Tightening head to stop oil leak

[jrr]

Evening all,

I've had a small oil leak at the head gasket (half way down the cylinder so I assume it's the head gasket) for a while now, but since I'm not actually losing any decent quantity of oil, I've ignored it over summer. There is an oil stain all the way around the head gasket on the external metal itself so the leak is evident, but on any long journey - paricularly if I get above 100 kmh - I will have a thin coating of oil all the way down the bike behind the engine. This stain is on both cylinders so I thought it would be strange if both gaskets failed at the same time. Perhaps if there's an oil pressure issue this could be possible, but I thought that maybe a plausible explanation could be if the head has loosened. This seems particularly plausible given the fact that my exhaust manifold bolts seem to loosen even as soon as 1'000 km, so maybe all the vibration has loosened the cylinder head. I've done over 10'000 km on the bike since there was no oil leak.

My question is, and perhaps it's a stupid question, but what bolts do I tighten exactly to correctly torque the head? Of course there are the four on the top of the cylinder, but I assume these are the head cover bolts and not the head bolts themselves. Which also makes me ask, do I have to remove the head cover to tighten these bolts, and therefore will I potentially need a new gasket after loosening it once?

I would also be grateful if someone knew what value I need to torque the head to, since I can't properly interpret the data I've found on the internet.

Thanks

 

[john zibell]

Evening all,

I've had a small oil leak at the head gasket (half way down the cylinder so I assume it's the head gasket) for a while now, but since I'm not actually losing any decent quantity of oil, I've ignored it over summer. There is an oil stain all the way around the head gasket on the external metal itself so the leak is evident, but on any long journey - paricularly if I get above 100 kmh - I will have a thin coating of oil all the way down the bike behind the engine. This stain is on both cylinders so I thought it would be strange if both gaskets failed at the same time. Perhaps if there's an oil pressure issue this could be possible, but I thought that maybe a plausible explanation could be if the head has loosened. This seems particularly plausible given the fact that my exhaust manifold bolts seem to loosen even as soon as 1'000 km, so maybe all the vibration has loosened the cylinder head. I've done over 10'000 km on the bike since there was no oil leak.

My question is, and perhaps it's a stupid question, but what bolts do I tighten exactly to correctly torque the head? Of course there are the four on the top of the cylinder, but I assume these are the head cover bolts and not the head bolts themselves. Which also makes me ask, do I have to remove the head cover to tighten these bolts, and therefore will I potentially need a new gasket after loosening it once?

I would also be grateful if someone knew what value I need to torque the head to, since I can't properly interpret the data I've found on the internet.

Thanks

The head should have been re-torqued at the first service. If it is leaking now, the head gasket needs to be replaced. If you upgrade your account, service manuals are available in the downloads section. see https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/user-account-upgrade-donations.14025/ Since you didn't state which bike you have (there are some differences) I really don't know what else to tell you. Sometimes the valve cover gasket can be re-used, sometimes not. Valve cover gaskets are relativel inexpensive so it wouldn't hurt to have them on hand. Who has been doing your valve adjustments?

 

[jrr]

The head should have been re-torqued at the first service. If it is leaking now, the head gasket needs to be replaced. If you upgrade your account, service manuals are available in the downloads section. see https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/user-account-upgrade-donations.14025/ Since you didn't state which bike you have (there are some differences) I really don't know what else to tell you.

Thanks for the response. Sorry I worded something slightly wrong, my bike was second-hand so it has just had it's 4th service as I've gone over 20'000 km total. I did suspect however that once the oil has leaked, the gaskets need replacing anyway since they may be permanently damaged. I'll have a look at the service manuals, thanks a lot.

By the way my bike is a V7 Stone (2013).

Edit: Regarding value adjustments, since I've owned the bike, I'm not too sure. I've had it taken for 2 services at a reputable place but I don't know exactly what they did.

 

[john zibell]

Thanks for the response. Sorry I worded something slightly wrong, my bike was second-hand so it has just had it's 4th service as I've gone over 20'000 km total. I did suspect however that once the oil has leaked, the gaskets need replacing anyway since they may be permanently damaged. I'll have a look at the service manuals, thanks a lot.

By the way my bike is a V7 Stone (2013).

Edit: Regarding value adjustments, since I've owned the bike, I'm not too sure. I've had it taken for 2 services at a reputable place but I don't know exactly what they did.

Not sure what you mean by a reputable place. If the mechanics are not familiar with the brand, I suggest you find a shop that is or go to an authorized dealer or service center. In the downloads you will find both Service and Parts manuals for your bike. Valve adjustments and oil changes are pretty simple and you can learn to do them yourself and save some money if you have the facilities and tools to do the task. Since it seems you haven't done any of your own service work, it may be adviseable to have a dealer replace your head gasket and perform any other required services until you learn to do them yourself. Head gasket changes are not that simple for a novice, but for an experienced mechanic pretty straight forward for your bike. The factory web site will list service centers in Switzerland.