Any tips on putting a new valve cover gasket on?

I am gonna put a chrome valve cover on my bike and was just wondering if anybody had any tips and it.:whistle:

I use a wax lubricant, forget the name right now, comes in a tube for a grease gun, they sell it at the autoparts store. It's real sticky. Great for holding big flopy rubber gaskets while puzzling things into place. Sticks pretty well to oily stuff.

Stick Wax!
It's great for holding srews/nuts/washers together on the end of the tool while reaching into a tight spaces too.

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2006/09/07 06:46

Hey KZM. I find a little film of wheel bearing grease on the head will hold the valve cover gasket in place when placing the valve cover onto the head. I usually put four end bolts in first on each of the sides of the valve cover so it doesn't slide around.

It might be a good idea to put a small bead of high heat silicone sealant around the rubber cam caps.

Cheers-Colin Firth-Ontario Canada
1977 Kz 650 Custom, almost 15,000 miles. Newest reincarnation inlcuded 810 big bore and lottsa go-fast goodies.

Yeah thats what i was kinda wondering about, the cam cap things. Mine all look to be good and the cover doesnt leak but i have a chrome valve cover to put on her. That blue silicone stuff from the auto parts store good to use?

I never replace mine. If you're careful the entire gasket will stay attached to the head as you take the valve cover off. Simply clean the cover, bolt it on and you're done. If you do have to replace it though, a thin coat of grease on the head side to hold it in place works pretty good.

Hey marvo,i use the permatex black rtv silicone,it loves heat.I take the cone shaped cap that comes with the tube and use a real small drill bit and drill thru the cone so i can only squeeze a needle width of rtv out of the tube.This has worked great for me,i don't remember the bit size but if you want i'll check and post it tomorrow.:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Please do, all tips are greatly apperciated.

marvo use a 3/32 bit,no need to put it in drill i just twist it w/ my fingers that plastic cone is soft,it will lay a nice thin bead all the way around for you.:woohoo:

Threebond 1104 liquid gasket case sealant [aka Yamabond] can be applied with a small paintbrush and stays pliable. put it all the way around the half-moon in a thin thin layer. put the moon in the head, press it down, and remove any excess squeezed out on the inside, if any.

www.threebond.com/Comsumer.html

While you have it apart, it might be a good idea to fling those rubber end caps as far as possible and replace them with aluminum aftermarket caps.