HEAD GASKET QUESTION

keith1 wrote:

i ve put about 800 on bike since top end rebuild and i have a nagging little problem...on both sides of the head gasket,right at spot where the small bolt is, i get a few drops of oil after a ride....not a lot, just enough to show a little weepage.....i ve tightened down those two little bolts as much as i dare...i ve noticed they have no grade markings...my question is if i get a similar bolt in a grade 5 version and really sock it up,ya think the threads in the jugs would hold?....no leaks whatsoever anywhere else
in head gasket area and no other leaks on motor....i m guessing this little problem is due to the 10.5 to 1 comp........thanks for any input....keith

750 twins have the same problem: oil weeps at the front where the little bolts are which don't do enough to hold it together. I am on my third head gasket in 30 years and they all did it (including factory), have seen many picturtes of 750 twins and all show the oil line.

I roll up a small section of paper towel and stuff it in between the fins where it leaks. Gave up trying to get it to stop.

davel wrote:

keith1 wrote:

the seepage is at the extreme end of the head gasket on both sides right at the small bolts...how close is the closest oil route?......i was thinking of a grade 5 or better and putting a little 1194 on the unthreaded part...

Pretty sure that hole doubles as an oil route. Best to keep any sealant goop away from it. Also, good chance you will strip out the aluminum threads before breaking the bolt so the bolt grade might be irrelevant.

As far as fixing the leak...not sure. I have the same problem but only on one side of the engine. I'm thinking about taking the head off over the winter and changing the head gasket but I don't want to end up with the same result. Someone else will have to chime in with the full-proof solution.

I tried a new gasket along with the copper coat spray and it still seeps oil on mine.