Advice for valve cover gasket replacement please

Aloha
Just joined the forum
Love my '82 xj650!!
Its just hitting 20k and the valve covers are starting to leak
I was looking on amazon and found Vesrah gaskets available. Does anyone know if they are reliable. And please, I'd like to put together a list of exactly what materials I will need to do the job. Any advice would be super helpful!!!

 

I got mine off ebay
or you can contact Chacal... you see that banner on the upper right?
click on it.. and Chacal can get you any part you need
and fast!

 

You're also wanna get the rubber pressure washers that go on the valve cover screws; Chacal has them in his catalogue and they're pretty cheap. he also has a tool that makes installing them really easy for like a 1.25 i think. super cheap for quality stuff.

get a set of feeler gauges likes this:
http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/extras/motorcycle tools/bikemaster_12 blade combination tappet and feeler gauge set?utm_source=gps&utm_medium=csn&utm_term=12 Blade Combination Tappet and Feeler Gauge Set&utm_campaign=extras-motorcycle tools&gclid=Cj0KEQiA6JemBRC5tYLRwYGcwosBEiQANA3IB7_yz3V37R2ofJ3GzrIAvTyMuV5HkLx_dW40baBwQkcaAsgk8P8HAQ
feeler gauges should be big enough to correctly measure your valve shims according to the measurements in the repair manual if you have one. (i can't remember the normal sizes off the top of my head someone help me out)

and a valve shim tool like this (only if you have to replace shims because they're no longer in spec, it's a good tool to have but if you're tryna be frugal..):
http://www.motoparthub.com/08_0018_...UYMBIsGwpi0-Qpwo91xp2tOc-ufAmy8xX4aAr8u8P8HAQ

and some high tack valve cover gasket shit like this: http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-80065-Spray-A-Gasket-Sealant-Aerosol/dp/B000HBICK2

and read this thread: http://xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/airhead-valve-adjustment-with-pics.14827/page-11

oh yeah and hafa adai from an ex-guamie. go snorkeling for me dude i miss the ocean.

 

the above feeler gauges are not metric gauges, they're imperial gauges with metric equivelents.
you will find the job a lot easier if you get some metric gauges in .01 steps.
stu

 

Do you have a link to find those?

 

Chacal has them in the tools section. They're necessary in my opinion, and for the price they're a great addition to the toolbox. They'll come in handy again

 

We've got them............

HCP6383 Aftermarket METRIC FEELER GAUGES SET. These gauges will work on all XJ engines including the XJ700-X and XJ750-X water-cooled models, which require narrower blade-tip feeler gauges to check the intake valve clearances on those models. Aftermarket 32-blade metric set has 95mm long blades, hardened and polished, with the thin, tapered ends needed to access the valves on these models. Marked in both metric and decimal equivalents, as listed below. NOTE: these feeler gauges will fit perfectly, although you will have to rotate the blade 90 degrees to the holder for some of the inner valves on X-models. Each:

Comment: the inclusion of inch measurements AND the inclusion of smaller sizes makes this set ideal for all XJ-bikes and especially for X-models.

X-engines have valve clearances in a range from .004" - .012" (0.110 mm - .300 mm)

Decimal Inch Sizes:

.001, .0015, .002, .0025, .0028, .003, .0035, .004, .005, .006, .007, .008, .009,
.010, .011, .012, .013, .014, .015, .016, .018, .020, .022, .024, .025, .026, .028,
.030, .032, .034, .035, .040"

Metric millimeter sizes:

.03, .04, .05, .06, .07, .08, .09, .10, .11, .13, .15, .18, .20, .23, .25, .28, .30,
.33, .35, .38, .40, .45, .50, .55, .60, .63, .65, .70, .75, .80, .85, .90. 1.00mm



HCP247A Aftermarket valve shim BUCKET RETAINER TOOL. For use with all XJ550, 1984-85 FJ600, XJ650, XJ700 air-cooled, XJ750 air-cooled, XJ900, XJ1100, and XS1100 engines. Please note that although this tool is patterned off the original Yamaha tool, and will work properly, although it can be somewhat "tricky" to figure out the procedure the first time you use it!: http://xjbikes.com/forums/index.php?threads/29209

 

i feel like a sales rep for chacal

 

I am doing this too shortly. (left pant legs on my jeans starting to tell me it is time). Where do I buy shims? Do I buy a whole set then sell what I do not use? Do I come here and say what I need?
When I do this project I can only have the bike apart for one day because I have to do the work in my carport and need the bike to commute. It is my daily driver. If I cannot get shims I will be just doing a house-of-clean on it and replacing gasket only...

 

your local yamszukionda dealer should have shims, if you don't do the valves you'll be using public transportation

 

There is also a shim pool here. Just contact Hogfiddles.

 

We sell then singly, just the size(s) you need, brand new, in stock, direct to your door, to you in just a few days......

 

Do you know what shims are currently in the bike?
Do you know what your current clearances are?
Shims can be sourced as noted above.
You may need to take a vacation day.

Someone once posted a nice spreadsheet for this. . . .
Pop the top; measure and write down clearances; pull shims and write down sizes; do math - calculate what you may need to bring things into spec; do more math and see if you can do ye olde switcheroo.
Order, swap, locate appropriate replacement shims; IF clearances are not too bad, put bike together and ride until shims show up. However if your gasket is leaking now, putting things back together without a new gasket will most likely not have good results.

 

Back to the original question...I've never had any issue with Vesrah gaskets, those are what I always got--now I order from Len because its easier, quicker, and " keeps business here"......

Dave Fox

 

Here's the sheet I use to keep track of my bikes when servicing. I print one off for each and keep in a binder in the garage. Nice to know what ones are in there without having to pull the shims. The links are Kawasaki based but as mentioned you can get from a pool or Len.

 

Nice sheet! I kept mine on a notepad, always told myself inshould come up with a chart that I can photocopy-- I think I just found it!! Thanks.....

 

So i read that the Haynes manual has the wrong service limits for the xj650, but is the chart correct?

 

The chart itself is correct but the specs for the clearances is wrong: here's the correct one:

Intake: .11mm-.15mm
Exhaust: .16mm-.20mm

 

sweet thanks hog fiddles. I understand that they're just human but you think they would make sure that every single specification was right on the money at least 10-20 times. The wrong info for some things could really mess stuff up.

 

I want to believe you but that doesn't make sense. in the Haynes there's only one chart for exhaust and intake shims for all xj650j and UK , i'm guessing these numbers are based on the incorrect measurement for 16-20 for both, because if they intake and exhaust were different measurements then there would be two charts right?

 

here's the link to the spreadsheet Stumplifter mentioned
https://drive.google.com/folderview...yMS00ZTQ0LWEzNGUtNjBjYmNhNTI5YzY2&usp=sharing
and a degree wheel to tape or glue to the ignition rotor

 

The Hanes has a well known misprint (actualy it has several, as does the factory manual). Hogfiddles is correct. If you look on the back of your left sidecover you will find the sticker that has the correct valve clearances (the clearances that Hogfiddles posted, minus his typo for the high side of the exhaust which should be .20mm). The shim chart however is correct.

 

oh okay. just being skeptical.

 

Oops, couldn't see that on this small iPhone screen-- I just corrected it.

Don't you hate when a period shows up at just the wrong time?!?

 

typo corrected