Valve cover gasket advice

[Gorminrider]

I always like making my own gaskets. Tell me what material your using. Cork? And what about the half moons? Does yours have the half moons on the ends of the cams?

This thread s interesting because after riding my bike for the first time in about 8 years I put it up on the lift and noticed a lot of oil down the left side of the head and a sizzling sound coming from a valve cover screw on that side. I put a wrench on it to see if I could get a little snugger but it was tight as tight can be. So that means my gasket and the screw gaskets need to be replaced. I thought years ago I had looked for a replacement and found they weren't making them anymore so it's good to hear people can still buy them. I'd be interested in trying to make one though if you can explain the materials you use. Thank you!

just a roll of gasket paper.(the multi-sheet package often seen is usually too small but useful if you ever need a small cork gasket etc) The brownish "karopak" stuff. The "trick" is there are two thicknesses and usually the thin is what is on the shelves (because nobody buys it?). The Thick is what's wanted. is it 1/32? or a 1/16? Thicker is better and at the valve cover you want the right one if your tachgear is in the valvecover (gsx400) Not rubberized or cork or anything like that.
yes my gs650 has rubber halfmoons but the gsx400s do not.

Needed: sharp holepunches, scissors, razorknife ruler pencil , smooth cutting board (plywood) steady hand.

Practice....use cereal boxes maybe.

You can make holepunches from bits of pipe in a pinch. or get decent leatherworkers punches. There is only two or three you will need "all the time" smartly tap the punch through paper into a block of soft wood or Endgrain of slighty harder wood which is my preference-this saves your holepunch's edge and cuts cleanly.
It's just like leatherwork without any stitching.

You can make yourself a more permanent pattern once you know what you are doing.The pattern is mostly to use to draw for the insides (from what's left of the old one) where you can't see using the actual valve or clutch or whatever cover to trace...and to write notes on.

It helps to be aware that much of the outside edge of the gasket is easily trimmed away after bolting in place
this means you needn't fuss too much about getting many of the thin bits just right and slashing it...also, If you look at oem gaskets they often leave extra pieces on just to hold the shape until placed.

Keep your roll of gasket paper (and patterns) indoors if you are coastal or lakeside- its hygroscopic as are cereal boxes...

They look the same as the ones I take off and they last qute awhile-several uses when gently torqued...but a roll of paper will make so many, you can do new every time. Same paper is used for clutch and stator cases and much else even carb-tops.

how much is your time worth (to you)

My mechanic friend told me list price OEM gs650 valve cover was $69.95 CAD (=45US?) And they need to be ordered. That's a week.
... In other words, when I take something apart, I don't stop when a gasket tears. I cut a new one and carry on.

[Steve]

My mechanic friend told me list price OEM gs650 valve cover was $69.95 CAD (=45US?) And they need to be ordered.

Not sure what the exchange rate is right now, nor do I know what "retail" cost is, but Parts Outlaw has the early ones for about $25 and the later ones for about $30. Yeah, you might have to wait, unless you plan ahead and have one sitting on the shelf.

.

[GregT]

I use high temp gasket material when I make my own. Got a 20 foot roll of it 10 years ago, I think it is a 16th thick, but they make other thicknesses as well. Easiest place to find it would be online nowdays. This works reasonably well for most applications, small engine or big engine.

At this end of the world, I've had to make gaskets for years. Particularly as I seem to be a magnet for people with odd or unusual bikes and motors.
Yes, high temp gasket material is always kept on hand. If the surfaces are good, thinner is better. If the surfaces aren't good, a rub down on some 80 grit paper stuck to an MDF board will true them up.
My method is simplicity itself. Cut a piece of material big enough. Lightly coat the gasket surface of the cover with contact adhesive.
Place the cover sticky side down on the material, on a flat surface - usually MDF again. Clamp or weight the cover down.
When you're confident it's set, trim with a sharp knife - and yes, the outside can be done after assembly.

I've got engines here with gaskets made this way that are 10 years old plus. And they come off with the covers so can be reused.

[bobgroger]

Some will disagree vehemently, but I used a Real Gaskets silicone gasket on my 850 and it is pretty much permanent. You HAVE to follow instructions to avoid compressing the gasket. Bolts finger tight + a little, blue loctite on the bolts. Not for bikes with the tach gear in the valve cover because of thickness. https://realgaskets.com/product-cate...rcycle/suzuki/

[Brendan W]

Some will disagree vehemently, but I used a Real Gaskets silicone gasket on my 850 and it is pretty much permanent. You HAVE to follow instructions to avoid compressing the gasket. Bolts finger tight + a little, blue loctite on the bolts. Not for bikes with the tach gear in the valve cover because of thickness. https://realgaskets.com/product-cate...rcycle/suzuki/

If it works, it works.
The fibre takes a set and when or if it gets reused I try to get the cover to drop exactly where it was before.
I imagine that anyone who has ever bought a micro torque wrench has just taken you off their Christmas list

[bwringer]

My formula:

OEM gaskets only. I hve no ide how or why, but if you punch in the part number on fleaBay there are a couple of sellers who consistently offer genuine OEM Suzuki gaskets at much better prices than you can usually get by ordering through Suzuki.

Grease on both sides of the gasket, re-use... I dunno. I'd say I usually get at least three or four cycles out of them.

I spend a LOT of time at high RPM. I've always changed oil every 2,000 miles and checked valve clearances every 4,000 (see how those line up every other time?). Mine are pretty stable and generally I end up changing one or two shims every other valve check.

YMMV. I think everyone has their own GS maintenance formula they're comfortable with. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is not to ignore valve clearances, despite what any ill-informed idiots at the dealers might tell you.

[LAB3]

I think everyone has their own GS maintenance formula they're comfortable with. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is not to ignore valve clearances, despite what any ill-informed idiots at the dealers might tell you.

One of the things I try to keep in mind is that as GS enthusiasts we're specialists, your ordinary mechanic at a dealership is a generalist. We know the finer points of every aspect of our bikes, a mechanic at a dealership needs to know ENOUGH aspects of every bike they work on.

[salty_monk]

When I did mine last I put them all on top tolerance taking advantage of the GS Shim club to get ones that Suzuki don't actually produce... I am happy that top to bottom tolerance will not happen before 12,000 miles, I'd be surprised if any of them get to bottom tolerance in that amount of time actually.

[bwringer]

One of the things I try to keep in mind is that as GS enthusiasts we're specialists, your ordinary mechanic at a dealership is a generalist. We know the finer points of every aspect of our bikes, a mechanic at a dealership needs to know ENOUGH aspects of every bike they work on.

Good point. And there's nothing particularly unusual about old Suzukis vs. other vintage machines, other than perhaps the sheer monumental crapness of the electrical connectors and design, the root causes of much GS woe.

However, it's very common with every make and model of motorcycle new and old to find that dealership idiots neglect or skip valve clearance checks. Sometimes they just listen to the bike and declare confidently that it "sounds OK", which is false and horrible advice (since valve clearances almost always decrease, you can't listen to a bike and determine whether or not it needs a valve check), but not quite fraud. Poke around on any moto forum and there are many, many instances of outright fraud where riders have paid for a valve check only to find that the valve cover bolts haven't been touched.

Mostly I think it's caring about your work. The good pro mechanics are over at the Chevy or Mack Truck dealerships where they can make steady money year-round. Powersports mechanicking is only seasonal employment in much of the world. An owner who has to trust his or her life to their machine is far more motivated, and with information and support from the forum can easily outperform many "perfeshunals" in the quality and reliability of their work.

Of course, amateurs get it wrong a lot too, especially that "PO" guy, even if they are supposed to know what they're doing. My bike's PO was supposedly an aircraft mechanic, but judging by the many brainless pecker tracks I spent years undoing I'm glad I was never in the Air Force and didn't have to ride in any of the airplanes he had touched.

[LAB3]

Good point. And there's nothing particularly unusual about old Suzukis vs. other vintage machines, other than perhaps the sheer monumental crapness of the electrical connectors and design, the root causes of much GS woe.

However, it's very common with every make and model of motorcycle new and old to find that dealership idiots neglect or skip valve clearance checks. Sometimes they just listen to the bike and declare confidently that it "sounds OK", which is false and horrible advice (since valve clearances almost always decrease, you can't listen to a bike and determine whether or not it needs a valve check), but not quite fraud. Poke around on any moto forum and there are many, many instances of outright fraud where riders have paid for a valve check only to find that the valve cover bolts haven't been touched.

Mostly I think it's caring about your work. The good pro mechanics are over at the Chevy or Mack Truck dealerships where they can make steady money year-round. Powersports mechanicking is only seasonal employment in much of the world. An owner who has to trust his or her life to their machine is far more motivated, and with information and support from the forum can easily outperform many "perfeshunals" in the quality and reliability of their work.

Of course, amateurs get it wrong a lot too, especially that "PO" guy, even if they are supposed to know what they're doing. My bike's PO was supposedly an aircraft mechanic, but judging by the many brainless pecker tracks I spent years undoing I'm glad I was never in the Air Force and didn't have to ride in any of the airplanes he had touched.

Yeah I found a fun little PO goof just yesterday. My bike had 7500 miles when I bought it and I assumed no one had ever worked on it. When doing the rehab winter before last one carb float was off by 3mm, no biggie could have happened at the factory. Yesterday I put a new chain and sprockets on, they've taken a beating the last three weeks running the twisties in the Ozarks. Get this: The drive sprocket had the keeper fastened and appeared to have been off before, the nut was only FINGER TIGHT! One of those things you never bother to check on a bike with so few miles, I about pooped my pants over that one.

[Burque73]

That's funny, Brian. I bought an 850 from an aircraft mechanic too. He had destroyed the head drilling and tapping a stripped spark plug and used a wad of cardboard under the chrome cap to hold a half moon plug in while his glob of sealant dried.. I've noticed an interesting trend with highly qualified folks that totally jerry rig their own stuff, like a housing inspector with electric outlets run off of an extension cord. Mechanics, from what I've seen, are notorious for running vehicles in dire need of good repairs.


Speaking of halfmoon plugs, in post #11, EDGECRUISER mentioned these. I hardly ever change them out. They leaked when I got the bike so new ones were in order, but that was four or five valve checks ago and still no leaks. How often do you change those?

[cowboyup3371]

Speaking of halfmoon plugs, in post #11, EDGECRUISER mentioned these. I hardly ever change them out. They leaked when I got the bike so new ones were in order, but that was four or five valve checks ago and still no leaks. How often do you change those?

It really depends; I usually replace mine every time or two

[EDGECRUSHER]

Just to chime in on the gasket crafting... there was a bike i had in the past that I always seemed to need to get into a side cover for something. I hated forking money over for something i could make so i found some assortments of paper at napa and figured it out on my own. The way i found that worked best to make the first template that I’d save to make future gaskets with was to clean the cover well then use a paint pen to wet the gasket surface on it and then place it on the paper like a stamp. It worked better than trying to cut it on the cover blind. Once i got a perfect template I would put it in a baggie and store it between the pages of an old phonebook.
making my own gaskets wasn’t so much about saving money as it was crafting my own bike parts. Any idiot can walk into a dealership and fork over cash for anything. That’s no fun. Lol. For example, I just rescued a 98 SRAD 600 that needed just about everything replaced. The difference this time was i decided to buy all suzuki parts to fix it. I needed some gaskets that go between the intake tubes on the airbox and the tubes through the frame for the ram-air system. From the diagrams it appeared to be a special cut oval of foam. Paid $5 each side. What i ended up getting is two eight inch long straight strips of 1/2” foam. I felt so ‘had’. For 10$ I could have bought enough foam weatherstripping at lowes to do a couple dozen bikes. Ugh.
I was more curious about the head gasket because I remembered it being recessed into the cover but i think I’m picturing a different bike. Flat surfaces face to face are easy to make gaskets for.

[fasteddie313]

I amke tons of gaskets because I work on a lot of weird stuff and don't like waiting for parts, or spending money..
The glue way is good for very complex gaskets that are thin in areas, therefore little margin of error..
My favorite way is using a hammer but shouldn't be done on aluminum parts.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lsn6B6RsNQ But I find it better to use the ball side of the hammer to get into bolt holes and such.
Sometimes you can also put the gasket on wood and then the part on the gasket, and whack it good with a hammer and then cut out the trace you made..

I also reuse gaskets very often. Just try to save them when taking things apart and most can be saved if I take the time to get them off nicely..

I need to find this shims club and do my shims..