TOPIC:

The Factory Service Manual says to put on the head gasket, then the o-rings. Partzilla shows the o-rings going on before the head gasket. The head gasket isn't even in the picture shown for the block, its in the picture for the head (not shown)

oddly, or perhaps because of indecision on the engineer's part, there is an O-ring recess on both the block and the bottom of the head, and I know it doesn't call for 4 o-rings.

I installed them on top of the head gasket last time but I didn't notice the discrepancy until now
 

I would suggest the FSM out-guns the parts suppliers 

The exploded views on Partzilla are intended more for parts identification and not as assembly instructions.  As Wookie says, use the FSM for assembly.  

Scotty

OK then. Just wondering cuz I've heard of FSM's being wrong, and I figure that Partzilla's diagrams are actually from Kawasaki

Kinda curious what those O-rings do, since they are only on 2 corners

Follow FSM 

Humor me here...I don't doubt that everyone here has superior wisdom on all things bike.

I was wrong though, there is no recess on the head.  There is only an O-ring shaped recess on the block, per picture below, which seems to be inviting an O-ring...If not, what the heck is it there for?

 

Looks like a place I would put an oring.

How does the OD of the O ring compare with the hole in the gasket?  In the photo it looks like the hole in the gasket may clear the O ring, and then it wouldn't matter which goes on first.
Just wondering.    

TexasKZ wrote:

Looks like a place I would put an oring.

 

Lol, doesn't it though? Interestingly, when I move ahead to the instructions for installing the head (which are 5 pages back...) all it says is:

 


So I think I will follow those instead. Partzilla for the win?

sf4t7 wrote:

How does the OD of the O ring compare with the hole in the gasket?  In the photo it looks like the hole in the gasket may clear the O ring, and then it wouldn't matter which goes on first.
Just wondering.    

 

about 13 for the gasket and 14.5 for the O-ring. Part of it will definitely squeeze up into that gasket hole if placed below it but no way Jose it will fit entirely in there.

I don't know that bike engine but on the 650's there is a similar O ring.  Oil flows up the two holes to lubricate the upper part of the engine.  The O rings seal things up.

Boy I sure know how to make an easy thing hard.

The problem arose from my misunderstanding of the first line of instruction in the first post of the thread. "Put on the cylinder head gasket with the wider bore grommets in the gasket facing up"

I still do not know what that means. On one side the bore grommet is "wider" in the sense that 4-5 mm of metal is exposed. The other side is narrower in the sense that only maybe 3 mm of metal is present. But the "bore" as far as I can tell is exactly the same on both sides, so this messed me up.

Long story short, being focused on the grommet aspect I didn't look closely at the rest of the gasket, which I was attempting to install upside down, because I hadn't noticed the corner holes are different sizes. Once flipped over the small holes fit perfectly over the knock pins, and the wider holes let the O-rings sit perfectly in their little nests. Problem solved, except I still don't know WTH they meant by "wider bore".
 

EDIT: OK, now it all makes sense. There are 2 or 3 ways to put the gasket on wrong, some of them are double-wrong, and only 1 right way. The head is on, and the gasket and O-rings are on properly, I am 100% certain. Because of imprints on the old gasket I can also say with 100% certainty that I put it on wrong 2 years ago. I wonder if that affected the poor running <scratches his head>