Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original

Leak through head stem nuts

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kiwikx500:
Had some bottom end work done at a dealer and noticed after about the fifth run there was a little amount of oily film seeping out the top of the head stems nuts, replaced the washers and seems to have fixed the problem on 2 out of the 3.

When I took the nut off beside where the small water hose goes into the head cover (gear change side) a slight seepage of anti freeze came to the top (very small amount)

Is this normal ?

Can the nuts be tweaked out on the trail when the motor is hot or is this a no no ?


(The bike uses no water, no sign of any bubbles when radiator gap removed - starts and runs well)

Cheerz

Larry Wiechman:
You have a head gasket leak.  :-(
 
I'd have a talk with the friendly local dealer and his mechanic.
 
Larry

jfabmotorsports.com:
Almost every engine that I have ever seen that had a composite head gasket on it leaked. They never seem to have issues with combustion gasses in the coolant but they are wet all around the head and even as you say, leaking through the studs. I have measured the compressed fire ring on gasket that were leaking and they are usually .005 -.010 thicker than the gasket at the outer edge. I have not taken into account spring back of the steel material as it was just something to notice. My thoughts are, how can the head gasket seal if it can not be evenly compressed. Stewart turned me onto Cometic and I have not seen one leak since on any of my bikes. I use Permatex Copper Spray-A-Gasket #80697 on both sides of the gasket, some use them dry.

p.s. kiwikx500... I would not tweak my nuts! And if I did, I would not tell anyone. :-D

JFAB

kiwikx500:

--- Quote ---p.s. kiwikx500... I would not tweak my nuts! And if I did, I would not tell anyone.
--- End quote ---

 :-D My Mrs normally does mine - think she keeps it pretty quite too.

Cheerz Larry and JF

Just remembered when bike came back from dealers and took it for a run water was being lost from the radiator and an air block boiling sound could be heard (discovered leak in hose under fuel tank - had not leaked water prior to reco) most likely cause of gasket eventually blowing.

Yep read all sorts of complaints about fibre gaskets on the net.

Friend goes on a forum and a KX500 owner on there said to check the torque of the head stems and that a copper gasket is standard. Best to go for OEM copper gasket then ?   

jfabmotorsports.com:
Cometic gaskets are embossed steel. I would run that. OEM is not copper.

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