Cam end plugs-- thoughts ???

The Manleys are the old style. No O ring. I use copper RTV. It's stickier and I feel it works better. I'd use it even with a O ring.
Steve

KzChop82 wrote: What do people think of this process?
Has anyone ever tied this specific process before and had success?

"Then I figured out what worked for this motor. Here’s what did the trick:
With the cam cover off and the caps removed, clean the surfaces of the end caps as well as the part of the head where the caps are inserted. Use acetone and wear a glove and eye protection so you don’t get hurt. This will remove pretty much all of the oil residue.
Apply Permatex Ultra Black in a thick bead onto each cam end cap. Spread the Permatex with a small flat bladed screwdriver or something similar. Install the caps onto the head. Wipe away the excess.
Install the cam cover (no gasket) and screw the bolts in finger tight.
Let the motor sit for at least 24 hours so that the Permatex will dry thoroughly. Is it really necessary to wait 24 hours? I’m not sure, but it worked for me.
Remove the cam cover, install the gasket and then reinstall the cover. This time tighten up the cover as you normally would.
Note: I did not use the viton rubber sealing material that came with the caps. Permatex Ultra Black was all that was needed to seal it up. "

I also used ultra black to install my new end plugs, but there's one thing: I apply te sealer and use tht top cover to gently squeeze down the plg to where the top is almost level with the top of the aluminum. If you just install the plug, the top sits about 1/32" above level and when you crank down the cover, it shears the sealer. You want the plug bonded in place just about where it's going to live so it doesn't tear when tightening down. Mine did and the plug popped out.

nickleo373 wrote: The original plugs were hardened an unusable so I replaced them with oem rubber plugs from Z1 enterprises. I just put a pea sized amount of hondabond on the bottom of the plugs and installed them to the head of the engine and installed the valve cover without the gasket for a day.

That's what worked for me. It squeezes the plug down to where it should be while the sealer sets. That's the trick to get them installed correctly. Once they are in place and set up, never have a problem.

I'm finally ready to install my new end plugs (with o-ring material) and I was wondering if anybody had any updates? Has anybody ever tried these with no sealer? If I use sealer in addition to the o-ring material, would I apply it in the o-ring groove before placing the o-ring material in the groove? Or would I install the o-ring material dry and then put a little sealer over the o-ring? I'm thinking I might run a small bead on the head (in the end plug cutout) and install the o-ring/plug dry.

I like the idea of first installing with no gasket and letting things set up for a day or so.

I'd just apply a thin coat just to be sure of a seal. If there's a leak, it will be at the top.
Steve

550's shouldn't have much issue with end cap leakage. They have a valve cover bolt running through them.

KzChop82........have you installed your plugs yet? Did you use sealer and the o-ring?

Well, things came to a screeching halt today. The aluminum cam end plugs won't fit on the RH side of the head. I measured the casting thickness of the head at the cam plug area:
LH side = .0245
RH side = .0275
Aluminum cam end plugs are .0265!
Now what?? I have to find out somehow if any of the brands of aluminum plug ends are wide enough for this head. This could be difficult....

Is it a J head?
Steve

swest wrote: Is it a J head?
Steve

No, '78 KZ1000A. Do you think it's worth starting a new topic? I've kind of hijacked this one... :whistle:

Please do. This is unusual.
Steve