bolt order

[cicocix]

i was planning to take my gas tank off and retorquing all the bolts on the top of the engine. what order do do this thanx

[BassCliff]

Hi,

For the breather cover and valve cover, seems I read in the manual to start with the middle bolts and work your way out. It's probably the same for the head bolts, but I've not had to mess with those yet. I'm sure there may be a clue in the manual. I forget which bike you have.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[waterman]

Basscliff has the correct general pattern, just don't get carried away. If you are dealing with a 2 valve per cylinder motor, those cam cover bolts will easily strip or worse break if overtightened. Why do you feel they need to retorque the bolts? Does your valve cover leak oil?

The head bolts and nuts should be retorqued before checking valve clearances. The sequence is marked on the head for my bikes, not sure of all. Again check manual for confirmation and use a good quality torque wrench if possible.

[bwringer]

Two issues:

First, "the bolts on top of the engine" doesn't tell us much. Which bolts? Why do you feel they need to be tightened? Why aren't you adjusting the valves while you're in the neighborhood?

Secondly, WHAT FRACKING BIKE DO YOU HAVE? Don't keep it a secret, mkay?


In general:

6mm bolts (the ones with 10mm heads) get 6-7 foot-pounds. This is NOT MUCH TORQUE -- one hand with a small t-handle is PLENTY. Most torque wrenches aren't accurate with this little torque.

8mm bolts (the ones with 12mm heads) sometimes get different amounts -- usually 12-15 foot-pounds, but you need to consult your manual.

Cylinder head nuts may get different amounts of torque depending on the model. Which we don't know.

On a GS850, this is 28 foot-pounds, and there are numbers cast into the cylinder head near each nut to show you the order to tighten them. They basically work from the inside out in a crossing pattern.

[CCMcC]

Re-Torquing Head Bolts/valve clearance

...This is the first time I've seen that recommendation. Can re-torquing the head bolts have a significant effect on measuring valve clearances correctly? Just curious since I just completed a valve adjustment. Thanks.

On the main thread, I can attest that it is not so hard to twist the head off of the bolts holding the valve cover in place. That's how I learned that springing for a new gasket and a gentle, even hand with the socket wrench are the path to happiness and no leaks.

[cicocix]

the bike is a 1100gk. second i posted awile back that i had a oil leak on the engine . i was gonna redo the gaskets then every response i got back was to retorque the bolts on the engine

[CCMcC]

leaks

cicocix:

I found your posts with the pictures. My personal (limited) experience with my '82 GS850G suggests that oil leaks seem to be caused more by deteriorated seals and possibly by hardened o-rings. The seals I have changed got pretty brittle and even seemed to disintegrate in some places over time.

I have some oil build-up where the cylinder assembly meets the cases (in the front) on my 850. I assume it is a gasket or o-ring issue. Oil seems only to be very slightly seeping, not pouring out, so I have not worried about it too much. I figure that whenever I get around to a top end rebuild, I can replace those seals and o-rings.

Over time, I've experienced more significant oil seeping from the camchain tensioner, the valve cover and the tachometer cable connection to the cylinder head.

I now replace the valve cover gasket each time I get in there to work. I recently replaced the cam chain tensioner (because it was broken and leaking) and its small gasket (with excellent results). I will soon be following Brian Wringer's helpful directions on replacing the seals, etc. in the tachometer cable connector (http://www.bwringer.com/gs/tachcableseals.html).

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but that is what I think I've learned through trial and error over time.

[waterman]

Missed your other post about oil leaks, after checking it out I would suggest just replacing the cam cover gasket. Seriously doubt that tightening the bolts will do any good, most likely will cause further headaches. As Bwringer stated, while you have cover off, check valve clearance at same time. Only trouble you may run into is that the existing leaking gasket will cement itself to head or cover and require some careful surgery to extract. Check out Bwringer website for notes on tachometer drive rebuild and also consult BassCliffs website for valve clearance procedure if needed.

[cicocix]

hey thanx guys. ill order gaskets when i get a chance