81 XJ650 Maxim Engine Reseal

Ok guys, Honestly not the best mechanic I have a little knowledge and most of it is in cars really. I amd looking at getting a whole new gasket kit from of course xjforever I was just wondering if someone with just minimal knowledge would be able to do this I do have the service shop manual. Does anyone have a thread on this or instructions or what ever may help?

 

do you mean to change ALL the gaskets on the engine?
for what reason , are there a load of oil leaks.
the top end alone is very detailed and time consuming, one mistake with the valve timing and the engine is toast.
I suggest if you go down this route ,to do lots of reading and research beforehand,
you also need the special tools to do the shims, and the setting up after.
its doable, but for a first time, you could do with someone looking over your shoulder
stu

 

You will also want the Haynes manual. Neither cover everything thoroughly, but both together manage to fill in the grey areas. In all honesty this is a big job if you have never torn an engine down before. Unless it truly needs to be done it's worth passing on (even if there are weepy gaskets). Plan on several weekends of patient work to do the job correctly.

 

Between the cylinder head and the jugs there is a big oil leak..that's the main one I want to change but with everything else I have to take off it was just cheaper to get the whole kit

 

Check to be sure that there is not a leak at the valve cover gasket that is finding its way along the water drain channels to only look like the leak is coming from the head gasket. Other leaks that can look like a leaky head gasket are: the cam chain tensioner gasket, and the tachometer drive oil seal (if you have a cable driven tach). All of those should be ruled out before you take the head off.

 

I will look at it for sure even take photos and post tomorrow for now got to sleep work comes early

 

Hose it down liberally with degreaser of your choice, let sit, then hose away or light fan pressure from a power washer. Let dry. Hit it with brake cleaner if you can (watch your painted surfaces). This will leave you with a clean engine. Start and run, you'll see pretty quickly where its leaking. If you let run in your driveway for an extended amount of time, put a box fan in front blowing on the jugs.

As mentioned, this will save you the head gasket job if its just a valve cover and/or grommets. My 750 is a total DD beater but doesn't leak oil anymore. I too thought head gasket but it was the cam end plugs and tach drive seal. It's really hard to tell otherwise, especially since it will blow around while you drive.

 

when your setting on the bike, right front corner ?

 

The leak looks like its coming from between the cylinder head and the jugs..between the top of the cylinder head and valve cover is clean..leak starts in the middle and spreads.

 

Why not try to retorque the head, it probably won't work but if it does you win, if not, so what, you tried

 

Yea.... Being in the middle of a needed top end rebuild....(leaking head gasket causing low compression on 2 cylinders) Its not something you want to do unless you need to. There are lots of difficult to find or prohibitively expensive bits in there. Opening it up usually means you have to contend with a lot more than you bargained for.

 

Yeah, I'm in the middle of one two.

I have to finish doing shims, but it is ready to pop back in my bike.

It is a great opportunity to learn. It isn't rocket science to do, and you can certainly do it if you want to.

Just remember, you can never reuse circlips on the pistons, and piston rings. I went down and even changed out the cylinders on my 1980 650 maxim, to 1982 650 seca cylinders because they were compatible, and they were in specs.

If you do decide to go deep like that you'll want to bring your pistons / cylinders to a machine shop, but in my case I brought it to a motorcycle dealership to get measured and honed.

Retorque the head first, if it works then call it good. If it doesn't then be prepared to open a large can of worms. Not difficult, but time consuming.