Can of worms?

I just bought this bike and the WHOLE THING was covered in grease and oil but after in my garage for two days there was nothing on the floor under it. So I set off to find the oil leak(s), away I went with the putty knife and engine degreaser. I got everything pretty clean, took it for a spin and I seen it was wet @ the head gasket (at least I think that's the head gasket). I took off the headers to get a better look and I noticed a bunch of carbon build up in the holes(?) Also one of the header bolts is broken off in the head. Should I be concerned? Do I need to replace the head gasket? Does the motor need to be rebuilt? The bike seemed to be running ok, maybe a slight knock. Keep in mind this is the first motorcycle I've ever worked on. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

Carbon buildup at your exhaust port is bound to happen.. the bolt.. IS a can of worms, but you can try to get it out with an easy out..
is it an exhaust bolt or an intake bolt? Intake ones are the bigger pain in my minor experience..

If you took the head off, yes, you should replace the head gasket.
Chacal (XJ4ever) section of the site sells gasket kits for the price you'd typically expect of just a head gasket for one of these bikes...

 

This is the bolt that is broken. I have not taken off the head yet (still a little nervous). Also when I took off the headers some shredded spring-like gasket material fell out. What do I replace that with?

 

Same kit I was talking about has the gaskets for these holes.

Can ya get some vice grips around that bolt?

Looks like it might protrude a bit -- try kroil or PB Blaster or something on it, let it sit for a day, and see if it screws out easily.

 

you definately need to replace the head gasket usually when they leak its from overheating 98 percent of the time .its a given you need to replace it if the head is off you also might want to put a stright edge on it. its not worth going thru all that work without doing it. on the stud if your scared to do it dont unless your sure you can do it right you dont want to mess up your head take it to a machine shop have them do it they mess it up they buy it

 

best case scenario is if some is still sticking out, take a metal file and try to make it reasonably flat on two sides, then you can get some torque on it with vice grips. otherwise the grips like to slip off and take metal with it, making it harder and harder to get a grip on it.

otherwise you could try some type of ez-out kit to retrieve the rest of the bolt. they are basically reverse threaded taps that dig in (after drilling a hole first) and allow you to unscrew the broken bolt. soaking the bolt in penetrating oil first might help.

 

The bolt is broken off inside about 1/4 inch. Is the head gasket a hairy deal?

 

head gasket is not really that difficult to replace but like cutlass mentioned you want to make sure the head is not warped from overheating or the new gasket will leak just like it does now. if it turns out it is a machine shop should be able to fix it. they could probably also remove the broken bolt.

 

Thanks a lot guys! Do you think the carbon build up is causing the over heating?

 

some carbon in the exhaust is normal, excessive carbon is a sign of rich fuel mixture or oil getting past the rings. could also simply just be a sign that the bike doesn't see many highway miles. a ring problem would make the plugs black and wet with oil. and you would likely have a smoky exhaust. compression test unfortunately won't tell you much because your head gasket is gone. is the carbon build up the same for all cylinders?

 

Yeah, the build up is the same on all 4 ports. I just changed the plugs and they looked pretty good, they did have a gas smell to them and so did the oil......

 

usually the overheating is caused by sitting in traffic or long periods of idling by the looks of the color of the carbon and its the same on all cyls i would guess your rings are fine when your rings are going usually the carbon is more blackish then grey and will kinda look wet . it wasnt smoking was it? to me i know its hard to tell by the pics it looks more like it might be running a little rich if you can pull a plug and take a pic and post it that will give us a little better view of whats going on inside.
by the last post you had you said it has a gas smell to the oil you need to check float heights while the head is off and check your petcock also. that issue definately needs to be fixed . before you do mess up your rings and all the other internal parts . usually its an easy fix just take your time and get the floats right check the needles and everything else while your in there clean out the passages in the carb also its good preventitive medicine even if it was running good before

 

Will do, I guess it's time to buy a Haynes manual and get my feet wet. Thanks!