Valve Clearances & Head Re-Torque

[Guest]

Hey, I'm new here. Got my old bike out and getting it going (with paid help) and seems to be going well, bike is running nice. Mechanic says we should do a valve check on it and indicates there is some oil leakage at/near the base of the cylinders and said head re-torque may be in order or at least may help. Is this money well spent or are we pushing it a little? Already spent a little over $600 between tires and the carburetors. Thanks in advance.

[Brendan W]

Hi 1980GS850 and Welcome.
Valve check definitely worth doing if you don't know when the last one was done or have definitely covered 3000 miles since it was last done. When they are being done it takes about five minutes to check the torque. I wouldn't hold out much hope for it curing a base gasket leak but for such little extra effort it's worth a check anyway.

[1980GS850]

Hi 1980GS850 and Welcome.
Valve check definitely worth doing if you don't know when the last one was done or have definitely covered 3000 miles since it was last done. When they are being done it takes about five minutes to check the torque. I wouldn't hold out much hope for it curing a base gasket leak but for such little extra effort it's worth a check anyway.

Ok, didn't know if it was an "extra" service or not, never heard of valve adjusting. I have ridden on and off for years but have limited mechanical aptitude.

[JTGS850GL]

A shop will charge for anything they can. My bet is they'll charge to re-torque the head. One reason that we advocate that you learn to do these basic tasks yourself.

[Steve]

No, it's not an "extra" service, it's a MANDATORY service.

By the way, you need to learn how to work on your own bike or get a second job to be able to support your mechanic.

New tires can be had for $130-250 or so. If you do your own carb rebuild, figure on $25 for the chemicals, another $25 or o-rings and intake boot bolts, possibly about $15 for bowl gaskets and several hours of time. In the end, you will need to sync the carbs, the gauge set runs just over $100. If you want carbs done for you, there are a few of us here that do them correctly, and for a LOT less money than you probably spent. A valve adjustment will depend on how many shims you need to replace, but figure on the cost of a gasket (about $15) plust shims. You can buy shims for about $6 each, but probably don't need many, if any. And we have a "Shim Club" here that lets you exchange shims with a modest donation that helps the inventory.

Using the expensive tires, that is still less than $450, and you will know your bike a bit better, which will feel good in the rare event that is breaks down on the side of the road somewhere.

.

[1980GS850]

No, it's not an "extra" service, it's a MANDATORY service.

By the way, you need to learn how to work on your own bike or get a second job to be able to support your mechanic.

New tires can be had for $130-250 or so. If you do your own carb rebuild, figure on $25 for the chemicals, another $25 or o-rings and intake boot bolts, possibly about $15 for bowl gaskets and several hours of time. In the end, you will need to sync the carbs, the gauge set runs just over $100. If you want carbs done for you, there are a few of us here that do them correctly, and for a LOT less money than you probably spent. A valve adjustment will depend on how many shims you need to replace, but figure on the cost of a gasket (about $15) plust shims. You can buy shims for about $6 each, but probably don't need many, if any. And we have a "Shim Club" here that lets you exchange shims with a modest donation that helps the inventory.

Using the expensive tires, that is still less than $450, and you will know your bike a bit better, which will feel good in the rare event that is breaks down on the side of the road somewhere.

.

I feel comfortable with the guy who has done the work. I don't have the tools or knowledge to do the work or a place to do it either.

It seems unanimous that you are saying the work DOES need done so I'll start saving my pennies He wants a $100 + parts for valve adjustment & the re-torque.

[JTGS850GL]

$100 is a fair price for the labor. Do expect the parts to come in at around $60 since you'll need a new valve cover gasket, a few shims and maybe the two half moons.

[1980GS850]

He has started the work but to complete the valve adjustment he needs to order different shims with less thickness. He says I may be down for a week or 10 days waiting. I guess it will be done when it gets done

[JJ]

Ok, didn't know if it was an "extra" service or not, never heard of valve adjusting. I have ridden on and off for years but have limited mechanical aptitude.

Valve adjustments are necessary, and should be the first thing done when bringing one of these old bikes back to life.

[geol]

I doubt re-torquing the cylinder stud nuts will stop a leak. Best you thy and pinpoint the leak yourself. Clean the engine with spray engine degreaser and the buy a can of spray deodorant that is powder based. Spray around the whole engine at the line where your valve cover sits and around the base. Oil leaks generally move from the place where they originate and the powder deodorant allows you to easily see where the leak started. It could well be that the leak is from the cam chain tensioner, the valve cover, cam end caps or tach drive and the oil has walked to where you saw it collect. It is a lot cheaper and easier to fix leaks from the areas I mentioned rather than the base gasket which requires a top-end disassemble. Also, I would say that any of the places other than the base gasket are more likely leak sources.