'79 XS project by a mechanical newbie. (But hey, it was free)

[stoneairsoft]

Valve Clearances

Due to unforeseen life issues, the poor XS has been sitting all summer instead of being ridden.
Two things:
Is it assumed, after years of not running, the shims need to be replaced? This seems a bit more complicated than some of my other tasks, & the tool used to depress the valve is hard to find. (I found one on Amazon, but there are mixed reviews) Also, the pictorial guide in the maintenance section no longer displays the images, which I will probably need to accomplish the task. I'd also need to buy the shims somewhere...

Should I be concerned about a slow oil accumulation on the hex bolt holding the #1 exhaust clamp to the engine? I included a picture of the exhaust previously. The bike IS using a side stand leaning towards the point of leakage, but I'm not thinking that excuses the oil.

Finally, as Topcat recommended, I still need to check the resistance of the wires to ensure I'm getting quality spark, even though, visually, it seems the spark has good color.

[skids]

The bike just sitting will not be reason to assume that the valve shims need adjustment. It is a wear-type thing.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Stone,

As Skids said, the valve clearances change from USE, the valves slowly get hammered into the seats and the seats into the heads, and the puts the valve stem closer to the bucket/lifter/shim and narrows the gaps.

Most of the oil found around the head usually comes from a few places, the valve cover gasket and the half moons, but also the cam chain tensioner. The wind can then blow it all over the place. The actual head gasket is rarely a source for oil leaks.

T.C.

[stoneairsoft]

I’m back!
I just checked the resistance of both coils. The left coil measured 3.8ohms and the right was 4.1ohms. Is this acceptable?

My next mission is to replace the cct.
I’m still concerned about oil leakage coming from the bolt holding exhaust pipe #1 in place. I had mentioned this concern earlier. TC mentioned it could have blown from somewhere else after riding, but it hasn’t been ridden.

[skids]

The oil leak at the bolt may be caused by seeping from the cam cover(?)

Does the exhaust make some smoke when it starts getting hot? If so, perhaps a valve seal is leaking some oil. Of course the crush gasket for the head pipe would have to leak also. As I understand it valve seals leak more on deceleration. I don't think the header bolts daylight into oil cavities...

If you have a leaking CCT, the oil can migrate from the vibration and wind.

[stoneairsoft]

Here's what I found when taking the valve cover off. Definitely an oil and/or fuel mixture at the exhaust side. (yes there's some gunk from my gasket sealer lying around, but unrelated.




I also checked the timing and it's spot-on (hopefully it stays that way after swapping the CCT)

[skids]

Sorry about the previous response before checking the entire thread.

[stoneairsoft]

Also, I do have spare valve (stem?)seals that came with my gasket set, but sense that would be a huge undertaking...

[stoneairsoft]

Primary:
L 3.5ohms
R 4.1ohms

Secondary:
L 14.8
R 14.6

Based on my reading, the primary looks good but the secondaries are both higher than spec...granted it’s about 50° in my garage right now.


What I really need guidance on is this:
At this point, is it best to cut my losses & part out for sale? If the valve stem seals are bad, that looks like a ton of work, if the coils are bad, that adds costs, AND I’m not super savvy (as my post title suggests). help!

[stoneairsoft]

I apologize for all the replies:
Here's my progress on the CCT swap for an acct. I used a zip tie to secure the cc...seemed to work. The timing appears as though the dots are in different locations, but it's just the angle of the photo. Both dots here are slightly past the arrow.




Here's where the oil/fuel had been leaking from...but it honestly seems more clear/yellow like gasoline than oil.


Any guidance to my posed question above would be greatly appreciated.

[DiverRay]

put a coating of flour over the front left side of the engine. Start at the valve cover, and cover down to the bottom of the barrels. Start the engine for about two minutes, then shut it down and look for the tracks in the flour. It will point out any leaks.
The rest of it looks good, although I think someone has pulled the head before. And don't worry, you'll be a good XS11 mechanic soon! your most of the way there now.

[stoneairsoft]

Thanks, Ray.

Some bonehead (me) had to take the head off to replace the head gasket as it was puffing compression out the front when I first received it from my friend. I had hoped I'd never have to go that far down again.

It just seems like whenever I replace something, reassemble, clean and bench synch the carbs, there arises some other major issue where I need to strip it down again and troubleshoot!

I assume, even running, due to the non-immaculate state it's in, I couldn't even get $1,000 for it...And I still need to replace the tires (the front at least for sitting squished, off the rim for years. It hardly seems worth the trouble! Frustrating!

[DiverRay]

Did you re-torque the head? You may have one head bolt just a little loose, and that MAY cause a leak. I would start at the center and check all the head bolts again. Do NOT set the wrench above the spec.!! Just loosen about 1/8th turn then tighten again to spec. one at a time.

[stoneairsoft]

I can definitely check them again. I did torque them, but it was using a big 1/2” automotive wrench from O’Reilly’s. I’d love it if it’s as simple as that!

[rangerguy302]

You can build one for about 20-30 bucks. 4 chunks of PVC 8 caps silicone 4 vac gauges and some vac line. It looks like bomb parts when your done....lol