Head Gasket

[wolfie]

I've got the carbs off for a rebuild, and I'm also going to do a valve adjustment. My head gasket weeps a little oil. Just enough to make my engine ugly. For this reason, I'm thinking about changing my head gasket.
My question is: How difficult is it to reinstall the head? I'm worried about messing up the timing because of the DOHC. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to make this easier? Am I going to have to adjust my timing afterward? Thanks.

[Boondocks]

Before you change the head gasket, when you adjust the valves at maintenance intervals, checking the head bolt torque is part of this procedure. They may lose tension from vibration over time and need to be torqued again. If you are fortunate, this may stop your oil weep.

Use a shop manual and a torque wrench to set the correct values. The best procedure is to loosen the head bolts first and torque them in a couple of stages (i.e., 1/2 final value and then final value) following the bolt sequence in the manual. If the bolts aren't loosened first, bolt stiction might cause a false torque reading. I would retighten to the high end of the torque value recommended.

[wolfie]

Thanks! I'll probably try that first.

[sae3231]

head gasket leak

I'm having the same problem with a gs 750, I'll let you know how mine turns out if you do the same!

[hungryman]

If you pull the head, don't forget to get a base gasket also.