Will a valve cove gasket seat?

[Guest]

Finally took my bike out for a ride yesterday for the first time since after a long winter of wrenching

When I adjusted my valves I replaced the cover gasket with a new oem one. I started the engine and noticed a few leaks around the half moons. I then removed the new gasket and half moons and used a gasket sealant (#97 gasket goo from permetex)as recommended. I cover the head and the cover and the top and bottoms of moons. I let sealant set for 2 days. Yesterday, after my 15 minute test ride, I noticed some new leaks from the gasket again.

What gives? I don't want to take the gasket off AGAIN, now that I just let the new sealant dry. Can I just wipe some more sealant on the seems of the gasket/valve cover? or will the Gasket just eventually seat?

thanks

[Dogma]

Finally took my bike out for a ride yesterday for the first time since after a long winter of wrenching

When I adjusted my valves I replaced the cover gasket with a new oem one. I started the engine and noticed a few leaks around the half moons. I then removed the new gasket and half moons and used a gasket sealant (#97 gasket goo from permetex)as recommended. I cover the head and the cover and the top and bottoms of moons. I let sealant set for 2 days. Yesterday, after my 15 minute test ride, I noticed some new leaks from the gasket again.

What gives? I don't want to take the gasket off AGAIN, now that I just let the new sealant dry. Can I just wipe some more sealant on the seems of the gasket/valve cover? or will the Gasket just eventually seat?

thanks

Hmm... Assuming all the screws are tight and not stripped, the gasket should be sealing. Is it still leaking from the half-moons, or somewhere else?

If it's leaking from somewhere else, I think you'll have to take it apart and inspect the gasket and sealing faces for damage. When I put mine back together this spring, I had black Permatex smeared lightly over the half-moons (which weren't really smooth), the old Permatex under them, Permatex smeared over the gouges I had made removing the old gasket, and grease smeared on both sides of the gasket. The Permatex was still wet when I put it together. Not leaking, no seating after a couple hundred "hey, it's spring and it's running" miles.

[Headphase]

I just did the valves on my 1980 750 (16 valve job) , and put a new gasket and 1/2 moons on. I didn't use any sealant at all, and a couple of hundred miles of hard riding later there is no sign of even the slightest oil weep or leak.

Hope you get it sorted out though

[spchips]

I've had good experience, doing the following:

-Drying and cleaning all surfaces, remove moons, and very carefully clean the tops.
-use some non hardening, non silicone gasket sealand around and under the moons.spread it to transition back to metal
-use white grease on the rest of the surface.
-install gasket and torque

However, even in the best situation, you might get a little dusting of oil here or there. Just means you have to wash it more ofter, to keep it from building up.

[chuckycheese]

torque

If your valve cover has ever been installed too tightly, it can cause the valve cover to warp and it probably wouldn't be noticeable until the next time you took it off. I hope that's not your problem. (Some people torque those things down like they're part of the space shuttle.)

I always use a sealant but I put it on so lightly, you can hardly see it. I don't have leaks and the gasket comes off easily next time around.

[maro]

I probably did torque it to much the first time, but I removed it within days, so it didn't seemed warped, prob not torqued enough now.

Gonna torque it tight again.

if still leaking, I going to apply a small bit of sealant on the outside of the leaks.

hope it works