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Probable blown head gasket replacement

13K views 37 replies 7 participants last post by  swifty2014 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey All!! So as some of you may know, I've been toying with a probable blown head gasket on my front cylinder for some time now. Im taking it to a shop in the next week or two to get confirmation. For $100 they will give the whole thing a once over and tell me all the issues they can find, which I'm sure will be many. So, as i prepare to replace my head gasket(s) and remove the engine as a complete novice, however mechanically inclined, I am looking for advice. Good guides or videos online, mistakes you have made, things to avoid. Do i even need to remove the whole engine or is it possible to replace the gasket on the front cylinder without removing the engine (compression on rear cylinder is 150psi so I'm not worried about that one) I am definitely nervous going into this one, but I'm sure with your help i can get through it. I do have my manual, and will definitely be consulting it, but i find personal advice very helpful. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks guys.
 
#2 ·
Not sure if you can do it in the frame and still pull parts off easily.
Study the manual very well so when you have the parts in your hand there is no doubt about the direction or alignment, torque, etc. You have to replace all gaskets on that cylinder when you disturb the torques and remove the upper end bolts. The gasket below the cylinder will leak since it was loosened. And keep ALL HYDRAULIC VALVE PARTS IN THEIR PROPER PLACES. Learn how the cam timing is set also. Some good videos on You Tube.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
Hey guys, so after much consideration (and finding a friend with a garage) I have decided to go ahead and tackle this myself. I took it to the mechanic and they gave it a full once over, I've got a list of adjustments, things that need lube, rust that needs to be flushed, but I'm excited to tear her apart yet again. And hopefully put her back together running better than before. Thanks for the link to that thread, Ramie,
super interesting to watch that project come together. It actually inspired me to tackle mine. If anyone has any tips/advice all help is hugely appreciated. Also, I'm looking for a good reliable site or sites to order parts from. I'm having a hard time finding a site that has more than a couple parts for my bike, that also ship to Canada. If anyone has a parts website that they really like, I would love to hear about it. Thanks all!!
 
#5 ·
Follow up question, I'm getting prepared to get into this project at the end of next month (moving to a new city where friend with garage is so I can't get started yet) What gaskets at I going to need to replace? I guess I'm looking for a part number really, can I find these in my manual? I think I'm only going to open up the front cylinder, compression on the rear is 150psi so i don't feel like I need to mess with that. I've heard mention of needing to replace rings, are these the rings on the pistons? Anything else you guys know of that I'm going to need to get this done? Thanks for the help guys
 
#6 ·
Best advice I got for you is take lots of pics while disassembling it for reference during the rebuilding. And check tolerances on all the parts you remove even if there not the part your replacing. That advice would have saved me a 2nd tear down when I replaced my gaskets and valve seals a year ago.

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#7 ·
Also take the time to look at your piston rings and check the eng gap. That's where I missed a step the first time around. A year later I needed a 2nd top end gasket set due to the rings in the rear cylinder being bad, I should have cought the wear on them the first time but I didn't check them when I could have.

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#11 ·
Couldn't figure out how to change my signature, so '83 shadow vt750. I'm ordering everything I can do that I'm ready to go at the end of February, but I'm having a hard time figuring out which gaskets I need to order. I've noticed "gasket kit A" on a couple sites, which seems to have what I need, but I can't be sure. I'm sure I need head, head cover gaskets for both cylinders, piston rings, exhaust gaskets. Anything I'm missing? Is there a super awesome package that has everything I need for this project? Thanks again guys!!!
 
#12 ·
I just did mine and I think the company was versus I ordered a complete top end set and it had every gasket, valve seals, and orings for the coolant lines I needed. The only think that wasn't in the kit was piston rings which I had made by a company out of phenoix called total seal. The kit and rings cost me right at $200 total. Also make sure you have assembly lube or plenty of oil for putting the pistons back in. The assembly lube is cheap and is ideal to use for installing pistons, cam shafts, or any other parts that moves and is oiled if the engine is going to sit for awhile after assembly, it's thick and sticky so it won't flow away. If your putting the engine back in service asap then you can use oil for assembly.

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#14 ·
Big thanks to bigolepit! That's super helpful, and thanks as always to swifty. So essentially a top end gasket kit is what I'm looking for. Throw in a bottom cylinder gasket and a set of piston rings and I should be set gasket wise. We will be putting the engine right back in and firing her up straight away (hopefully) so I'll probably just use engine oil, thank you for the heads up. Good stuff guys!! I'm getting excited!!
 
#15 ·
Hope it all goes well. Be careful of the small springs and shims on the hydraulic lifters and assist springs.Don't loose any or mix them up.
 
#16 ·
Deffinatly pay attention to this advice. I had to buy assist springs because a few shot off and were never found lol. And the shims he is talking about are under the hydraulic lifters. They tend to stick to the bottom of the lifter then fall off at the worst time lol. Trust @swifty2014 advice he seams to point out what others don't think of and it's good stuff lol

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#17 ·
I worked on Japanese cars for 40 years and like to share my experience so others don't have all the frustrations that come along with a first time experience.
For many years we had carbs, and all those little hair pin shape clips that hold the linkages onto the levers were always flying away. That's why they became known as " Jesus clips".
 
#18 ·
Hydraulic lifter shims

If you have not already removed the lifters be sure to count the shims found under them! Also take note of the thickness as they may very in size. I had to use a magnet to remove the ones from my '85 VT700. This is my first shot at repairing an engine so I did take photos! Good luck with the install and thumbs up to doing it yourself! I'm 63 yrs old, first motorcycle since I was 20, if I can't make it work I can't ride it!
 

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#19 ·
#20 ·
That topend kit should work fine provided it's for your bike, I didn't see what your bike is sorry. It appears to have all gaskets,, valve seals, exaust seals, and orings you'll need. While your in there be sure to check the pistons and rings for wear, don't do like I did and replace the gaskets and not check wear while I was in there. I ended up ordering another set plus piston rings a year later because I didn't check them while it was apart.

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#23 ·
No the rings aren't in the top end kits, atleast not that I've ever seen. There is a company in AZ called Total seal that will make a set for your bike if your rings are not available anymore, I don't know off hand if they are. I had them make a set for my bike since the rings for my 84 VT700C aren't in production anymore. They did good by me and was a decent price $84 plus shipping for a full set. Here is a link to there website for you http://www.totalseal.com/

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#22 ·
#24 · (Edited)
Hey guys, I ordered a gasket kit from a local shop, just picked it up today. On the sticker it says it's for a vtc 700 c 83-89, my bike is an '83 vt750 c. He said it'll be fine, it's just the American version or something. I'm moving to a different city in two days so I won't be able to get my money back if it doesn't fit. What do you guys think. Will this kit work? I attached a picture of the sticker on the package.
 

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#25 ·
#26 ·
The 750 and 700 shadows are the same gaskets sets. That threw me off when I did my rebuild also. I don't know why it say 83 700 though to my knowledge they didn't make the 700 until 84. Here is a pic of the packaging from the kit I used on my 84 VT700C



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#27 ·
Ok, so we got started tonight getting ready to remove the engine. Very exciting!! We're pretty much down to removing the clutch components that we can, and removing the shifter assembly (I don't have the manual in front of me so I'm not sure of the exact name). My question is what is the reason for removing these components, it doesn't seem like we need to to get the engine out, and sometimes the manual goes overboard. So, can we continue with these parts in tact, and if not, why? Thanks very much guys, and as always, any help advice and tips are hugely appreciated especially as we aproach the removal and disassembly of the engine. Thanks !!! Here are a few pics of the currant status of my bike.
 

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#28 ·
The shift lever may hang up as you slide the engine out. But I don't think you need the clutch off at this point. Maybe the right cover should come off to work on the pistons,chains and cylinders and line up the timing marks as you put it together.
 

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#30 ·
#31 ·
"Careful of the shims" let's chalk that up as a warning that doesn't make sense until you take your engine apart. I lost track of where the shims went, they just fell out when he took the head cover off. How do I go about getting those shims back where they belong? We got stuck at the plug sleeves. I'm going to pick up a 1 1/16 bolt tomorrow to get hem out. Also, where did that Sleve in the second picture come from?
 

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