Cylinder head cover leak

[slowride]

Welcome back all. I need a little help. My cylinder head cover is starting to spit out a little oil. Do I just have to take it apart and replace the gasket or is this a sign of some other problem??

Also, Once I take the cover off, does anyone recommend a little preventative maintenance while I'm at it? My 1981 GS850G has been running great all summer and still is. I'm actually riding it more now since I totaled my Honda ('96 Accord) one month ago (today).

Thanks,
Ed

[TheCafeKid]

You'll need to pull the cover and replace the gasket, and the half moon plugs. They get hard with age/heat, and thats usually where they weep oil. Gasket and half moon plugs are available on the cheap and fast thru

www.Z1Enterprises.com

While you're in there, check your valve clearances too...

[bwringer]

Make sure the valve cover is not cracked, of course, clean the surfaces thoroughly, and replace with a lifetime silicone RealGasket.

Make sure you order the breather cover gasket as well, and PAY ATTENTION to the torque values given. It's nearly impossible (and horrifically expensive) to find a torque wrench that reads that low, but keep in mind 15 inch-pounds is only 1.25 foot-pounds.

http://realgaskets.com

Also, make sure your tach cable fitting is not the real source of the leak:

http://bwringer.com/gs/tachcableseals.html

And finally, check your valve clearances while you're in there. They're due every 4,000 miles:

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

[bwringer]

With a Realgasket, it's often better to keep the old half-moon plugs -- the Realgasket isn't hard enough to squish new half-moons into place, and this can make them leak.

You can pop the old half-moons out and put a slight whiff of case sealer (NOT silicone) on the round parts to make sure they're sealing.

[slowride]

TheCafeKid and Brian, Thanks. As soon as the weather gets a little worse (so I have to drive the car) I'll get wrenching. I'm hoping that isn't for awhile though. Unless, I can find a weekend when the "honey-do" list is small and the fallen leaves are not keeping me busy.

Brian, also, thanks for the temporary site.

Ed