Oil Leak...Should I replace gasket and seals?

Guru's and Members,

My bike has a head to block oil leak on the right side at the oil transfers, I removed the head, cleaned the gasket and added a thin coat of Indian Head gasket maker. Put everything back together and torqued the cap nuts to manf. specs. Took it for a spin this morning to see if it would leak; it does. The gasket and oil seals were installed new about seven months ago. Should I replace them again?

Thanks,

Gary

 

Did you use NEW brass sealing washers under those two nuts?

Head properly torqued?

 

Big Fitz,

Yes sir, When I did the top-end about 7 months ago I installed two new copper washers at the oil transfers.

 

So you removed the head to fix the leak and now it still leaks at the same spot? Exactly where is that?

 

Thanks for the reply...you too Mr. Fitz...thank you.

Yes, I removed the head to fix the leak. Cleaned the block surface, cleaned and dried the gasket, added a thin coat of Indian Head gasket maker to the side of the gasket facing the block and on the top side around the oil transfers (I didn't want to make it impossible to remove the head in the future by adding the maker to the entire head side) and assembled it back including torquing the cap nuts to 23ft pds. Started fine...took it for a spin. Stopped to see if it was still leaking; it is. The leak is exactly at the head to block gasket on the right side where the two vertical oil transfer ports are located.

 

Let's see... I'm writing this off the top so if I miss something bare with me...

REMOVING THE HEAD:

Bike to center stand, seat off, covers off, battery to tinder, gas tank off, clutch, throttle and ec cables loose and pulled back, carbs off, horn off, plug caps tied to frame, exhaust headers/crush washers off, two nuts in front off, four nuts in rear off, valve cover/gasket off, chain tensioner off, two cam caps closest to sprocket bolts off, engine rotated...hidden sprocket bolts out, engine rotated to tdc and pick up cover replaced to prevent engine from being rotated and possibly bending valves...done. Remaining sprocket bolts out. Remaining cam caps removed and separated according to I and E. E cam out. Rope attached to cam chain to prevent chain from dropping in engine and off crankshaft. I cam out. Twelve cap nuts/washers removed according to Haynes Manual diagram. HEAD OFF! In 3.5 hours after work. Not bad for a newb. Thanks to this forum I've come a long way since last June. oh, and...putting it back together and making sure all is right??? Well, I have to stop more frequently and re-read more often and that means I'll need another pack of smokes.