82 GPz550 valve cover gasket replacement

Hi, new here. I'd like to thank loudhvx. His web page is excellent. spot on. His carb info is super helpful.

I found an old 82 KZ550H (ok, a GPz550) in a garage, It had been sitting for 10 years. I bought it back to life. It's very happy. And super fun to ride. I think I've done everything there is to do with fluids, pad, carbs and rubber. And yea, some gas tank and electrical.

I've finally gotten around to checking the valves. It seems the previous owner glued the valve cover gasket using WTF? Something I've never seen before.

I've rebuilt a few engines, and cleaned a lot of mating surfaces. But whatever this gasket was glued with, it's like nothing I've ever seen. I've tried carb cleaner, lighter fluid, goo gone and a heat gun. This stuff is like epoxy.

I've managed to chisel off most of it. But wow. I know Kz's like to leak oil but this is a bit much.

I'm curious what the "right thing to do" is. I assume people pull the valve cover off every 1-2 years and check the values. Just a new gasket? any RTV? something more?

seems like a nice clean surface and nothing but the gasket would be the right thing. Clearly the PO had other ideas.

There are different points of view on this subject. Some people use sealer on the engine side so the gasket sticks to the engine and not the cover. Some people grease the cover so the gasket doesn't stick. And of course there is dry. What ever you choose be sure to use a real Kawasaki gasket. Aftermarket gaskets range in quality from decent to outright crap. It's not worth the hassle. And consider ordering two at a time.

I always install my valve cover gasket dry, and I've never had any leak at all. I use the same gasket over and over many times without a problem. jbparker mentions that KZ bikes like to leak oil - I don't know who told him that but that has not been my experience and I've owned my 1977 KZ650-C1 for more than 43 years (62,000+ miles). KZ engines do not leak oil. Ed

+1 on dry. I haven't had any leaks and it removes easy. I do add a very thin smear of Black RTV under the Cam Plugs and a super small dab on the top of the cam plug in the joint between the plug and head.

I agree with dry too, when torqued correctly it will not leak. The only issues can be around the cam plugs, I've had a little weeping around there. Last time I did my valves I used permatex non-hardening aviation cement at the top of the cam plugs, as it seals well but will come apart cleanly if you're gentle. This means you can re-use the gasket a few times.

If you are having issues with leakage around the cam gasket with a fresh gasket torqued correctly, check your crank vents as excess pressure can make them leak. Old cam plugs can also leak after time.

Ok, I took your dry advice. I obsessively cleaned away all the old epoxy-like material and put the gasket on dry. It seems fine and happy. I took out the tensioner cap, spring and cross wedge before I put the cover back on. Torqued the bolts to spec. The bike seems happy. Thanks!!

I wonder if I should rotate the engine a little with the cross wedge out, to "reset" the tension before I reinstalled the wedge/spring/cap. Any thoughts? Seems like pulling the wedge might be enough, given the valve cover puts pressure on the chain.

As long as the cross-wedge was out, the tensioner moved back when you installed the valve cover. All you had to do at that point was install the wedge, spring, and cap. It should be fine as long as you did not remove the cover after that.