, you can re-use a gasket a time or three, so plan on about 10-12 uses (valve clearance checks) for theh price of one silicone gasket. If you can re-use it for 10-12 times, (supposedly you can), there will be no difference in price for about 50,000 miles.

.

[Uncamitzi]

It isn't, you can.




But, ... should you?

I bought one and installed it on one my past 850s. Sold the bike before I could evaluate whether I liked the gasket.

For the price of that gasket, you can get three 'regular' ones from Z1. With proper care, you can re-use a gasket a time or three, so plan on about 10-12 uses (valve clearance checks) for theh price of one silicone gasket. If you can re-use it for 10-12 times, (supposedly you can), there will be no difference in price for about 50,000 miles.

.

The gasket I just took off crumbled like a desiccated fish... Still working on how to check my clearances...but I KNOW I'm going to need a gasket

[1980GS1000E]

If you get an OEM gasket and coat it with antisieze or wd40 prior to installation it will come off in one piece the next time and it can be reused. It also won't leak, while the silicone reusable one probably will. Just make sure that you get an OEM gasket.

[Nessism]

I'm not a fan of those silicone gaskets either. Had one on my first 850 and wouldn't get another. If you tighten the screws more than just hand tight the gasket squirms out of place. Modern bikes using rubber valve cover gaskets use shoulder screws and/or valve covers that capture the gasket in a groove to control squirm out.

[azr]

I'm the same as Ed 'now'. I put on on my 78' 1000, really liked the idea of multiple use. The wife and I were 3000 kms from home and a chunk blew out and oil poured everywhere. Took off the cover and found cracks EVERYWHERE, it basically fell apart in my hand. If I remember right I probably got..2yrs from it, maybe a bit less. I'll never use another one. A paper gaskets will never leave me stranded like that.

[Weeksz]

After my first rebuild, I had to take my valve cover gasket off 4 different times after the initial assembly (rookie), Now my valve cover gasket seems to be oil soaked and is weaping pretty bad when the engine is warm. Is there any way to repair this gasket to get a better seal rather than buying a new one? Is there any solvent I can use? Brake clean? Its an OEM valve cover gasket for my 81GS750L. I would rather not order a new one from the factory.

Thanks.

[eil]

I've heard that you can sometimes spray a questionable gasket with copper gasket sealer to get one more use out of it but don't quote me on this. Maybe it's just for head gaskets. Perhaps someone with more experience can chime in.

Basically, you need a new OEM valve cover gasket. I know they are $33 a pop but because your tach drive is in your valve cover, gasket thickness is critical, meaning you can't go aftermarket in this case. Sometimes you can get a deal on an OEM gasket on eBay but you have to very careful that the model is correct and that it's actually an OEM gasket.

If you don't want to use your tach drive, you can replace it with a plug and then use any old el-cheapo aftermarket valve cover gasket you want. I was able to do this on my 750 because I converted to an electronic tach.

[Weeksz]

I currently am not running a tach and I don't have a plug for my tach cable, where can I get one? I just went to the local shop to find some roll paper gasket and was going to cut out a new one but the rolls (probably a huge pain anyway) were not wide enough. Not sure if the copper sealer would stick to the gasket since its oily? . He talked me into some Permatex Motogasket. I was very reluctant to purchase it but its only $6 so I broke down and got it. I don't know I'm not sure I'm willing to spend another $33 on a gasket to just have this happen again. Why do they make these out of paper? Seems dumb considering how susceptible they are to leaking if you accidentally get some oil on it.

[gustovh]

I have used that copper stuff, don't waste you time with it, doesn't work.

V

[eil]

I currently am not running a tach and I don't have a plug for my tach cable, where can I get one?

You remove the tach drive unit from the valve cover and replace it with a plug. You can either fill the old plug with JB Weld or buy an OEM plug from a bike that came with an electronic tach. (True for most of the 16-valve ES models and some later GS500s to my knowledge.)

I just went to the local shop to find some roll paper gasket and was going to cut out a new one but the rolls (probably a huge pain anyway) were not wide enough. Not sure if the copper sealer would stick to the gasket since its oily? . He talked me into some Permatex Motogasket. I was very reluctant to purchase it but its only $6 so I broke down and got it.

Cutting a valve cover gasket from gasket material would be a huge pain in the butt, even if you found the right size. I would cut my own for just about any other part of the bike except the valve cover gasket.

I would not use that permatex stuff. If it doesn't work, you've wasted $6 and lots of time. If it does work, it will be a tremendous pain to scrape off completely the next time you need to access the valves.

I don't know I'm not sure I'm willing to spend another $33 on a gasket to just have this happen again. Why do they make these out of paper? Seems dumb considering how susceptible they are to leaking if you accidentally get some oil on it.

Paper gaskets work fine, oodles of old motorcycles run them every day. They don't leak if you get oil on them, they leak if they get ripped or creased, or if either mating surface was not absolutely clean. Occasionally a gasket will just be made poorly such that it leaks soon after installation, but that is somewhat rare.

It is actually recommended to very lightly coat a new gasket with grease, anti-seize, or WD-40 prior to installation. Not to help it seal better but to make it easier to remove later on down the road. (And possibly be able to reuse it once or twice.)

Like I said, if you aren't running a tach, you can substitute your tach drive with a plug (bought or made) and try your luck with an aftermarket gasket. I see them for under $15 on Z1 Enterprises and on eBay.