cam cover troubles

[ShirleySerious]

My cam cover gasket has been leaking lately, so I got a new gasket and tried replacing it tonight. I ran into a couple roadblocks doing so. For the life of me, I can't seem to get the tachometer cable off the engine. It just keeps twisting and won't come off. Is there a trick to this?

Also, I tried taking the old gasket off with the cable still attached, and since it very well may be the original gasket, it would not come off in one piece. I managed to get a couple chunks off, the rest is stuck. How can I remove the old gasket?

[Nessism]

Scraping off the old gasket is a P-A-I-N!](*,)

Took me more than an hour scraping with a razor blade.

Cam drive cable screws into fitting on the cover. Unscrew it and then pull straight out.

Good luck.

[ShirleySerious]

Is there some kind of chemical I can use that won't contaminate the oil, or is a razor blade my best bet?

I tried unscrewing the cable, but there's a thing that the ridged part goes into that moves with it. It won't pull out.

[chiphead]

After you use a razor to remove the big stuck junks of old gasket, take a fine whetstone, keep it wet with solvent or brakekleen and gently polish both gasket surfaces using a light circular motion.

I don't know what kind of bike you have so I won't comment on the tach cable issue.

[ShirleySerious]

Mine is a '78 GS550E.

[ShirleySerious]

I know you're all eager to answer my question, but one at a time please!
/sarcasm off

Seriously, I don't know why I keep working on this money pit. The retards that run Schaumburg Honda/Suzuki gave me the wrong gasket. I busted my ass for hours scraping off the old gasket, and possibly damaging my engine, with a tachometer cable that still won't come off, only to find that they gave me the wrong gasket. Now it'll have to be until next week to get a new one, and I'm not even sure I'll get a refund.

[Nessism]

I know you're all eager to answer my question, but one at a time please!
/sarcasm off

Seriously, I don't know why I keep working on this money pit. The retards that run Schaumburg Honda/Suzuki gave me the wrong gasket. I busted my ass for hours scraping off the old gasket, and possibly damaging my engine, with a tachometer cable that still won't come off, only to find that they gave me the wrong gasket. Now it'll have to be until next week to get a new one, and I'm not even sure I'll get a refund.

If they sold you the wrong gasket they are obligated to give you a refund, or the proper gasket.

You can buy some gasket remover chemical this is reputed to soften the OE gasket making it easier to clean. I've never used it but after spending way more time than I like scraping the gasket on my 550, I just may next time around.

Regarding Schaumburg, I grew up there, and Hoffman Estates. Had a corn field at the border of the back yard. Those were the days...:-D

[ShirleySerious]

I'm not sure if they will refund, because some places don't refund special orders.

And I did use some gasket remover, but I'm a little concerned because some of it got into the camshaft compartment and oil during spraying. You can only spray so much on there because a 30 year old gasket just doesn't want to come off.

And Schaumburg nor Hoffman Estates have cornfields anymore. That's sprawl for you.:?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Don't rely on the kid behind the counter. Check

http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm

Then go get your parts with the part #s in hand

[ShirleySerious]

I just ordered one from bikebandit, guaranteeing I'll get the right one for almost the same price, without having to deal with those schnooks.

[robertbarr]

I use Permatex gasket remover aerosol, after masking off the area around the gasket surface. It can damage paint, and I don't want to mess up the frame paint. I hit it repeatedly at about three minute intervals, and then when it's done bubbling, I'm ready to scrape. It really makes it easier, but it's never a good time. Price of admission, I guess.

I'm sure that helps, now that you've got the gasket surface all prepped....

[Cathy344]

How do you shear a bolt while removing it?

One of the first major repairs on my eBay special GS550LX was to replace the cam cover gasket. My tach cable came right off with a pair of pliers to do the rotating and my fingers to pull it straight out.

While removing the cam cover gasket bolts, one of the shorter length bolts just snapped right off when I started to untighten it. WTF? Now, I could understand how that could happen if the threads themselves were seized, but once the cover was off, the stub came off with just finger unscrewing.

The gasket was basicly completely gone around the front portion that goes around the cam chain. Everywhere else, I had to sit out with my 4" Winchester straight knife at as shallow an angle as I could manage essentially whittling the remains of the old gasket off of the cam cover seat for about two hours.

Finally managed to get a clean seat without a lot of gasket shavings making their way into the cam ways, on both halves of the cam gasket seal, seated the new old stock gasket and torqued the remaining bolts from the inside out in a criss-cross pattern. Started the engine and let it idle. No problem.

Then NeroBro told me I should have used some ordinary grease on the gasket to make it easier to remove next time, so next day, I bought a tub of grease, removed the cam cover again, greased up both sides of the gasket, and reinstalled-- only to have the cam cover crack around one of the bolts.

http://mama.indstate.edu/users/garrett/projects/Suzuki/photos/cam_cover_crack_1.jpg

http://mama.indstate.edu/users/garrett/projects/Suzuki/photos/cam_cover_crack_2.jpg

Now, there's a slight oil leak through the crack, so looks like before I will be able to declare it roadworthy, I'll have to take the cam cover off yet again to administer a proper JB weld application.

Although, since filling it with fresh 10w40, there's been a number of additional small oil leaks to show up, one in the head gasket, virtually every half moon plug around the cams. I've been reading about the possibility of going to 20w50, that it might stop a lot of the small oil leaks, and maybe even the crack in the cam cover.

Whatayathink?

Now, where's my whetstone. My knife needs honing. And where could I get just one standard length cam cover gasket bolt for my 81 GS550L? And while I'm at it, there's lots of other little screws, nuts, bolts, and washers I could do with replacing with fresh hardware.

Oh! And when I got the cam cover off, I discovered the the PO had fumbled one of the head's acorn nuts down into the valley and just left it there, so I placed it on properly and torqued it to spec. Could that have been what started the head gasket leak?

[txironhead]

http://stores.ebay.com/Stainless-Cycle

Buy the whole stainless engine kit and you won't have to worry about it. Mine cost $35, came with cam, starter, stator, clutch, front sprocket, ignition and cam end plate hardware, even a new bolt for the tach drive. There's still bolts left over, I'm thinking maybe intake boots and other things I haven't gotten around to yet.

According to a post, Z1 sells more complete bolt kits for comparable prices, but I can't vouch for that. Considering that regular Grade 8 bolts for just the front sprocket cover were going to cost upwards of $16, I can't complain in the least about the value or quality of the kit I got.

For individual small screws and bolts, try your local Ace Hardware or bolt and screw shop.

[ShirleySerious]

My tach cable has a ridged connector and a smooth, cylindrical thing with a notch in it. I've tried loosening it with the notch in place and without and I still can't seem to get it free.

[txironhead]

There should be a tab mounted to the cam cover that holds the tach drive on. Is it possible your bike is missing that tab?