valve cover gasket

well i just bought myself a 80 KZ1000 shaft drive last weekend and so far i love it. only thing wrong is i have to do a valve cover gasket. anyone done this before? i am currently a mechanic (dodge, specifically) and was wondering if there is anything i should watch out for or anything special i have to do. i am by no means mechanically challenged so i don't for see this being a huge deal but let me know guys, i appreciate it.

Not that big of a deal to do at all. Just make sure you take out all the valve cover bolts. The cover comes off from the rear over the carbs. If ya get stuck you can put up something here and we will help ya out, there are a great group of guy's here.

I might add that you should determine if the valve cover gasket needs replacing versus one or more of the cam shaft plugs. If they are the issue, then just replacing the gasket will not help. In either scenario, the valve cover gasket needs replacing. If you also replace the cam end plugs, you'll need gasket sealer for the plugs. The valve cover gasket goes on dry.

Remember the valve cover bolts are threaded into 30 year old aluminum, not Mopar cast iron I suggest using a small scale torque wrench to be safe. Do you have a factory manual yet? Ed

Easy 1 hr job at the most, but like the others have said, check out the rubber first for leaks. Paper gaskets don't develop leaks unless previous installation was done wrong. One thing to watch closely is you get the correct gasket. A 1979-80 valve cover gasket is not the same as a 77-78 KZ1000.

I just did mine last week.. The prev owner had used RTV and it leaked from the end caps. Got an new gasket from Z1. Cleaned the engine real well but could not get new end caps so I cleaned the old ones and used RTV on just the caps and no leaks. Very easy actually.

Obviously from the replies... Yeah, we've all have done this before.... Numerous times actually... :laugh:

The before mentioned are spot on...

Only one thing I would add is in a tip I learned from Plummen and Larry C which is golden for Steel/SS bolts into aluminum threading....

Permatex Anti Seize Lubricant is a must!

OMR

In cases where the old gasket has hardened and encrusted itself onto the mating surfaces of the valve cover and engine head, the most time-consuming, and necessary, part of the procedure is careful and painstaking removal of the old gasket so that no trace whatever remains, leaving the mating surfaces in perfect as new condition, smooth, and free from scratches or gouges.

Gasket sealer is NOT needed when installing the new gasket, and should not be used. When properly installed, dry, the new gasket won't leak and should remain serviceable through several subsequent removals and replacements of the valve cover.

Should thoroughly clean half moon end caps and very sparingly use silicone sealer around them when fitted into position. Assure no silicone gets underneath valve cover to come loose and clog oil passages.

If any oil leakage is suspected through or around the tach drive, this would be an opportune time to replace the o-ring between tach housing and engine head and replace the inner seal around the shaft drive inside the housing. Without the tach cable attached to the tach drive, there should be no oil leakage whatever, and should be able to watch and see the slotted end of the shaft drive spinning when the engine is running, all with no oil leaks where the inner seal is in good condition and properly functioning.

The gasket, and any tach drive parts needed, are availabe at Z1E.

Good Luck!

There are of course different methods to do the same thing that all work really. My advice is pretty much same as patton except, just from my own experience, look for leaking cam end plugs and tach drive orings first. If they are leaking, don't bother trying to seal and reuse them, replace the leaky ones. Use Yamabond #4 sealer or equiv on the replaced end plugs. I never had luck with silicon sealer, but never tried it on the end plugs. Probably work too. Determine which plugs are *NOT* leaking and don't touch them, leave them be. If you're careful you can separate the gasket from the end plugs without disturbing the plugs. If a previously good plug comes loose when trying to remove the gasket, replace it. Don't seal old hardened plugs as it won't hold. Just my experience, other guys have done it and it's worked for them. Personally I want to put the engine together once only and not worry about leaks, so plugs go in the trash if they leak or are fondled in any way

rtdakota2001 wrote:

well i just bought myself a 80 KZ1000 shaft drive last weekend and so far i love it. only thing wrong is i have to do a valve cover gasket. anyone done this before? i am currently a mechanic (dodge, specifically) and was wondering if there is anything i should watch out for or anything special i have to do. i am by no means mechanically challenged so i don't for see this being a huge deal but let me know guys, i appreciate it.

Just don't over crank the bolts in the cover. I think they spec at 110 inch pounds (about 9 foot pounds) but IMHO, that's too much. I would say about 60 I-P is enough. Those bolts strip easily.

The Garbone wrote:

I just did mine last week.. The prev owner had used RTV and it leaked from the end caps. Got an new gasket from Z1. Cleaned the engine real well but could not get new end caps so I cleaned the old ones and used RTV on just the caps and no leaks. Very easy actually.

+1 If the end caps are old, it's smart to take them all out, clean them (and the head surfaces) and glue them up with some good sealer. Those suckers do like to leak, especially when they are old and hard.

wow, thanks guys. i really appreciate all the input. yes i just ordered a new gasket and a shop manual. so everything should get here in a few days. if i have any problems i will toss them up here. let me just say that this is wonderful, the response time to my thread was almost nothing and there a re a ton of replies, i have been on many a forum in my day for my trucks, dirt bikes, etc etc, but this was the best as far as amount of replies and time, and everyone's willingness to help out a noob. thanks a bunch guys, and i'm sure i will stick around!