Oil leaks/Gasket Replacements

Hello all, I purchased my first road bike, an 82 Xj650. Someone has already bobbed it out.

It has an oil leak, something I knew when I bought it. It was laid down at some point in its life and the right-side oil pump/crank/yics cover has some scuffs but more serious, a crack in the bottom of the cover. I have ordered a used replacement off of eBay and need to get a gasket. One of my questions is, is the gasket the same as the left side cover, just flipped differently?

I will also be replacing the gaskets to the left side oil pump/crank/yics cover, clutch cover, left side engine cover, and oil pan/strainer. Besides and oil and filter change, is there anything else I should be doing while I have these parts exposed? I'm thinking the seal to the gear selector but what else am I missing? Should I use just the gasket, or with a permanent type product incase of intolerance?

Once the oil leak(s) is taken care of, I plan on tackling brakes and fork seals.

The motor does leak a little oil on the top end that pools a small amount above the block. It looks as if someone pulled the motor apart at some point and maybe made their own gaskets. I do plan on tackling this in the off season, but it seems so minor and I really wantto ride this season. Will I be kicking myself for not doing this all at once? Will I need to remove any of the for mentioned gaskets to replace the top end ones?

Thank you in advance and sorry for so many questions layed out in a ramble.

 

On my 750, the two sides are different.
If I'm not mistaken, that's one of the gaskets which you can fabricate yourself. Buy a sheet of gasket material (if you want your bases covered, buy a sheet of medium and one of thick material). Use the cover and an X-acto knife (or an scalpel) to cut out the inside, allowing an eighth or a quarter-inch extra. I bought a hole-puncher for the bolt holes, the gasket material tore when I tried using a drill bit to make the holes. A very sharp pencil can be used to perforate the outline of the cover, and a strong pair of scissors will cut nicely. It's easy to tear the material. Fortunately, a sheet of the gasket stuff goes a long way.
My advice is to save this gasket, label it and use it as a stencil. Much easier than going through all this every time you take the cover off.
I was given a fluorescing additive which I mixed into the oil. Rode around for a few hours and, after dark, used a battery powered ultraviolet light to pinpoint the place where the gasket had failed.
XJ4Ever has the valve-cover gaskets. They should be replaced every few years, and the rubber donut shaped spacers every couple. They're one of those expenses that are easy to defer. New rear brake shoes, and checking the wear on your valve shims are certainly more important, but since the tank and valve cover have to be removed to check the shims, that is the easiest time to replace the gasket.

 

The crank covers don't hold any oil, the gaskets just help to keep dust and water out. The ignition side of the crank has an oil seal, the other end has a oil plug. If your leak is from that area you will need to replace the seal(s).

While you have the oil pan off you should clean the oil pump strainer, and shine a light to inspect the primary chain guide. If you find any bits of plastic then you can expect to need to replace that guide very soon (this requires removing the lower crankcase).

Replacing the shift shaft seal is a good preventtive measure. You should also replace the clutch throwout lever seal as a preventative measure if you are going to replace the clutch cover gasket.

Clean the oil off of the head and dust it with talc. You probalby have a leaky valve cover gasket, which often looks like the oil is leaking from elsewhere since it all runs downhill. Replacing the top end gaskets can be done with the engine in the frame, but requires a great deal of time (may as well clean the carbon out of the combuation chamber and pistons, replace the valve guide seals, and check the cylinders for roundness and rings for wear while you have the engine that far apart). Invest in a factory service manual and a Haynes service manual if you haven't already.