81 Kawasaki Kz1000K1 head oil leak repair. part 2

It's been a few weeks since I lapped my valves and installed the new viton valve seals, then assembled my engine with all those new / expensive OEM gaskets, NPR rings etc. after getting it all running again, it just wasn't "right", so I figured I HAD to have screwed SOMETHING up. While checking every little thing upon disassembly, and in the process, totally f-in up those new OEM head gaskets, because I used copper coat spray (first mistake), but was finding nothing else wrong.. until a few days ago I put on some reader glasses and started checking all of the oil control expander rings, I found the one on #2 was overlapped one space. Other than that, nothing else wrong. I was trying to use the hose clamp / LDPE as Daveo used, but in the process, somehow the expander ring got overlapped. I do know they were not overlapped when I installed the rings on the pistons, but in the need of 5 hands, to keep all that stuff going where it belongs, it must have jumped. <sigh> A expensive mistake, for sure, but I only had a few minutes of run time on the rings, and the holes looked just like when I assembled it the first time. It is still not idling as smooth as it did, but the rings can't be seated with only 5 miles of run time today.



My makeshift magnetic drain plug. Those rare earth magnets are some baad Azz little buggers.. I put magnets in everything, if it doesn't already have any

Can you flatten them back out? The spray gasket sealer shouldn't ruin the gasket.
Steve

Slick when you get them right...trick to capture all ring gaps behind the strip material, a distance from the strip-gap.
Five hands...:laugh:

SWest wrote: Can you flatten them back out? The spray gasket sealer shouldn't ruin the gasket.
Steve

I wish, Steve! Those gaskets were stuck so hard, that they peeled all the layers when I knocked the head loose with my rubber mallet. Had I put them on dry, they probably would have survived. But then again knowing nothing is flat and true like it was 36 years ago, I went with the tried and true spray real copper-coat. (not the knockoff stuff)

I ended up cleaning things up and removing the remnants of those new OEM head gaskets, with lacquer thinner and a single edge razor blade.

Sorry, no pics of the destroyed gaskets.. I was just too disgusted to take pics of them.

I ended up reusing the original gaskets (pictured) after a good cleaning with laquer thinner and removing the carbon from the fire ring with scotch brite they looked as good as any.. then the obligatory spray of copper coat to ensure they are never re-used again.



Aaand this is what it looked like upon assembly, part deux. Just prior to dropping the head on yesterday.



And the head after removing all traces of copper coat and those new gaskets.

daveo wrote: Slick when you get them right...trick to capture all ring gaps behind the strip material, a distance from the strip-gap.
Five hands...:laugh:

I've done the clamp thing before on other bikes. It does work well. I don't believe how easy it is to overlap these expander rings.

In feeding the pistons and rings into the barrels the cylinder chamfer seemed just perfect in centering the rings and closing up the gaps evenly on the pistons I tend to grab the closest tool within reach, so I had to restrain myself from using a screwdriver that might scratch a ring surface. They sure don't make pop-sickle sticks like they used to.

This ALSO did not work, and had to abandon the sticks since they got jammed when I tried to rest the block and pistons on them.. Fingernails and good lighting seemed the best with 2 center pistons up, then work the outer 2 pistons a little at a time until they all were in their bores.

old_kaw wrote:

SWest wrote: Can you flatten them back out? The spray gasket sealer shouldn't ruin the gasket.
Steve

]

WOW!!!! Looks like you dipped your gaskets in Copper Coat!!!!!

I have used the brush on K&W Copper Coat since back in 1974. And I have never in my life seen that amount of copper color material on any gasket I ever coated with Copper Coat.

My gaskets I coated with Copper Coat would literally come off in one piece with little effort. Leaving just a fine film of Copper Coat on the gasket area that can be removed with some carb cleaner on a rag.

Anyway.. I wanted to update everyone what was up with my bike.. Especially after all the help everyone here is / was in locating parts and assembly advice. (although I am hard headed at times) I didn't want to show up begging for help, then disappear like new members often do

This really is a great resource for us old bike enthusiasts, with some straight up great people helping.... To name ONLY a few, but not limited to.. swest, daveo, 650ed.. You guys are the BEST!

Dr. Gamma wrote:

old_kaw wrote:

SWest wrote: Can you flatten them back out? The spray gasket sealer shouldn't ruin the gasket.
Steve

]

WOW!!!! Looks like you dipped your gaskets in Copper Coat!!!!!

I have used the brush on K&W Copper Coat since back in 1974. And I have never in my life seen that amount of copper color material on any gasket I ever coated with Copper Coat.

My gaskets I coated with Copper Coat would literally come off in one piece with little effort. Leaving just a fine film of Copper Coat on the gasket area that can be removed with some carb cleaner on a rag.

It's spray on.. Yep.. not gonna leak. lol Part of it might have been that it wasn't run long enough to bake it hard. I do agree it does look excessive, and at times I forget that I am not sealing a bunch of coolant passages with the same gasket. We actually used engine paint on head gaskets back in the day too.

Considering the "crush-factor" designed into OEM Kawasaki head gaskets, I would never-ever reuse old used ones.
Please suggest a modification to my opinion...:huh:

Dr. Gamma wrote:

old_kaw wrote:

SWest wrote: Can you flatten them back out? The spray gasket sealer shouldn't ruin the gasket.
Steve

]

WOW!!!! Looks like you dipped your gaskets in Copper Coat!!!!!

I have used the brush on K&W Copper Coat since back in 1974. And I have never in my life seen that amount of copper color material on any gasket I ever coated with Copper Coat.

My gaskets I coated with Copper Coat would literally come off in one piece with little effort. Leaving just a fine film of Copper Coat on the gasket area that can be removed with some carb cleaner on a rag.

Also to clarify the pic.. it looks like copper coat dripping on the studs, when in fact it is actually copper anti-seize compound I put on the studs. The gaskets are coated evenly so that the copper material can help with heat transfer.. at least that's the idea.

daveo wrote: Considering the "crush-factor" designed into OEM Kawasaki head gaskets, I would never-ever reuse old used ones.
Please suggest a modification to my opinion...:huh:

Um.. the modification would be that I already had these, they are in good shape, and the sealant makes up for any crush factor. Or am I missing something here? The purpose of this gasket is to contain combustion gasses. I am pretty sure it will do just that.

I reused my one piece head gasket with copper coat. I've done it before when there was no time or money. The only leak is my brand new base gasket. I'll have to live with it until I go 1105.:evil:
Steve