Head gasket repair
- Thread starter Badazz
- Start date
Its not tough. Just start with Murphys laws. 
Plan on half a day. Most of all you will need all the patience you can find. Pits aint the easiest to work on. Once the tanks are off it aint too hard. If ya do one, do em both while you are in there cause as soon as one is done, the other will start to weep...ask Murphy! An assortment of allen wrench's, sockets n ratchet, and rags should get the job done. Just to be sure, you are replacing the gaskets between the jug and rocker box. Base gaskets are a whole nother ball o wax
Plan on half a day. Most of all you will need all the patience you can find. Pits aint the easiest to work on. Once the tanks are off it aint too hard. If ya do one, do em both while you are in there cause as soon as one is done, the other will start to weep...ask Murphy! An assortment of allen wrench's, sockets n ratchet, and rags should get the job done. Just to be sure, you are replacing the gaskets between the jug and rocker box. Base gaskets are a whole nother ball o wax
Mikeinjersey
Well-Known Member
Don't forget a torque wrench.
Here's the deal... better do it once and not wait for the other gasket to fail. That's tank off, head steady off, carb/body assembly off and you just did the one gasket? Then it's all over again with that lit fuse on the cylinder you didn't change [the gaskets] out, and down the road that one lets loose.
Better off doing both. And that's base gasket on up. Break the seal at the head, the barrel unloads and that is more or less a broken seal.
Better know the head torque specs and if they are ala Harley with the pre-torque, then add 90° using that special tool to see the degrees, better tool up for that.
Better off running the ring gaps all lined up on the skirt side you can see, then walk them in with a cocked piston as the guide, and your fingernails pushing in the ring if needed.
Better you keep all the gaskets dry on assembly. Finger smear the base gasket return hole only, with an oil type sealer like Mr. Goodwrench intake manifold sealer. It both keeps the gasket from walking, and the sealer holds the oil back so it does not seep at that return hole area.
Better look at the spark plug grooves and if they are oiled, then change the rings. Dry threads, do not bottle brush the cylinders or sand them up, just use the same old rings.
Better take a compression test on the good cylinder and see where compression is before the teardown.
Better off doing both. And that's base gasket on up. Break the seal at the head, the barrel unloads and that is more or less a broken seal.
Better know the head torque specs and if they are ala Harley with the pre-torque, then add 90° using that special tool to see the degrees, better tool up for that.
Better off running the ring gaps all lined up on the skirt side you can see, then walk them in with a cocked piston as the guide, and your fingernails pushing in the ring if needed.
Better you keep all the gaskets dry on assembly. Finger smear the base gasket return hole only, with an oil type sealer like Mr. Goodwrench intake manifold sealer. It both keeps the gasket from walking, and the sealer holds the oil back so it does not seep at that return hole area.
Better look at the spark plug grooves and if they are oiled, then change the rings. Dry threads, do not bottle brush the cylinders or sand them up, just use the same old rings.
Better take a compression test on the good cylinder and see where compression is before the teardown.
john sachs
Well-Known Member
When you have the cylinders off, look closely at the cylinder studs where they thread into the case. Be sure none of them are trying to pull out. That was a problem on some cases.
John
John
I have one pulling out, how should I go about fixing that
john sachs
Well-Known Member
It's NOT an easy fix, if you don't have good machinist, or fabrication skills. That situation can be made worse to the point of having to replace the engine case. You need to put in a stud saver insert (Don't even think Heli-coil). Getting it in straight is the bomb (hard part).
John
So I managed to fix the stud pulling out. Now I think the valve guides or seats got messed up and I hear you would be the one to talk to. Where would be a good place to reach you?
john sachs
Well-Known Member
386 561 - 9044. Central Florida.
John