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  • #1

    Head Gasket

    My 1980 XS11 strikes again. Just when I thought I had everything working perfect, I lose compression on cylinder 2 & 3. Take the top end off and find that the head gasket is blown out inbetween the two cylinders. Is there anything I can by to make a new gasket out of? I have cork material, but I don't know if that will with stand the stress of the cylinders. The gasket is still all there , just torn beside on cylinder and slightly burnt around the tear. I don't have the money right now for a new gasket ($100+). So if anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions.

    Thanks Jeff
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  • #2
    I would think you could try some of the copper RTV products as a replacement head gasket. If it were mine, in your situation, I would first look on ebay for a head gasket. some on there now and then. Also would check parts-n-more for their gasket set, I believe it is less than $100 and all the gaskets in the entire engine.

    Other than that, I would probably reuse what is there and put the copper based high temp RTV over the blown portion. YMMV, JAT.
    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 XS750

    Comment

    • #3
      The bid is $10.50 right now. Auction ends Friday. I promise not to bid:

      http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOS-Y...Q5fAccessories

      I'm not sure how you could reuse a blow head gasket, and I don't know any good way to fabricate the fire rings and still have even compression.

      I make my own gaskets, but I would not try to make a head gasket.

      Patrick
      The glorious rays of the rising sun exist only to create shadows in which doom may hide.

      XS11F (Incubus, daily rider)
      1969 Yamaha DT1B
      Five other bikes whose names do not begin with "Y"

      Comment

      • #4
        Ooops

        Looked up the Copper RTV and they say it is NOT recommended for use as a head gasket or head gasket sealant!!!

        Ignore my previous advice on its use.
        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 XS750

        Comment

        • #5
          Lately there has been head gaskets on e-bay. With patients you can get one shipped to your house for $15. Ask me how I know. If you want it sooner they seem to go for about $35-40. Good Luck.
          79 F full cruiser, stainless brake lines, spade fuses, Accel coils, modded air box w/larger velocity stacks, 750 FD.
          79 SF parts bike.

          Comment

          • #6
            http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_...&_osacat=10063
            careful what you wish for.........you might get it

            Comment

            • #7
              For a head gasket to blow, it usually means the nuts weren't torqued or the head is warped. If you have a local machine shop, they can usually check for warpage and probably won't charge much/anything unless they mill it for you.. which also shouldn't be much. Mine was $40 I think.

              Partsnmore.com has the complete gasket set for the XS for $77, but you can order one for the XJ for $65. I've seen both kits and for the life of me can't tell what the one extra piece it's talking about is... but the XJ kit will work, you'll just have to take an old pair of scissors and trim the extra material off the head gasket that is added for the YICS tube the XJ has. It'll save you $12 for 30 seconds of trimming. This is all you need to snip off...





              ... otherwise, everything is the same in the kits. This will also give you another valve cover gasket.

              I thought I had a couple extra head gaskets around here somewhere to sell you cheap, but can't seem to find them. I'll look around some more this evening though.. I need to get them all together anyway.

              Tod
              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 own

              Comment

              • #8
                Tod sez: I thought I had a couple extra head gaskets around here somewhere to sell you cheap, but can't seem to find them. I'll look around some more this evening though.. I need to get them all together anyway.

                Tod

                That is a good tip. I think I may disappear into the garage for a while as well, if the trictophane (SP?) from the turkey doesn't incapacitate me!
                Skids (Sid Hansen)

                Down to one 1978 E. Stock air box with K&N filter, 81H pipes and carbs, 8500 feet elevation.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Getting torqued without loosing your head!

                  I had one that I had saved from my rebuild/big bore project on Godzilla back in 2000, hung on the garage wall for 8 years, then finally did some cleaning, and decided to throw it out...BEFORE I had read the experience reports from TOD that he had been able to reuse them with his many trips into his engines! Sorry Wraight, otherwise I'd have sent it to you for shipping or even less! Hope Skids can find a decent used one for you!

                  But, yeah, either have the head checked, or at least get a known good straight edge, and check yourself for possible warpage, the manual shows you how.

                  Also, did you torque the head down in 2 stages, first to 15lbs, and then to 25 lbs, except the two front and rear nuts/bolts under the head edge that only takes 14 lbs total?? And then, did you run the engine up to temp, let it cool and then retorque? Also, did you use some oil on the threads of the studs that the nuts went on to provide better/proper torque values, vs. tightening friction resistance which could lead to less than optimal torque? And I would also hope that you follow the criss cross center to outer edge pattern for the torquing sequence??

                  T.C.
                  T. C. Gresham
                  81SH "Godzilla" . . .1179cc super-rat.
                  79SF "The Teacher" . . .basket case!
                  History shows again and again,
                  How nature points out the folly of men!

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Gasket was torn a little when I put it on there, I put some of that copper gasket stuff on there because that is what a mechanic buddy of mine suggested, but I guess it didn't work. lol Will look into all of your suggestions thank you very much.

                    Jeff

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      gaskets

                      I had to purchase a complete gasket set a couple years ago, to get the bottom end gaksets fro a transmission job, SO, I have the top end gaskets jsut gathering dust on the shelf. All but the cam cover gasket. If you want them, 15 dollars. Includes base gasket also, which if you are doing the head gasket, you should do the base gasket also.
                      Email me direct at Motopsycho @wat.midco.net if you want these gaskets.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Includes base gasket also, which if you are doing the head gasket, you should do the base gasket also.

                        If the base gasket doesn't leak... I would sure disagree with that statement.. but to each his own. Pulling the cylinders off is opening a big ol' can of worms. Most of the time they seem to be just about concreted down.. then you should have the cylinders re-honed before assembly.

                        You all know the saying... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

                        As for a tear in the head gasket, if the metal rings around the cylinders are intact, it shouldn't have burned through.


                        Tod
                        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 own

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by trbig View Post
                          If the base gasket doesn't leak... I would sure disagree with that statement.. but to each his own. Pulling the cylinders off is opening a big ol' can of worms. Most of the time they seem to be just about concreted down.. then you should have the cylinders re-honed before assembly. Tod
                          One thing Cody & I are discovering about base gaskets... the one's from Yamaha are great... the green ones that we've been using that come in a complete kit sure seem to have a problem with blowing out in the center back section, causing an oil leak. That's happened to mine twice now, and he got to thinking about it... and every time he's used the cheaper aftermarket gasket set... (4 out of 4 times) they've done that. Even happened to him on 'Zilla.

                          IIRC, the Yamaha base gasket alone is around $40... a complete aftermarket kit is around $75 for everything.

                          If you're talking about this type of set, (forgive me, I can't recall the name,) I'd avoid it when rebuilding like the plague. Spend the $, get the Yamaha gasket. (Talking now ONLY about the BASE GASKET... not the head gasket.)

                          My solution... good old RTV on the outside of the block, back up in the middle, bottom there.

                          He told me there was no way it would stop the leak, and frankly... I really wasn't sure either, but I figured "what have I got to lose?" And it worked like a charm. No leaky!

                          Sure beat having to tear the motor down again... and was a whole lot faster!
                          (And... I didn't have to feed Tod & buy him beer, to bribe him to come help me do it! LOL Hehehe...)

                          (You know I'm just kiddin' Tod!)
                          (That boy can eat...)
                          '82 XJ1100J Maxim (has been sold.)

                          '79 F "Time Machine"... oh yeah, Baby.... (Sold back to Maximan)

                          2011 Kaw Concours 14 ABS

                          In the warden's words from Cool Hand Luke;
                          "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            I know of your problems, Bob, but out of all the motors I've done, I've used these same gaskets we used on yours and never seen a problem before. Maybe it's something to do with that Stillwater air? lol.

                            That being said, next time I go into a motor down to the base gasket, it's not going to get a gasket. The Tri-bond works great for the case halves and other covers that I've tried it on without a gasket... except for the oil pan, but others have had good luck with that one also.

                            Leaving off the base gasket would be the equivelent of a light shaving of the head and will increase compression numbers slightly as well. Plus... anyone who has spent hours trying to scrape off the old base gasket while trying to keep that crap out of the bottom of the motor... knows another reason I won't put another one on...


                            Tod
                            Last edited by trbig; 11-26-2009, 06:50 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 own

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              When I had my top end apart to replace my pistons a while back, I put a brand new base gaket in made out of the high temp material we use for making gasket on the UH-60 Black Hawks I work on. It hasn't leaked yet. (Fingers crossed) The head gasket looked fine other then a little tear, so I put it back in against my better judgement. Now I am kicking myself in the butt for doing so. On the other hand I can now dismantle a top end in thirty minutes. lol

                              Comment

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