Valve cover question

Can you change the valve cover gasket without taking the engine out of the bike?

 

YES

 

kickass

 

You'll have to take the horns off. But it will come off no problem

 

Awesome, thanks. I'm planning on changing the gasket because I have an oil seep at the tach pickup, but nowhere else. I assume the gasket will take care of that?

 

When you have the valve cover off you could check the valve clearance. I wish I had the fore sight when I did mine.

 

Actually, I'd really like to do the clearances. It seems kind of involved though? I read the maintenance manual and some write ups on here...maybe i can muddle through it. (motorcycle valve-trains scare me more than the stability augmentation systems on the helicopters i work on LOL!)

 

I can't even say or understand what "augmentation" is. You can do this just take your time.

 

i think it means "please don't let us fall out of the sky" lol

 

You at Elmendorf? :?:

 

I used to be, I work for the Guard in town now.

 

I spent a bit of time at Eielson in the early 90's working on A-10's and F-16s laser guidance systems. Loved the area. If I had a job lined up when I got out, I never would have returned to the outside.

 

When my DEROS came up, I had enough time left on my enlistment for them to cut me orders, so I ended up working on B1's in South Dakota for a year. It sucked, for various reasons, enough for me to basically blindly move back to Alaska, and the Guard, and a full-time job therein fell into my lap. Worked out excellent.

That being said, if you have avionics experience, and are looking to move back, there's so much $ and work up here in the aviation/avionics industry.

 

Is yours the YICS motor?
I've got an '82 Seca non YICS and my pick up is lower then the valve cover.
It uses an O-ring to seal at the motor.

 

Everything you ever needed to know about valve adjustment: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html

The valve cover is actually PRESSED DOWN by the metal and rubber "donuts" on the bolts. The bolts themselves have stop collars that limit how far they can be tightened; the rubber donuts are what do the work. If you change the valve cover gasket without replacing the donuts too it may still leak and you CAN'T just tighten the bolts up more.

The tach housing has an o-ring. You don't need to remove the valve cover to replace that.

 

... what would happen if you took the collar off of the bolts or made them a little shorter?

 

Wouldn't it be easier and make more sense just to replace the donuts instead of trying to outsmart the Yamaha engineers? Take a look:



Note the area I have outlined; notice how the original donuts have "squashed" in that area compared to the new ones, especially on the smaller (outer) ones.

They're pretty specialized bolts, not the kind of thing you could do with a file and the middle (4) would have to have the shoulder reduced...

Better to just replace the donuts.

 

The Collar on the Yamaha Special Fastener for Cam Covers is a safety feature.

It prevents the Fastener from being over-tightened and fracturing the Cam Cover.

Replace the Donuts if you have an ill-fitting and leaking one.
Torquing the Bolt down further than the Collar will Crack the Cover.

 

It is indeed a non YICS motor, and my initial diagnosis of the tach pickup leaking is incorrect, there is apparently an oil leak at the bolt at the 12 o'clock position (while sitting on the bike looking down at the valve cover).

Should these "donuts" be readily apparent after I take all the cover bolts out? I don;t remember here being anything like that on them, but I also think they were painted at some time, and I'll take another look at them.

edit: I hadn't seen the last posts...

 

You're bike does not use the pressure washers.............only YICS covers did.

 

OK, here are the bolts that were on my valve cover, no donuts, no shoulders, no YICS (thanks chacal). I would like to use them again if possible....What do you think?

 

RUBBER,MOUNT 1
4G0-1111G-00-00 4 $5.39



RUBBER,MOUNT 2
4U8-1112G-00-00 8 $10.69



They (donuts) cost an arm arm & leg....Bout 120.00 for all.

 

But I take it I don't need any of them?

Just for referrence I looked at my spare motor, and it has identical bolts, so I'm going to press on with cleaning the cover up, painting it, and throwing a new gasket on there.

Thanks guys!

 

XJ4ever.com price: HCP1621 (inners) $2.75 each or all 4 for $8.95;

HCP1622 (outers) $2.00 each or all 8 for $13.95.

Works out to be just under $23 for all; I don't think you can even GET the OEM ones from Yamaha any more.

Thanks chacal.

alaskazzr; It looks in the photos like one or two of the screws might be bent a bit? Be sure you use a set that are all nice and straight, and don't exceed the recommended torque spec for the cover.

 

DEAL..... Chacal I will b gettin hold of ya!!!!


THANKS FITZ