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Head Gasket Replacement, loads of pics
- bigkaw815
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- Mcdroid
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- Gone Kwackers
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Michael
Victoria, Texas
1982 GPz750
1977 KZ1000A
1978 KZ1000A
1982 GPz1100
1975 Z2A
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- bountyhunter
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I recommend OEM gaskets if you can find them. I had a bad experience with aftermarket gaskets and ended up doing the whole rebuild OVER......
ALSO: go for the VITON valve guide seals if you can (check ebay, they sell them there). Cost a few bucks more but they are WAYYY better than butyl rubber seals. The guide seals on these things seem to fail a lot (mine sure did).
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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- bigkaw815
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Also, should I pull the jugs and have a machine shop re-hone the cylinders? I had exactly even compression in all cylinders before pulling the head.
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- Bluemeanie
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1980 KZ650F1, Bought new out the door for $2,162.98!
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- bountyhunter
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NO, my bad news set was Athena. Don't know what set you got. I got a goopd head gasket in mine but all the paper gaskets were crap (oil pan, valve cover, cylinder base gasket). The cylinder base gasket failed and I had to pull it apart back down to the bottom.Hey , thanks for the support Hmmmm, I got a top end gasket set from z1 and the head gasket is not metal. Is this the "cheap"set you are speaking of?
If you are not sure about the quality of the base gasket, either get an OEM gasket or MAKE ONE from the rubberized fibre material they sell at pep Boys (that works great). The base gasket has the full torque of the head pulling down on it and if it can't handle it, the gasket will break up (that's what mine did).
bigkaw815 wrote:
It might work, but I wouldn't use it. It's not what it came with originally, I don't think it's as good. Check ebay because I have seen cheap (like $40) actual Kawi OEM gaskets there. The Athena set had a pretty good all metal head gasket which has worked well. The whole set was only $55, the head gasket was worth it (an OEM gasket for my 750 twin is like $100). Yours may be cheaper.the head gasket is not metal.
bigkaw815 wrote:
Also, should I pull the jugs and have a machine shop re-hone the cylinders? I had exactly even compression in all cylinders before pulling the head.
How many miles? If it is under maybe 40k miles and your compression is good, it probably doesn't need it. You could do a hone and install new ring sets just to get a better "set" but if your compression is good, you might end up in the same place you are now.
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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- bigkaw815
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Jay
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- larrycavan
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- bigkaw815
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- bountyhunter
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I think I'll try the Simple Green first to avoid hurting the aluminum. Is it safe to use a wire brush, or should I stick with SOS pads? Also, do I have to clean my pistons, or should I leave them alone? I am afraid of getting gunk into the cylinders. Thanks again for all the responses
My manual specifically warns against cleanming the tops of pistons in cylinder because it will push hard carbon into the edges and score the cylinder wall. If you do clean them: I'd clean all the oil off with acteone, then pack some paper tightly around the edges and scrape the piston tops with a popsicle stick and then vacuum the dirt off the top to keep the crud from falling down the sides.
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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