GS550E 1980 engine leak Crankcase or where ?

[ukjules]

When you say fire rings do you mean
as per pic the 4 seals ? on head gaskey

q) you sprayed base gasket with high temp
silver spray ... would 3 bond or wellseal
be another choice?
I have never tried 3 bond bit will from now
to fix the seals etc.

just wandered how the silver spray would help
the base gaskets seal possible screwdriver
gouges?

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[Brendan W]

When you say fire rings do you mean
as per pic the 4 seals ? on head gaskey

q) you sprayed base gasket with high temp
silver spray ... would 3 bond or wellseal
be another choice?
I have never tried 3 bond bit will from now
to fix the seals etc.

just wandered how the silver spray would help
the base gaskets seal possible screwdriver
gouges?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]61926[/ATTACH]

The metal rings, the big ones in the head gasket to stop it burning at the cylinder bores, I call fire rings.
As a general rule I will avoid sealer where the manufacturer has designed the set up to be a dry assembly as in this case. The paint was a deviation because the deck was bad and I wanted insurance. It's an old trick. The idea is that the paint fills the scratch marks when torqued down. Was it necessary, who knows? I would not use liquid sealer on base or head. Apart from it not supposed to need it there are issues like will some of it wander off and block small metering holes, will it react adversely with the bonding agents already in the headgasket and undo what you are trying to do and will it make the next visit a lot more difficult to separate the block and clean up.

[ukjules]

ok understood.
I am sure I have done the same on my other bikes
but my GS has always had this leak.
Even when changing the head for another !!may help diagnosis

q) on cheaper gasket sets for my model they
have not had the 4 seals I highlighted
on prev pic. have you always fitted with them ?
(unlikely but possible I might not have them in)

attached pic of cleaned area ready for spray powder

20201103_115110_resize_49.jpg

[ukjules]

quick intermediate question:
re aluminium paint. I assume sprayed over outsides of gasket
and dry pre putting on bike.

...... just wanna be sure in case I ever try this ....

[Brendan W]

quick intermediate question:
re aluminium paint. I assume sprayed over outsides of gasket
and dry pre putting on bike.

...... just wanna be sure in case I ever try this ....

Sprayed both sides with two coats and let it dry for a day.
I used a Hycote spray product called VHT Aluminium.
I called the technical guy in Oldham and he was very helpful.
It has quite a lot of actual Aluminium in it not just those colour paints.
They don't seem to list it anymore, maybe it's been replaced by the Extreme product.

https://www.hycote.co.uk/product-category/extreme-heat/

[ukjules]

Run engine at low revs till warm
and no leak signs.
20201103_143405_resize_2.jpg

will go higher revs long run when stops raining !

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Don't ride too far before you stop and take a look. That leak will show up . Be sure to look hard at the automatic cam chain tensioner gasket on the back side of the cylinders under the intake boots, and the tach drive where the tach cable enters head or valve cover (varies by model)

[ukjules]

Not run the bike to hot yet or done a 3m
run to check due to rain.

But I can confirm there is oil around the cam
chain tensioner gasket.
There is oil around the tacko drive on rocker
cover.

can a oil leak around the cam.chaim tensioner
and tacko drive really produce what I am seeing ?
I.e. oil loss ?

clearly not the splash of oil on the front bottom left?
as for that I can see no leaks whatsoever in that area
but it run ot hard yet.

- ill check the breather area and see if it's working.
- will run bike to see if j can see any leak on alternator
cover and lh front.
-ill clean entire engine to include rocker over ,
tacko and cam tensioner and use the spray powder
method

20201103_160400_resize_86.jpg

[ukjules]

20201103_160431_resize_52.jpg

lh side rocker cover.

But this cant be the leak ?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

It's probably time to check valve clearance anyway. and overhaul the tensioner. Good quide on BikeCliff's Website. Get OEM gasket for Valve cover, and tensioner. Replace oring and oil seal in the tach drive.

Unless you can pinpoint it to leaking from one place, looks like you got multiples.

Though, looking at the pic of the tensioner, It looks like the head gasket may be all wet too. This is why you have to see where the powder gets wet first. Because after the initial drip, it runs all over.

[Brendan W]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]61930[/ATTACH]

lh side rocker cover.

But this cant be the leak ?

It's one of them
I had a bad one in there once. On the 850 it can make it's way forward under the cam and end up on the front.
Air does weird things in there.

[ukjules]

It might be one of them but you would agree
it would barely show up using any oil?
It surely is a unsightly leak but no way the
200mile 1litre cause ?

[Brendan W]

It might be one of them but you would agree
it would barely show up using any oil?
It surely is a unsightly leak but no way the
200mile 1litre cause ?

Say you average 40mph. That's five hours running or 3 1/3 cc per minute.
Hard to see that coming from there but it's surprising how a few little ones can add up.
Anything from the front yet or has it stopped raining?

[ukjules]

Rain and cold stopped play.
Will start again tomorrow on te first powder dusting
test on front left.

remember engine clean on right (as you sit on it)
but oiled front left? with the seepages
on the cam tensioner and some on rocker cover.
(which I have lived with as never thought they
could make oil go to front.

the powder spray method iv never tried so I
have hope to find the culprit.

[ukjules]

Update:

4m run to temp but not full revs.
Zero oil on powdered front left.
Zero seepage

Pic shows some discoloration of powder
around head gasket front protruding bit.
I assume this discoloration is what we are looking
for for leaks.

- checked the top of engine breather.
Zero pressure coming out (or in)
what does this mean?

(I agree it is prob time for oem head gasket up
and clearances etc but I will push a bit
to see if I can find leak.
looking at my notes :
2015 new stater gasket
2016 new stater, base , head , cam cover gasket
2018 valve clearances
2018 re check state bolts and length

so from 2015 the leak has been as it is now !
no worse.


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