82 GS1100GL upper end oil leaks

[Guest]

i have a substantial amount of oil leaking out of the top of the heads somewhere. it seems to be collecting near the # 1 and #4 cyl heads. what are the usual suspects for upper end oil leaks? camshaft end seals? valve cover gasket?

[chef1366]

Usual suspects are valve cover gasket and tachometer seals.

[psyguy]

wash it off thoroughly with a degreaser
then go for a good blast (dont be shy)
if substantial, the leak should show shortly after

[bwringer]

Remove the cam end caps and take a look at the cam end seals. These seals pop out sometimes.

You can run it without the cam end caps -- they're just cosmetic covers.

[lordcannon88]

i pulled the tach and for sure its coming out of there. i also pulled the camshaft cosmetic covers and it looks like oil is coming out of there somewhere. im assuming valve cover removal is necessary to replace?

[psyguy]

to replace the cam end seals you may be able to just loosen the valve cover and push the new seals in
that said, i would want to sort out the valve cover gasket at the same time

[bwringer]

Instructions for installing new seals on the tach cable fitting:

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

I agree that I'd pull the valve cover and install a new gasket. Check the valve clearances while you're in there, too.


Another item to check would be the breather tube from the small breather cover atop the valve cover. Make sure this tube is clear and make sure the fitting on the airbox where the breather goes is also clear. If the breather system clogs or is pinched off, normal blowby can pressurize the inside of the engine and cause massive leaks.

[hikermikem]

i pulled the tach and for sure its coming out of there. i also pulled the camshaft cosmetic covers and it looks like oil is coming out of there somewhere. im assuming valve cover removal is necessary to replace?

Make sure you use an OEM valve cover gasket. You can use after market cam end rubber half-moon thingies; Z1 sells them & they are quite inexpensive. The OEM ones are about 4-5 times more!! I just used them on my 850GLZ & no problems (or leaks)...

Perhaps figure out what you need for valve shims first, & order them as well at the same time.

good luck

[lordcannon88]

hmmm...thanks for all the info. im still a bit confused about the whole shim thing. what exactly do they do, how do they work, etc.

[hikermikem]

Read this: http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...lve_adjust.pdf

Also search this forum for much more info...

Buy a valve depresser tool & set of metric feeler gages (down to .02 if possible).

Take care not to snap off any valve cover bolts. Spray them with PB Blaster a day or two before you plan on removing them. When you install the valve cover back on, tighten the bolts incrementally, starting in the center and working out towards the ends. Do it several times, each time tightening a little bit more. The object is to tighten the cover down "flat" with equal torque on all bolts.

Don't overtighten them, the specified torque is 6.5 ft-lbs.

Make sure you remove all remnants of the old gasket on both the cover and engine side before installing the new one. Be careful not to let pieces of scraped off gasket fall into the engine cavity (ask me how I know this). Stuff some rags into those openings before you start scraping...

Coat the new gasket with a light layer of grease to facilitate removal the next time.

Good luck,

[TheCafeKid]

i have a substantial amount of oil leaking out of the top of the heads somewhere. it seems to be collecting near the # 1 and #4 cyl heads. what are the usual suspects for upper end oil leaks? camshaft end seals? valve cover gasket?

As previously stated, its been MY experience for oil collecting where you say, that the cam end PLUGS are dried out and leaking. You can replace these with new (suggested, and are available thru www.z1enterprises.com for much cheaper than most places ive seen) and you'll need a new valve cover gasket as well. IF you're tight on cash, and can only afford a valve cover gasket (tho the cam end plugs are like 2 bucks a piece) or HAVE a valve cover gasket already and just want a quick fix in the meantime, pull the cam end plugs, and wrap a layer or two of teflon tape on the ROUND side of the plugs. DO NOT get the tape on the gasket mating surface part of them, or it wont seal there. Works like a charm. Just my suggestion.

[lordcannon88]

thanks for all the valuable info. im about to make bikebandit some money. where would i go about procuring a set of metric feeler gauges and valve tools? also could someone please explain what exactly a shim does/how it works. i understand they come in many sizes.

[psyguy]

www.z1enterprises.com have the tool

by using shims on top of buckets on top of the valves you control the clearance between the valves and the cam lobes
as the valves seat more deeply into the engine head thinner shims are used to correct that clearance

[lordcannon88]

hmm..these tool prices are getting to be a bit much. is the valve spring compressor absolutely necessary? what about the valve shim tool? do i need that?

[Piston720]

I believe that a valve cover gasket is available from "realgaskets", you may want to take a look at them. They say that they can be used over and over, which would be a great idea since the shims are usuallly checked a number of times. and you possibly will not have anymore scraping to be careful of.
I bought one for my 850 which I will be using when I get it torn down that far.
Good luck and have fun.