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I am nearing the end of a top end rebuild on my XJ1100. I am ready to put the valve cover on and it won't lay flat on the cylinder head. There is a gap about the thickness of 3 valve cover gaskets. There seems to be something in the middle of the head keeping it from going all the way down. I don't want to try and pull it tight with the cover bolts, I might make something worse. It did lay flat with no gaps before I took it apart. I can't tell what is hoiding it up. Has anybody run across this before, all ideas are welcome.
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Slow down and enjoy life. If you are in that much of a hurry, you should have left eariler.
Current rides:
80 XS1100SG
82 JX1100
83 Venture Royale
86 V-Max -
did you flip it around? maybe backwards. hitting the chain drive or something else?Dave
1978 XS1100E -
Do you suspect something is hitting/interfeering with the cover from sitting flush on the gasket surface or do you suspect the cover maybe warped? Im new here so I maybe "off the mark" but I would start by put the cover on the table and see if the gasket surface sits flush. Maybe the cover got tweeked? Thats my 2 cents... GLLast edited by WMarshy; 07-13-2009, 11:18 AM.'79 XS11 F
Stock except K&N
'79 XS11 SF
Stock, no title.
'84 Chevy K-10 "Big Blue"
GM 350, Muncie SM465, NP208, GM 10 Bolt with 3.42gears turnin 31x10.5 Baja Claws
"What they do have is an implacable, unrelenting presence and movement that bespeaks massive power lurking behind paint and chrome. They don't wail like a screeching ninja, the don't rumble like a harley. They just growl like a spactic, stressed out badger waiting to rip your face off and eat your soul." Trainzz~RIP~Comment
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I put the cover on a flat surface and it looks real good. There is no dammage to the gasker mating surfaces, they are clean. It seems to be something in the middle that is keeping it from going all the way down. It fit perfectly beforw the head was removed.Slow down and enjoy life. If you are in that much of a hurry, you should have left eariler.
Current rides:
80 XS1100SG
82 JX1100
83 Venture Royale
86 V-MaxComment
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Sorry man, Im at a loss. Im sure someone can give more help.Originally posted by 03mach1 View Post'79 XS11 F
Stock except K&N
'79 XS11 SF
Stock, no title.
'84 Chevy K-10 "Big Blue"
GM 350, Muncie SM465, NP208, GM 10 Bolt with 3.42gears turnin 31x10.5 Baja Claws
"What they do have is an implacable, unrelenting presence and movement that bespeaks massive power lurking behind paint and chrome. They don't wail like a screeching ninja, the don't rumble like a harley. They just growl like a spactic, stressed out badger waiting to rip your face off and eat your soul." Trainzz~RIP~Comment
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Quit hiding your left over parts!!
No way is your head that warped, Well...theo one on the engine anyway, so I am betting you got the cover on backwards, or you have something sitting on top of the cam chain, like a spare wrench or those left over parts you did not want anyone to know about.
Life is what happens while your planning everything else!
When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.
81 XS1100 Special - Humpty Dumpty
80 XS1100 Special - Project Resurrection
Previously owned
93 GSX600F
80 XS1100 Special - Ruby
81 XS1100 Special
81 CB750 C
80 CB750 C
78 XS750Comment
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I thought thats how you know its done right!Originally posted by DGXSER View PostNo way is your head that warped, Well...theo one on the engine anyway, so I am betting you got the cover on backwards, or you have something sitting on top of the cam chain, like a spare wrench or those left over parts you did not want anyone to know about.
'79 XS11 F
Stock except K&N
'79 XS11 SF
Stock, no title.
'84 Chevy K-10 "Big Blue"
GM 350, Muncie SM465, NP208, GM 10 Bolt with 3.42gears turnin 31x10.5 Baja Claws
"What they do have is an implacable, unrelenting presence and movement that bespeaks massive power lurking behind paint and chrome. They don't wail like a screeching ninja, the don't rumble like a harley. They just growl like a spactic, stressed out badger waiting to rip your face off and eat your soul." Trainzz~RIP~Comment
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no left over parts and no tools left inside. I confused on what it could be. All parts were returned to their orginal position in the engine. When the cover is put on the engine there is a gap in the center that won't close. I'll take some pics and post them tomight.Slow down and enjoy life. If you are in that much of a hurry, you should have left eariler.
Current rides:
80 XS1100SG
82 JX1100
83 Venture Royale
86 V-MaxComment
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Just another idea
Hey MLEW,
An easy way to check for warping on the head is to lay a straight edge accross it and check for unevenness (is that a word?), both along the front and along the back side of the head. That way you can determine if it's the head that's warped or the cover. If you pulled the head, maybe there's something between the head and the jugs causing the tolerance difference. Just a thought.1980G Standard, Restored
Kerker 4 - 1
850 Rear End Mod
2-21 Flashing LED Arrays on either side of license plate for Brake Light Assist, 1100 Lumen Cree Aux Lights,
Progressive springs, Showa rear shocks
Automatic CCT
1980GH Special, Restored
Stock Exhaust, New Handlebars, 1" Spacer in Fork Springs, Automatic CCT, Showa Rear Shocks
'82 XJ1100 (Sold)
Automatic CCT, RC Engineering 4 X 1 Exhaust, K&N Pods, #50 Pilot Jets, YICS Eliminator. Sorely missed.Comment
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Is your top cam chain guide seated properly?Guy
'78E
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
Comment
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Did you put new half-moon cam caps in? If you did, are they pushed all way down, where the 'flat' side is flush across with the head? Top camchain guide down~~inserted proper; is camchain a "straight line" across from top of one chain sprocket to the other?
Have you rotated engine (by hand) while eyeballing all moving stuff in there~~cams bolted/capped down straight?
Wow! I'm waitin' to see what this could be!JCarltonRiggs
81XS1100SH; WorkingMotorcycle,Not For Show,DeletedFairing,SportsterHL,
7½ gal. Kaw Concours gastank,1972 Wixom Bros. bags
79XS1100F; ?Parts?, or to Restore?Comment
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problem solved after several hours of checking. The nuts that hold the cam caps down were interfering with the valve cover. They would not allow it to go all the way down. I found this by putting dabs of grease on the nuts, I could see where they are hitting the cover. A slight turn of the nut to align the flats with the side of the cover and it went right on. Seems like a strange problem, has anyone else seen this?Slow down and enjoy life. If you are in that much of a hurry, you should have left eariler.
Current rides:
80 XS1100SG
82 JX1100
83 Venture Royale
86 V-MaxComment
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The nuts that hold the cam caps down were interfering with the valve cover. They would not allow it to go all the way down.
Ummmm... HUH!?!?!?
The crown of the cam cap should be much higher than the nuts. There should be absolutely no way for those to hit unless you've installed something wrong.
After re-reading this and going to look at a head I have in the garage, I can see how they are close, but if you have the right stock nuts, they shouldn't hit. By moving those around to align the flats, you've messed with the torques on those caps.
TodLast edited by trbig; 07-13-2009, 08:41 PM.Try your hardest to be the kind of person your dog thinks you are.
You can live to be 100, as long as you give up everything that would make you want to live to be 100!
Current bikes:
'06 Suzuki DR650
*'82 XJ1100 with the 1179 kit. "Mad Maxim"
'82 XJ1100 Completely stock fixer-upper
'82 XJ1100 Bagger fixer-upper
'82 XJ1100 Motor/frame and lots of boxes of parts
'82 XJ1100 Parts bike
'81 XS1100 Special
'81 YZ250
'80 XS850 Special
'80 XR100
*Crashed/Totalled, still ownComment
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Has he got larger than 10mm nuts on the camcap studs with same stud hole size for the nut?JCarltonRiggs
81XS1100SH; WorkingMotorcycle,Not For Show,DeletedFairing,SportsterHL,
7½ gal. Kaw Concours gastank,1972 Wixom Bros. bags
79XS1100F; ?Parts?, or to Restore?Comment
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The nuts are the stock 10mm size, there were only 3 that were in the way. It was not the top of the cam cap but the side of the nut that was hitting the valve cover. Maybe I have a cover that was made a little thicker . The problem nuts were the ones near #3 cylinder exhaust. It did not matter how hard you pushed down on the valce cover it would just pop back up at that spot leaving a 3/16 gap. After playing with it for a while I could see where the nuts were contacting the cover.Slow down and enjoy life. If you are in that much of a hurry, you should have left eariler.
Current rides:
80 XS1100SG
82 JX1100
83 Venture Royale
86 V-MaxComment
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