head gasket leak on new rebuild, help please!!!

Today was my first test ride on my 810 build. It has been started before but probably not for over a month now. While I was letting it run today I noticed a small cloud of smoke rising from the left side of my bike. It never did this before, but it has been started only 3-4 times. I shut it off right away to observe the trouble area. I noticed that the fins on the far left side of the motor below the head gasket were wet with oil. The rest of the cylinders are perfectly dry. Any ideas on what would cause this? It is a new wiseco head gasket. Yes the head is torqued down i double checked. Any ideas???

The O-ring on that side is not right for some reason, I'd bet. At least that is what the symptoms indicate.

I would buy new o-rings (again) though. The head gasket: I don't know, Cometic could tell you for sure.

Unfortunately that requires head removal again: fortunately, it shouldn't take that much time the second time around. And everything is set right, so no days and days of waiting for stuff/stetting valve clearances/ where did I put that bolt 3 weeks ago???

While the head is off, it is best to make sure that the head and jug surfaces are nearly mirror surfaced: any scratch or old gasket piece can also cause this problem.

And quite a few guys (me included) ride with this until we just can't take the oily boot any more, or are worried about the whole oily rear tire thing.

Good luck.

jordan wrote:

Today was my first test ride on my 810 build. It has been started before but probably not for over a month now. While I was letting it run today I noticed a small cloud of smoke rising from the left side of my bike. It never did this before, but it has been started only 3-4 times. I shut it off right away to observe the trouble area. I noticed that the fins on the far left side of the motor below the head gasket were wet with oil. The rest of the cylinders are perfectly dry. Any ideas on what would cause this? It is a new wiseco head gasket. Yes the head is torqued down i double checked. Any ideas???

Is this a bad leak or seepage?

The head gasket on my 750 twin has always seeped oil since it was new. Did it after both rebuilds. Last time I used copper spray on the gasket, helped some but still seeps oil a bit at the front. I take a section of paper towel, roll it up, and cram it between the fins where the seep is to keep it from dropping down.

gpzrox wrote:

The O-ring on that side is not right for some reason, I'd bet. At least that is what the symptoms indicate.

I would buy new o-rings (again) though. The head gasket: I don't know, Cometic could tell you for sure.

Unfortunately that requires head removal again: fortunately, it shouldn't take that much time the second time around. And everything is set right, so no days and days of waiting for stuff/stetting valve clearances/ where did I put that bolt 3 weeks ago???

While the head is off, it is best to make sure that the head and jug surfaces are nearly mirror surfaced: any scratch or old gasket piece can also cause this problem.

+1

If you do tear the head off, you get the chance to really polish both surfaces with scotchbrite pads. Also, you could use some copper coat spray head gasket adhesive to seal it up. Clean the surfaces with acetone before assembling.

did u retyorque the head after 1 cylce of heat up and cool down? if not ,this is a good proceedure to follow to prevent future leaks. i would replace the head gasket and start over.

I guess it should be a quick fix since i have all the parts and know how to do it. It is just a small leak but still bothers me. I already tried retorquing it, so i gess the head will have to come off. i will try the o-ring fix, with cleanup, and head gasket adhesive. Thanks alot. BTW, will i need a new head gasket since this one has already been torqued down once?

Yes u will need a new head gasket or u will be right back to where u are now.

jordan wrote:

I guess it should be a quick fix since i have all the parts and know how to do it. It is just a small leak but still bothers me. I already tried retorquing it, so i gess the head will have to come off. i will try the o-ring fix, with cleanup, and head gasket adhesive. Thanks alot. BTW, will i need a new head gasket since this one has already been torqued down once?

Does your head have the 10mm "under bolts" that go up into the head from underneath like mine? I have three 10mm head bolts (two in the front, one in the rear) that go up to help pull the head down. If so, tighten those.

jordan wrote:

I guess it should be a quick fix since i have all the parts and know how to do it. It is just a small leak but still bothers me. I already tried retorquing it, so i gess the head will have to come off. i will try the o-ring fix, with cleanup, and head gasket adhesive. Thanks alot. BTW, will i need a new head gasket since this one has already been torqued down once?

Conventional wisdom is to always put in a new gasket. But, when I had to tear mine down about 100 miles after a rebuild, I reused it with no problem. YMMV, but head gaskets for mine are very expensive (like $100) and mine looked fine so I went for it.

If you do install a new one, I recommend retorqueing it after the first full warm up cycle.