85 gs700 valve cover gasket situation

[Anonymous]

hi everyone, first post here - and i have a problem, i have an 85 gs700, and i swapped the old valve cover gasket after i adjusted the valves and it disintigrated on me, anyways, no issues with the work done, but after about 40 miles, on the the cam end plugs on the gasket popped out, and started leaking oil, and when i say popped out, i mean was just hanging there. so i took it apart, cleaned everything up and degreased it, and used some hondabond sealant to try and hold it better, the gasket wasnt damaged and was new, so i reused it (being one of those rubber ones) i made it about 10 miles this time, and noticed it was starting to pop out again, i stop and shut the engine off, and within 5 minutes, the plug had popped out, ripping the gasket, and was hanging down by the cylinder - while the engine wasnt even running. i checked the breather and its very free flowing (bike has no more airbox) and i cant think of why this would keep happening. the old gasket that needed replacing i managed to hondabond together and ride for 6 months with only a few drops here and there. anybody have any suggestions?
thanks

[oldschoolGS]

You do have to use bond on the half-moon rubber end caps, they can be difficult to keep sealed.

It sounds to me that you are overtightening the cam cover bolts. The torque value for these cover bolts is only 9.5 to 11 lb-ft. It is very easy to overtighten them which will squeeze the gasket too much and cause the rubber end caps to pop out of their sockets in the cylinder head. Try using a torque wrench and tightening the bolts down uniformly. Hope this helps, Ed.

1983 GS750ED
2005 GSF1200SZ

[Anonymous]

alright thanks, ill actually torque them next time, i was also told at work to lose the honda bond and try weatherstripping cement. just gotta wait for the gasket now...

[Billy Ricks]

The first couple of times you tighten with the new gasket go easy and try to get by without sealant. The GS700 gasket is a good setup. Don't overtigthen the cover. The cam bearing upper is what the bolts thread into and you can make a mess of them in a hurry.