Sooner than expected repairs!

[T-ray]

Well my 81 GS850L is ready for some work a bit sooner than I expected.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=146340

I put a new o-ring and seal in the tach cable and got that leak taken care of(wish they were all that easy!).
After I bought the bike I noticed the guy had the tank on reserve so naturally I switched it over to on....that was a mistake. Didn't realize people do that when the "on" isn't working properly. Came out in the morning to find a puddle of gas on my garage floor. Check this site and saw that I should change the oil before riding again so I did that...good thing, it was pretty gassy. Petcock has been ordered. In the meantime its staying on reserve.
Now after a ride yesterday, my head gasket has started leaking at a good rate. I had plans of going through and replacing all gaskets, o-rings, and seals this winter, along with setting the valves, and going over the carbs and airbox.
Now that I need to do the head gasket, I'm planning the following work for next weekend: Breather gasket, valve cover gasket, head gasket, base gasket, valve stem seals, exhaust gaskets, along with any needed o-rings throughout and the fuel petcock.
Does this sound about right as a "catch-all" for this? This will be my first time getting into a bike. I've done small engines and cars before, just not bikes. I'll probably check the compression beforehand so I can see about rings. I plan on doing the carbs and setting the valves after the riding season...which is soon since hunting season will be starting shortly!
Any thoughts or tips?
I've read through a ton of threads on here and have a Clymer manual and the shop manual from Bass Cliff's site along with a cd I made with all the pdf "tutorials" on it.

[hikermikem]

I'm planning the following work for next weekend: Breather gasket, valve cover gasket, head gasket, base gasket, valve stem seals, exhaust gaskets, along with any needed o-rings throughout and the fuel petcock.

Sounds like you have a VERY ambitious weekend ahead of you !!

Don't know much about the condition or mileage of your bike, but hopefully everything will come apart easily for you (those exhaust bolts can take on a life of their own). Start spraying PB Blaster daily (or more) on all the nuts & bolts you're planning on removing...

I just put a base & head gasket on my 750 earlier this year - the hardest part was to scrape that old gasket material from the base... a real PITA. A spray can of Permatex gasket remover was a huge help, but be careful where you spray, as it removes paint quite well also.

I recommend using OEM gaskets, but others here have different thoughts.

I believe most here would re-grind the valve seats as long as you have the the valves out to replace the seals; also perhaps check the head for flatness.

I plan on doing the carbs and setting the valves after the riding season...which is soon since hunting season will be starting shortly!
Any thoughts or tips?

Not sure why you wouldn't adjust the valve clearances at the same time you have the valve cover off? Especially since you are planning to remove all the valves (to replace the seals) & remove the camshaft & chain to remove the head.

Good luck - keep us posted on your progress.

[T-ray]

When doing the valve seals, will I just need to order parts shown as 11&12 or will I need 13&14 too?

Thanks again

[hikermikem]

I've not replaced valve seals yet, but I believe you just need the seals, item #14.

Now, the valve seat grinding is a different matter...

[Steve]

#14 is the seal, the others are spring seats and keepers. The seal should be included in a top-end gasket kit, so there should be no need to buy them separately.

Since you will be having the valves all apart to change the seals, I would at least lap the seats to see if they need any further attention. Grinding just for the fun of it can raise other problems, so I just lap them to refresh the sealing edge. With a fresh edge exposed, it's also very easy to see how wide it is and to inspect it for overall condition. When you put it all together, you will have to check your valve clearances. I would rotate the engine through several revolutions to make sure things are seated before checking the clearances, though. To help you with the adjustment, see my signature, contact me for my Excel spreadsheet that helps you with your shim selection.

Also, since you are going through and making things fresh, you may as well do the carbs, too. That way there will be NO excuses for it not running right when you get it all together. Do not waste your money on any rebuild kits, just get a new o-ring kit from cycleorings.com. The owner of that little place is a member here.

[T-ray]

#14 is the seal, the others are spring seats and keepers. The seal should be included in a top-end gasket kit, so there should be no need to buy them separately.

I didn't see any kits on bikebandit and z1enterprises websites, is there a recommendation on brands for these? Does OEM have one that I'm not seeing?

Thanks

[Dogma]

I didn't see any kits on bikebandit and z1enterprises websites, is there a recommendation on brands for these? Does OEM have one that I'm not seeing?

Thanks

Yes, and it's worth tracking down. Others around here have had trouble with Cometic head gaskets, and Vesrah oval o-rings at the base gasket have no success stories that I've heard. I can personally vouch for the failure of those o-rings. Athena is another brand I've seen disparaging remarks about, but I don't know the specifics.

Z1 can get it for you if you call them and can wait for their OEM source. Specify OEM, they normally carry Vesrah. Always call Z1 if you can't find something on their site... Other on-line sources probably list them, but I can't tell you which. Mine mostly came overnight from another member here.

[bwringer]

The OEM kit is shown on the online fiches under the "OPTIONAL" section.

It is VERY complete, and well worth the additional cost over imitation crud. You get ALL the gaskets and o-rings, and ALL the many bolt seals and drain plug seals, and yes, the OEM kit includes valve stem seals. The only things missing from the OEM kit are the shaft seals for the bottom end (clutch shaft & cover, crankshaft, shifter), cam chain tensioner, and tach drive.

We've seen three identical GS850 Vesrah base o-ring failures recently, so I'm calling that a definite pattern and crossing them off my list. The Vesrah kits are very incomplete, and do not include many essential bits found in the OEM kits - you'd spend at least $50 -$70 more to duplicate the content of the OEM kit.


For your '81 GS850GL at http://partshark.com
GASKET SET
11402-45840
$190.22

[T-ray]

Looks like the OEM kit is 4-5 weeks out since they no longer make the kit and have to put one together. That would pretty much end my riding season now!
The Vesrah kits are available. What do you guys think about replacing the o-rings with OEM's and using everything else in the kit?

[bwringer]

Order the OEM head gasket, base gasket, o-rings, etc. individually, then.

You don't really need the bottom end stuff anyway.