free website stats program head gasket | Harley Davidson Forums

head gasket

D

dieselguy65

Account Removed
Just got home, about 5 miles from the house, i get the bird chirping noise on light acceleration. Rear head gasket leaking right under the spark plug. just over 5k miles on this engine. so,question is, tear it down in frame, put just the rear head gasket on and get the rest of the riding season underway. or tear engine from frame, and do both head gaskets, and cylinder base gaskets. they seem to have seeped a little oil since day one.
my experience tells me tear it all down. but the rider in me says get it on road as reasonable as can be and get riding.
any recommendations for gaskts brand? i have used Jims in the past. May switch if the price is right and there is a better one out there.
Brian.
91 EVO 80 inch in a Custom Softail.
 
Depends on what part of the country you are in and how much riding time you have left this year?
 
ummm... south Texas. so pretty much all year. but the next two months are great riding weather.
i am really leaning towards just fixing the gasket. I kinda have the urge to do a big bore kit, but no way have time for all that right now with work. and if I am pulling the jugs, might as well go bigger right.
 
Check the studs, they have been known to back out, if and when you do the job I would use Cosmetic or James gaskets and change both cylinders at the same time so you will have the same compression ratio JMo:s
 
I would do a top end job:

  • Pull heads for valve jobs
  • Have jugs honed and cross-hatched
  • Clean up pistons and new rings
  • Go with James or Cometic top end rebuild kits
  • Rebuild the carb
  • Replace the fuel petcock with a Pingel
  • Replace all hoses
TQ
 
ok, i got the gasket brand seems everyone prefers. but i gotta ask, why would i rebuild the top end with a 5K engine? if all i can get out of a headgasket is 5k, something aint right. I hear guys with these same evos that have over 100k on them. granted i ride hard, as in sportbike hard. but still, something has to not be right. i let the engine warm to the touch before taking off, and ride pretty easy the first few blocks. I am thinking todays head gaskt failure had something to do with the outside air temp, right at 100degrees. and sitting stuck at a long light thru three cycles. thats when i noticed the noise, soon as i left the light.
But I have seen the test the MOCO does on these bikes in the desert in a box idling, and they survive.
maybe poor assembly as i wasnt around when it was put together.
Pretty much decided to do headgaskets, both cylinders and see what it does.
 
I would have a tendency to just do that head gasket for the riding season and keep the engine rebuild for a winter project however for yourself there may be a time of year when riding is not so good do the big tear down then
However during the time you are doing just the head gasket inspect everything as it comes off if you find anything of concern go further and perhaps tear it down

Brian
 
look for a "blow proof gasket" on-line. and do both at the same time. the extra day to do the other head gasket will give you pease-of-mind . i had great luck with them on a '74 shovelhead, back in 74.and i'm sure they have improved the quality of the gasket since then.sorry you are loosing your prime
rideing time. ride-on
 
oh! i for-got. make sure you use new head bolts, with anti-seise and use a new torque wrench.the pattern of torqueing is of mandatory importance. as you already know. ride-on
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top