Those little rubber thingies

[drhach]

Hey everyone, I just got my 1978 GS1000 running and I noticed that three of the four rubber plugs that go between the valve cover and the head are leaking like sieves. I see that the PO put some orange silicone on them. Is this a common leak? I ordered some new ones. Will they leak too, or am I just dealing with old rubber components. Is there a trick to this? I'm not against silicone, but I'm not sure it is a substitute for maintenance. I want to put my shiny chrome endcaps on, but I can't do it until I'm sure these things don't leak. Thanks.

[t3rmin]

Probably time for new ones. Bikebandit sells them as do lots of places. I think Z1enterprises actually has them for cheaper.

Put 'em on with a bit of RTV for a good seal.

[Steve]

Put 'em on with a bit of RTV for a good seal.

Actually, just a tiny little bit of RTV. The rubber is doing the sealing, the RTV just holds them in place while you tighten the screws. 8-[


.

[Hap Call]

t3rmin nailed it. Buy new and it should stop leaking. Personally, I use teflon tape and not RTV but both will work.

Hap

[t3rmin]

Actually, just a tiny little bit of RTV. The rubber is doing the sealing, the RTV just holds them in place while you tighten the screws. 8-[


.

I agree that you only want a thin film, but I'd contend the RTV is there to assist with sealing. I put it on the top and arc of the half-moons (ie: all the way around). Also the RTV helps to cement the things in there so they don't pop out on the road (not uncommon).

[Suzuki mad]

The rubber gets hard with heat from the engine and then starts to leak. New ones will be slightly bigger and crush down when you tighten the rocker box up. I personally don't use any sealant at all on these rubbers.

Suzuki mad

[salty_monk]

I didn't use any sealant on mine except for one... the old one had sealant on it & guess what... the new one leaked too in the same place!!

I used a smear of silicon.

Flanges on the inside for me too.

Dan

[denydog]

New ones will be slightly bigger and crush down when you tighten the rocker box up. I personally don't use any sealant at all on these rubbers.
Suzuki mad

I do it this way as well. No problems.

My Suzuki shop manual calls for a bunch of sealants and thread loc on a lot of the assembled parts, but nothing on these side plugs. (I leave the thread lockers and sealants off of most of the parts that call for it too, but that's another problem )

[drhach]

New ones are on order. Thanks for the replies. I was a little crusty before I turned 30 too.