replacing leaking gaskets

[ron bayless]

My 1980 gs 1000l has some oil seepage from what appears to be under the bottom of each head.I have a gasket set.I was wondering, when taking off the tank, the the valve covers, then the heads, then replacing the head gaskets and then reassembling i had the following questions:
1.will i have to remove the carbs and resynch them?
2.should i replace some other gasket while i am at it?
3.the bike has 35,000
miles on it and runs great, should i wait to replace them?
4 will my shop manual have all the torque amounts to put each bolt to?4.4. i read in the manual you should not use gasket sealer or silicone.True?
I have rebult car motors, never a bike one, is this something relatively easy to do?
5. Thanks for any and all information.

[rpickle]

Hello Ron,

Last year, early June, I replaced gaskets down to the case on my 850. I had never been into a motorcycle engine like that, but ran into no trouble. I had multiple oil leaks and and happy to say they are still at bay and it runs pretty good.

1. I would remove the carbs just to have them out of the way. Re-sync, not sure why they would need to be if they are not gotten into.

2. I replaced as many gaskets as I thought I had to to get the oil leaks stopped. May not be the best approach, but it worked for me.

3. Up to you. Mine was leaking so bad, it was coating the bike when I rode it. Also left small puddles wherever it sat......

4. I found all torque values in the Clymer. Have read not to use gasket sealant and followed that advice.

5. Your welcome. Its rare that I can actually contribute to this forum and glad when I can offer some first-hand experience.

Good luck and have fun.


Rick

[The Kelzer]

Aloha Ron,

Yes, the old GS motors are pretty easy to rebuild the top end on. The only thing even remotely tricky is the cam timing. Go slow and when turning her over for the first time, pull the plugs and rotate the crank slowly. ANY resistance (other than normal) means you could be off a tooth or even 180 degrees of crank rotation.

1. You might as well re-sync them. But you don't have to if you're careful.
2. Replace whatever gaskets you disturb or are leaking.
3.Would you rather ride or work on the bike? A slight leak isn't a real problem if you can stand it. Most Harleys and other old bikes leak all the time, They say they're "sweating".
4. Yes.
4.4? Unless you need to use it to hold a gasket in place, you shouldn't have to use any.

My pleasure. If you go slow and use common sense you shouldn't have any trouble at all. Most importantly....have fun!

Kelzer.

[ron bayless]

tHANKS RICK AND kELZER.vERY GOOD INFORMATION.i WILL PROBABLY USE SUZUKI OR OTHER FACTORY RECOMMENDED OIL IN IT AFTER THE WORK IS DONE.THANKS AGAIN,VERY MUCH.RON

[Doctor Shifty]

Hi Ron,

Taking off the carbs makes sense if you are taking off the head. Just unscrew the rubber boot clamp on each carb and pull them away from the boots as a single unit on their frame. If you don't knock anything out of line they should stay in sync.

The GS motor allows clearance to remove the head while the motor is in the frame, you can also remove the barrels in the frame. If there is any leaking from the bottom of the barrels and your gasket set has this gasket, it is worth replacing it while you are at it. If you do this, be prepared with some patience while putting the pistons back in as the rings can be tricky. You might even want to replace the rings while you are at it so check your compression before you start anything. (Isn't it great how these jobs multiply once you start?) If you put in new rings use only original Suzuki parts, not the cheapies.

You will need to treat the timing chain carefully and hold it up with a bit of wire as you lift the head. It is a nuisance if you allow it to drop into the slot.

You have to remove the cams to lift the head, so take note of their position, mark them with some Liquid Paper or something to help putting them back. Take careful note of the little arrows while setting up the timing again, and check the timing once the tensioner goes in. It is fairly easy to set these motors up one tooth out on the exhaust cam if the chain is a bit slack.

Bike motors can be easier than car motors because they are so accessible, and the air cooling means they are a bit simpler as well. But if you drop something inside it can be more of a headache.

I used copper spray on my head gasket when I did it. I just can't resist the glitzy side of technology. :-) However, a previous gorilla-fisted mechanic had left a groove or two in the head surface and I wanted to make sure it was sealing properly when I put it back on.

And I often use blue hylomar on gaskets, even when in theory nothing should be needed.

Kim