I just removed my first valve spring!

[Jean]

dougie's got it, Rob.
Were they (Head gaskets) OEM? Do you have the ones from the "rebuild" that you broke?
It appears the head gaskets for all Airheads EXCEPT the R100 series are alike. Rather amazing...

So, if you happen to still have the ones from the ill-fated engine, I'd use them rather than using the ones on the salvage engine you are currently running. On the other hand, if it really WAS a low milage engine, they probably had never been disturbed (or over-torqued) so they could be used if they are not damaged. Hey, it's not a Diesel, after all.

All things considered, I'd try using them or the others unless some mysteriously appear in your post box.
I don't have any or I'd send them to you... What vendor are you quoting prices for these?

PS. SIGN-UP FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. Being laid-off or dumped for downsizing is a legit claim for this $$$. You helped pay for it, so you ought to get a bit back.

[Deleted User 287]

I might give that a shot, Dougie. It got one 5-star review on Amazon being used on a Waverunner:
http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-80697-Co ... B000HBNUDQ
And only $7.

I'll check the price at Mal-Wart.

[Deleted User 287]

dougie's got it, Rob.
Were they (Head gaskets) OEM? Do you have the ones from the "rebuild" that you broke?

So, if you happen to still have the ones from the ill-fated engine, I'd use them rather than using the ones on the salvage engine you are currently running. On the other hand, if it really WAS a low mileage engine, they probably had never been disturbed (or over-torqued) so they could be used if they are not damaged. Hey, it's not a Diesel, after all.

All things considered, I'd try using them or the others unless some mysteriously appear in your post box.
I don't have any or I'd send them to you... What vendor are you quoting prices for these?

PS. SIGN-UP FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. Being laid-off or dumped for downsizing is a legit claim for this $$$. You helped pay for it, so you ought to get a bit back.

I don't know if I have the ones from the crashed engine, or not. I'll have to poke around.

And yes, I will be spending some time at the unemployment office. I sure hope they don't snub me because of the reason the gas company rescinded their offer.
But I'll try lying to them first.

In the meantime, I interviewed last Thursday for a pretty cool job just 6 miles from home. It is part-time to start, but that is OK. It is doing scanning of stamps, coins and trading cards for an auction house for eBay postings. The guy advertised for a full time & a part time, but the F/T has been filled. He painted a really dark picture of the monotomy of the job, and how it is only meant for the "right person". So if I could get on P/T and learn the system well, I would be in the cat-bird's seat (is that correct, MS?) for when the F/T person gets sick of it. $15/hr! I could make that work.
Re: the 6 miles to the job - I could probably eventually work my way up to a bicycle, but there are some very steep hills (for central Indiana) between here and there. And the area where it is located is a bicyclists nightmare!
The area is called Castleton (big, successful shopping mall and all the crap that goes with it). I have a friend that calls it Hassleton.

[dougie]

I might give that a shot, Dougie. It got one 5-star review on Amazon being used on a Waverunner:
http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-80697-Co ... B000HBNUDQ
And only $7.
I'll check the price at Mal-Wart.

As I remember I sprayed a few light coats on each side of the gasket until I had built up a uniform layer. Then hung them up to dry. I believe they ended up tacky-dry. I used them on a modified head gasket on my W650. Worked great.

[ME 109]

I re-used a head gasket when my valve seat was peened. Had to.
We used some silver spray paint on the gasket. It was all good until I repaired things properly nine months later!

[dougie]

I re-used a head gasket when my valve seat was peened. Had to.
We used some silver spray paint on the gasket. It was all good until I repaired things properly nine months later!

I saw just that done at the racetrack.
Aluminium paint and still good after 12 laps of redlining.

[Deleted User 287]

I got my Permatex copper spray at AutoZone. Same price as Amazon, and the tax was cheaper (& faster) than shipping.

And I didn't have to go into "that" store and see all of "those" people.

Is that bigotry, not to like the people that shop at wal-mart?

And Jean - I mowed two yards today, so I'm going to take a pill and let my back rest. (I made $20. One of the yards was my own, so I saved $20, as well).

[Jean]

So, if you saved $20 by mowing your own yard, and you mowed "2 yards and MADE $20" today, that means you had been paying someone $20 to mow your yard (?). I guess you really "made" $40...when you consider your actual balance sheet.
I was out working on the R80/2 to get the starter working...trying to explain the neutral switch workings to RickR90s got my mind working again and today I resolved the problem. Starter works.
And in the course of working on it I ran across a little jar of (Would you believe?) HEAD GASKET Sealer. It is like a paint, and you brush it on. The brush is attached to the jar cap. I think it must be a zillion years old, but it is still liquid. (My dad had a service station'garage in the 30's...maybe it is not quite a zillion years old)
I think the Permatex stuff you got will do the trick. As I said earlier, It ain''t a Diesel!! Just clean the "old" gasket really good with alcohol, or some of that acetone, to be sure all the oil is off it before you use the sealant. Same with the metal mating surfaces.
If you have not messed with the valves, springs, etc, yet, here's a bit of advice from my service manual:
"After the valves, caps, springs, and keepers have been installed, rap sharply on the ends of the valve stems with a SOFT MALLET to seat the keepers." They show a rawhide mallet doing this, but one of those hammers with a hard plastic head is fine.
There are some other details to look after when installing rockers and valve gear. Do you have a BOOK that tells these things? Or have you printed instructions from a website? Do so.
We need to talk more about the Final Drive (FD) dumping its oil...
We need to talk more about the

[Deleted User 287]

Yes Jean, I've been in this rental house for 4 summers now, and up until this year I had been paying some neighborhood boys to mow my yard for $20.
Then last Spring my Dr. said I needed to get more exercise, while at the same time Duane was preaching "keep your money in your pocket". So I let the boys go killing two birds with one stone.

Then at about the same time, the people in the rental house behind me abandoned it (along with their pregant kitty... - but he took his pit bull with him...) and after I rescued the cat and took it to the shelter, I was able to find out the name & phone # of the owner of the house.
We struck up a deal where I could mow it for her for $20. After the first time, she asked if I'd be interested in doing the same for two other properties for her. So it has been nice side money (when we got rain) but oh boy! My back!


Yes, I have the "small" (thin) Clymer manual and a Haynes manual. I will do some reading.

I thought the acetone would be "safe enough" to use for cleaning since it is what women have been using for fingernail polish remover for years (until recently). I bought it to clean certain glassware items I own. I may end up getting some of that lamp oil someone recommended.

I have the small, two-faced plastic/rubber hammer.

My final drive is the older, /7 type, most likely with NO o-rings on the brake cam shaft - but that will be the subject of a different thread.

[Jean]

I recommended the "Lamp oil" since it's highly refined kero. It costs more than plain ole Kero tho.
Another thing you might use is Mineral Spirits from the paint dept at LOWE's or Home Depot. You can get Mineral Spirits in Qt. cans, also alcohol, which is good to use when you are messing with anything connected with the brakes and brake fluid..
Around here (po-dunk SC,) you can get kero at a number of places...might be hard to find in the BIG CITY.

If your Clymer manual is as old as mine,there are some good tips on putting things back together. Also mine has a table of measurements that you can use to decide if the springs are still good. My book is the 1982 edition.
Anyhow, read chapter 4...if it's the same that is the engine part. If something doesn't make sense for YOUR bike, I'll check it out in my Haynes manual. Lots of times I see what each manual has to say about a job. Sometimes they have different info, and sometimes info in one book isn't in the other.

Change the angle of the LM handle. Raise the deck and cut the grass higher. Oil the wheels. Don't forget to check the OIL!! You don't need to throw a rod!
Eat more vegetables.