Leaking Head gasket and Exhaust stud removal Heads now off

[Guest]

Hi Guys

Ive taken the head off my GS850 as heavy leak on head gasket also previous owner has snapped off 3 exhaust studs
My plan is to replace head gasket and all top end gaskets , do i need to replace bottom gasket as i don't plan to remove barrels ??
also i don't want to remove the valves from the head can i just take whole thing to my local engineers to have the studs removed and replaced
previous owner has tried and failed to remove one don't want to damage further
TIA

[ukjules]

If the head was off I would do the valves ! and put in new valve seals.
It so makes a difference if they have not been done for thousands of miles.
a good experience too to do it oneself and it is not that hard !
Lapping the valves whilst watching downton abbey makes a nice eve !

If the base gasket is ok I would leave it. Unless of course the bike
has ring / piston issues too.

I would also try and do the studs myself.
How much of the stud is protruding ? if there is enough there are tools you can buy
that will get it out !
If there is not then its probably best to take it to a machine shop and they will get it out.
I have drilled mine out on occasions with carbide drills and other tools.

But yes you can take head as is to someone and they will remove the studs !
Nothing like the experience of doing it yourself mind.

Lap those valves and put in new valve seals !!!

[hampshirehog]

Plus one on replacing the valve stem oil seals. They're very cheap to buy and it's an easy, if somewhat fiddly, job to do.

You won't have to remove the valves before getting somebody to remove the studs.

And think about doing your base gasket. It's possible (probable maybe) that you have disturbed things when you pulled the head. Personally I would take the extra time but you might get away with leaving things alone.

[chrisfev]

Thanks guys I will do the valves while I'm on seems daft not too the barrels have moved slightly as head was full of sealant and took a bit of getting off I'm really hoping not to have to change bottom gasket trying to keep costs down but as its been disturbed will it seal again ??

[hampshirehog]

It won't seal again and you'll need a new gasket. Be careful how you take the cylinders off not to damage anything.

[chrisfev]

Thanks hampshirehog think i new the answer before i posted ( are the full gasket sets off eBay ok has anyone had any experience I'm on a budget so don't think i can run to genuine ones

[hampshirehog]

Some people will tell you to go OEM only and that is safest but I've used various pattern sets over the years and (apart from problems with a Yamaha once) they've been ok.

[Nessism]

Don't buy any gasket kits with green gasket material. OEM is the safest choice.

[chrisfev]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-GS-850-GL-1981-Athena-Complete-Gasket-Kit-/401040287290?

[Nessism]

This is an Athena base gasket. I don't trust them anymore.

[chrisfev]

Cheers Ed good info

[ukjules]

I agree with all , OEM is the way to go
BUT
I was broke and did a test last year with athena gaskets off ebay.
I wanted to know for a fact and didnt mind testing on my own bike and had time.

A base and head rebuild for my gs550e.
It has lasted for a year now with no issues whatsoever.
The one thing I did however was to prep surfaces "perfectly" and i mean perfectly.
Also a bit of blue hylomol around the thinner areas.

I would and am taking the risk again with another bike !

You didnt say how much of the studs are hanging out ?
I think you might be able to do all his yourself.

[chrisfev]

Ok guys head is with the Engineers all studs were broke off flush and one had been badly drilled out by previous owner (my Brother) so I'm leaving it to the professionals
When i took off the head 3 of the studs came out completely as the nuts were corroded on do i need to replace all the studs or just the nasty ones that came out
Im on a budget so the more parts i can reuse the better also barrels coming off tonight so i can replace bottom gasket any tips or is it straight forward ??
TIA

[exdirtbiker]

a genuine Suzuki base gasket is $20 USD on ebay. are the cheaper gaskets half price? maybe.
is "peace of mind, no worries" worth $40 over the life of your bike ? so that's.. um... $2 per yr for the next 20 years, to make sure you didn't "cheap out and screw yourself"...

[chrisfev]

genuine gasket ready to fit 👍🏍