2 stroke head gasket leak

[Haighy]

Hello,

1988 KMX125

It's leaking out of the cylinder head gasket... how big a problem is
this?

About 2 years ago I had the head off and replaced it again (with new
gaskets) and the bike has been sat pretty idle since, doing maybe 100
miles. Now I've just noticed this, 'minor' (how do you measure such
things!) fizzing at the front edge of the head and I want someone to
tell me I can ignore it as the bike may only do another 100miles in
the rest of its life....

Or is there chance that it might do more significant damage, or worse
decide to strand me somewhere?

ta for your thoughts
Steve

[Wicked Uncle Nigel]

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Haighy
<steveon...@gmail.com> typed

>
>About 2 years ago I had the head off and replaced it again (with new
>gaskets) and the bike has been sat pretty idle since, doing maybe 100
>miles. Now I've just noticed this, 'minor' (how do you measure such
>things!) fizzing at the front edge of the head and I want someone to
>tell me I can ignore it as the bike may only do another 100miles in
>the rest of its life....

Check the head is still torqued down properly.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest"

Contains moderate bullshit and simulated opinions.

[Pete Fisher]

In communiqué
<c991cee3-9e32-46f4...@n16g2000vbn.googlegroups.com>,
Haighy <steveon...@gmail.com> cast forth these pearls of wisdom

<Googles>

Liquid cooled I see. When you say fizzing do you mean coolant or
compression or both?

You stand a chance of warping the head if you keep running it, but then
it might manage another 100 miles. Or it might lose enough compression
in the middle of nowhere to strand you. If the gasket has gone again
after just 100 miles I dare say the head was already a wee bit warped or
the head nuts weren't torqued down correctly.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: Pe...@ps-fisher.demon.co.uk |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 YZ450F Supermoto "Evaluation for the lad"|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[Pete Fisher]

In communiqué <FsMDj3cd...@wicked-uncle-nigel.me.uk>, Wicked Uncle
Nigel <w...@wicked-uncle-nigel.me.uk> cast forth these pearls of wisdom

>Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Haighy
><steveon...@gmail.com> typed
>>
>>About 2 years ago I had the head off and replaced it again (with new
>>gaskets) and the bike has been sat pretty idle since, doing maybe 100
>>miles. Now I've just noticed this, 'minor' (how do you measure such
>>things!) fizzing at the front edge of the head and I want someone to
>>tell me I can ignore it as the bike may only do another 100miles in
>>the rest of its life....
>
>Check the head is still torqued down properly.
>

Which reminds me that I need to check the head on the lad's YZ125 now he
has revved the tits off it for four hill climb meetings.

[Haighy]

yes, it's water cooled. When stopped, the engine it was hissing with a
little bit of bubbles along 1 inch of the edge, and then I sprayed
WD40 on it to identify it exactly so now it looks wet and difficult to
tell. I don't think there is coolant coming out, just compression.

Yes, I've checked the tightness of the head bolts on that side. They
are 'very tight'. Hmm maybe I should actually get the torque wrench
out and check they are what they should be...

How long a job is it? I can get a new gasket of ebay for £15. Maybe i
should just fix it? Tank off, drain water, head off. Is that it? Do I
use any kind of gasket goo or is it dry fit?

[JB]

"Haighy" <steveon...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:556d3334-9ad3-4deb...@l5g2000vbo.googlegroups.com...

It's not likely to be cylinder compression. It will do it with a hot engine
even when switched off.
Easy 30 minute job. Do it asap, or you *will* overheat and kill it. I have
2xKMX200 and a KMX125 and I _know_ how marginal the cooling is on these.
Make sure you use proper coolant and don't run plain water. This kills the
metal head gaskets in short order.
Get stuck, post on here or email me directly on jmbyrne_AT_blueyonder.co.uk

JB

[JB]

"Haighy" <steveon...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:556d3334-9ad3-4deb...@l5g2000vbo.googlegroups.com...

Oh yes. Dry fit the head gasket only. They are rubber coated steel. Drain
coolant, whip head off, clean srfaces, fit new gasket, torque down. refill
coolant *****and bleed the air out while you refill it**** by undoing the M6
bleed bolt on the head. Undo about 3 or 4 turns until coolant comes out.
Then nip up gently.

JB

[Andy B]

Having read your reply the best I can suggest is that you google for
your nearest Kawasaki dealer because you really are too dense to be
attempting this kind of work for yourself.

[Haighy]

On May 15, 9:23 pm, "JB" <j...@nospam.net> wrote:
> "Haighy" <steveonholid...@gmail.com> wrote in message

Thanks JB, you're a star. I've ordered a gasket.

[JB]

"Haighy" <steveon...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:05b029f6-33a0-4b40...@hq4g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...

And if you ever feel the need to sell the KMX, I am always in the market for
spares for these.

JB

[Haighy]

On May 15, 10:14 pm, s...@bonwick.me.uk (Andy B) wrote:

Thanks for your helpful insult. It's nice to see really intelligent
comments to patronise and make it unpleasant for new people. Well
done.

[Lozzo]

I think Andy's right. You obviously don't have the mechanical knowledge
or skills to do the job correctly. Firstly it hasn't crossed your mind
that the head may have been warped when you put the bike back together
the last time - without torquing the head down - and now you're
planning on doing the same again with a new head gasket. Fine if you
like throwing money away but you'd be better off getting someone who
has a clue to check the head for flatness and to do the job for you

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , Cagiva Elefant
900, CBR600F-W racebike in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

On Tue, 15 May 2012 12:52:11 -0700 (PDT), Haighy
<steveon...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>Yes, I've checked the tightness of the head bolts on that side. They
>are 'very tight'. Hmm maybe I should actually get the torque wrench
>out and check they are what they should be...

This is a bit of a give-away. When you said you'd had the head off
previously, I assumed you'd done it; obviously not.
Get somebody to do it right and skim the head if necessary. These
small liquid-cooled engines are quite fussy about going back together
just right.

['Hog]

You cant just go skimming 2smoke heads though.

--
Hog

Remember the 4 "F" rule:
If you're not Fucking me, Feeding me or Financing me
...your opinions really don't matter, so you can Fuck off

[Andy B]

Your comments about the head bolts being 'very tight' and asking about
gasket goo wouldn't make me want to let you near any engine I owned.

[Lozzo]

'Hog wrote:

> Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
> > On Tue, 15 May 2012 12:52:11 -0700 (PDT), Haighy
> ><steveon...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Yes, I've checked the tightness of the head bolts on that side.
> > > They are 'very tight'. Hmm maybe I should actually get the torque
> > > wrench out and check they are what they should be...
> >
> > This is a bit of a give-away. When you said you'd had the head off
> > previously, I assumed you'd done it; obviously not.
> > Get somebody to do it right and skim the head if necessary. These
> > small liquid-cooled engines are quite fussy about going back
> > together just right.
>
> You cant just go skimming 2smoke heads though.

Which is why he needs a dealer with a clue to look over it.

[The Older Gentleman]

There's a difference between intelligence and knowledge. A lack of
knowledge does not mean you're thick - just ignorant.

Embarking on a course of action like the one you propose - tackling a
job when you know you are ignorant about it - shows a lack of
intelligence.

In short - if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.


--
Honda CB400 Four Triumph Street Triple Yamaha Tenere
Suzuki GN250, TS250ERx2
So many bikes, so little garage space....
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com

[stephen...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 16 May 2012 18:56:12 UTC+1, TOG@Toil wrote:

> Embarking on a course of action like the one you propose - tackling a
> job when you know you are ignorant about it - shows a lack of
> intelligence.
>
> In short - if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

Really? You've done enough in your time from what you've posted here.

And how is someone meant to learn without blowing up engines?

[Simon Wilson]

On 16/05/2012 18:56, The Older Gentleman wrote:

>
> Embarking on a course of action like the one you propose - tackling a
> job when you know you are ignorant about it - shows a lack of
> intelligence.
>
> In short - if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.
>
>

That's me in deep do then.

--
/Simon

[Mark Olson]

On 05/16/2012 01:19 PM, Krusty wrote:

> Most of my working day is spent tackling stuff I don't know how to do.
> I have to figure it out, with googling if necessary. I don't see engine
> rebuilds as being any different. Or building, plumbing etc.

If all he has to endure is some slagging off for his ignorance vs. actually
blowing up his engine, I'd say he's coming out rather well on the deal. I
mostly learned the hard way and I am still learning that same way. Now I
do try to learn from the mistakes of others if I can, but I make plenty of
my own, still.

[Pete Fisher]

In communiqué <4fb3ef99$0$12259$5b6a...@news.zen.co.uk>, Krusty
<dontw...@nowhere.invalid> cast forth these pearls of wisdom

>Most of my working day is spent tackling stuff I don't know how to do.
>I have to figure it out, with googling if necessary. I don't see engine
>rebuilds as being any different. Or building, plumbing etc.
>

Yes, but it helps if you have half a clue about the basics. Google is a
wonderful resource though and Youtube videos make it easier to grasp a
sequence of operations written in a manual even if the illustrations are
reasonable. I find the photos in the Clymer books often better than the
Yamaha Workshop manual.

I had to resort to Youtube to see how to get a 'popup' tent to go down
to a size that would fit in its bag again. The instructions and line
drawings only made sense to me once I had seen the video.

Having said that, I know my limits. I'll tackle a top-end rebuild, and
was chuffed I managed the swing arm bearings on the YZ125 but I
generally leave splitting crankcases to SWK.

[The Older Gentleman]

Fair point, well made.

[PipL]

On 16 May 2012 09:50:29 GMT, "Lozzo" <lo...@lozzo.org.uk> wrote:

>I think Andy's right. You obviously don't have the mechanical knowledge
>or skills to do the job correctly.

That's a Catch-22 comment. I thionk you and Andy are being unnecessarily
harsh: if you don't try, you never get the experience.

My first engine rebuild was a DT125 when I was about sixteen - I didn't have
a) a clue or b) the tools to pull the flywheel, so my Dad took it to a bike
shop to do that part. Unfortunately, due a language problem (this was in Hong
Kong) they completely stripped the engine, and I was presented with a box of
bits.

I somehow got that motor back together, despite not having dismantled it
myself, and without even a HBoL. Admittedly there were a few shims etc. left
over, but the engine ran and I did continue to use it; I even passed my part 2
test on that bike. There were some problems, but I didn't die and the engine
didn't explode expensively. OK, air cooled, but still.
--

Pip

[Champ]

On 16 May 2012 18:19:05 GMT, "Krusty" <dontw...@nowhere.invalid>

wrote:

>The Older Gentleman wrote:

>> In short - if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

>Most of my working day is spent tackling stuff I don't know how to do.
>I have to figure it out, with googling if necessary. I don't see engine
>rebuilds as being any different. Or building, plumbing etc.

That's where we differ. I've never done any building or plumbing
work, and probably never will, mostly because I have a complete
aversion to hard physical labour, but partly because I don't want to
fuck something up that I know nothing about.
--
Champ
We declare that the splendour of the world has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed.
ZX10R | Hayabusa | GPz750turbo
neal at champ dot org dot uk

[Haighy]

On May 16, 10:50 am, "Lozzo" <lo...@lozzo.org.uk> wrote:
> Haighy wrote:
> > On May 15, 10:14 pm, s...@bonwick.me.uk (Andy  B) wrote:
> > > Having read your reply the best I can suggest is that you google for
> > > your nearest Kawasaki dealer because you really are too dense to be
> > > attempting this kind of work for yourself.
>
> > Thanks for your helpful insult. It's nice to see really intelligent
> > comments to patronise and make it unpleasant for new people. Well
> > done.
>
> I think Andy's right. You obviously don't have the mechanical knowledge
> or skills to do the job correctly. Firstly it hasn't crossed your mind
> that the head may have been warped when you put the bike back together
> the last time - without torquing the head down - and now you're
> planning on doing the same again with a new head gasket. Fine if you
> like throwing money away but you'd be better off getting someone who
> has a clue to check the head for flatness and to do the job for you
>
> --
> Lozzo

Deary me, leaping to assumptions when insulting people isn't helpful.

I didn't take the head off last time because of a leaky head gasket,
so there was no reason to suspect the head was warped.

I did torque the head down when I put it back together, I just didn't
check it exactly with the torque wrench last night, I just checked
they were 'obviously tight enough'. I have enough experience to know
crudely what is 'tight enough'.

I don't think £15 for a new gasket and an hours work is particularly
wasteful. Last time I changed the head gasket on this bike 15 years
ago it managed to last 13 years. That's when I found the previous
owner had used some gasket goo, hence my question on that, as it's not
mentioned in Haynes.

I know some are just here to entertain themselves with their clever
wit rather than share useful advice, but it's annoying for us fragile
flowers to have to filter through the mindless comments.

As the more friendly ones have pointed out, you learn how to do things
and sometimes you'll learn from mistakes. It's no reason to always go
crying to the dealer/plumber/whoever.

[The Older Gentleman]

Champ <ne...@champ.org.uk> wrote:

> That's where we differ. I've never done any building or plumbing
> work, and probably never will, mostly because I have a complete
> aversion to hard physical labour, but partly because I don't want to
> fuck something up that I know nothing about.

<AO-fucking-L>

[The Older Gentleman]

Haighy <steveon...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I know some are just here to entertain themselves with their clever
> wit rather than share useful advice, but it's annoying for us fragile
> flowers to have to filter through the mindless comments.

Rattle fuelled and launch-ready.

[Thomas]

On Wed, 16 May 2012 23:22:28 -0700, The Older Gentleman
<totallyde...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> Champ <ne...@champ.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> That's where we differ. I've never done any building or plumbing
>> work, and probably never will, mostly because I have a complete
>> aversion to hard physical labour, but partly because I don't want to
>> fuck something up that I know nothing about.
>
> <AO-fucking-L>

ffs, What is so complicated about plumbing? OK, gas lines I can see, in
that they can make pretty fires and go bang, but water and sewer lines?
There isn't much in this world that's simpler.

[ogden]

The Older Gentleman wrote:
>
> Haighy <steveon...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I know some are just here to entertain themselves with their clever
> > wit rather than share useful advice, but it's annoying for us fragile
> > flowers to have to filter through the mindless comments.
>
> Rattle fuelled and launch-ready.

Quite measured, I thought. And we wonder why UKRM is dying off.

--
ogden

KTM990SMT - big orange tractor on stilts
GSXR1000 - lardy old tourer

[TOG@Toil]

On May 16, 9:10 pm, PipL <plusc...@live.co.uk> wrote:
> On 16 May 2012 09:50:29 GMT, "Lozzo" <lo...@lozzo.org.uk> wrote:
>
> >I think Andy's right. You obviously don't have the mechanical knowledge
> >or skills to do the job correctly.
>
> That's a Catch-22 comment. I thionk you and Andy are being unnecessarily
> harsh: if you don't try, you never get the experience.
>

Well, yeah, ISWYM. Always best to have SWK handy, though. Or to start
with easy jobs and gradually work up.

First sort of tech stuff I tackled was basic maintenance - adjusting
and lubing chains, adjusting and replacing brakes, changing tyres:
that sort of thing.

Then on to de-coking two-strokes. Then learning how to set tappets on
my first four-stroke (Honda CB175), plus ignition timing, camchain
adjustment, etc.

So by the time I tackled a full top-end rebuild on my CB175 I had a
pretty good idea of what went where and how/why it worked. Jumping
straight in at the deep end is a slightly different bouilloire de
poissons. IMHO, naturally.

Like Champ, I don't touch DIY stuff because I know I know nowt about
it. I'm sure I'm capable of doing it, if shown how and given the right
tools, but the opportunity has never come along.

['Hog]

The Older Gentleman wrote:
> Haighy <steveon...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I know some are just here to entertain themselves with their clever
>> wit rather than share useful advice, but it's annoying for us fragile
>> flowers to have to filter through the mindless comments.
>
> Rattle fuelled and launch-ready.

Like there are so many comments to wade through

[Simon Wilson]

Actually there's quite a lot that can go wrong. Biggest problem I have
these days is the myriad of different fittings that aren't *quite*
compatible with each other, even though they look it.

damhik

--
/Simon

[Champ]

On Thu, 17 May 2012 01:02:29 -0700, Thomas <keen...@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> That's where we differ. I've never done any building or plumbing
>>> work, and probably never will, mostly because I have a complete
>>> aversion to hard physical labour, but partly because I don't want to
>>> fuck something up that I know nothing about.

>> <AO-fucking-L>

>ffs, What is so complicated about plumbing? OK, gas lines I can see, in
>that they can make pretty fires and go bang, but water and sewer lines?
>There isn't much in this world that's simpler.

What can go wrong? You can be left with some combination of
- no hot water
- no water at all
- much too much water, all over the floor.

[Mark Olson]

All a plumber has to know:

"Shit runs down hill and payday is on Friday"

[TOG@Toil]

On May 17, 12:42 pm, Champ <n...@champ.org.uk> wrote:

> What can go wrong?  You can be left with some combination of
> - no hot water
> - no water at all
> - much too much water, all over the floor.

And fitfully fizzing electrics.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

On Thu, 17 May 2012 01:02:29 -0700, Thomas <keen...@gmail.com> wrote:

>ffs, What is so complicated about plumbing? OK, gas lines I can see, in
>that they can make pretty fires and go bang, but water and sewer lines?
>There isn't much in this world that's simpler.

Actually, there's nothing much more destructive to a house than a slow
steady drip, drip, drip from a plumbing fitting that's well hidden.

['Hog]

Tell that to Nige!

[Thomas]

Oh yeah. Every manufacturer has his own unique fitting which is a royal
pita, but any decent plumbing supply will be able to sort it out.

[Thomas]

On Thu, 17 May 2012 04:42:28 -0700, Champ <ne...@champ.org.uk> wrote:

> On Thu, 17 May 2012 01:02:29 -0700, Thomas <keen...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>>> That's where we differ. I've never done any building or plumbing
>>>> work, and probably never will, mostly because I have a complete
>>>> aversion to hard physical labour, but partly because I don't want to
>>>> fuck something up that I know nothing about.
>
>>> <AO-fucking-L>
>
>> ffs, What is so complicated about plumbing? OK, gas lines I can see, in
>> that they can make pretty fires and go bang, but water and sewer lines?
>> There isn't much in this world that's simpler.
>
> What can go wrong? You can be left with some combination of
> - no hot water
> - no water at all
> - much too much water, all over the floor.

Which all comes back to making a water-tight seal. It's the _one_ skill
required for a plumber, and it's an easy one to learn. All the rest is a
plug-and-play game of which fittings go where.

[Thomas]

On Thu, 17 May 2012 08:34:52 -0700, Krusty <dontw...@nowhere.invalid>
wrote:

> Thomas wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 17 May 2012 04:42:28 -0700, Champ <ne...@champ.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>> >On Thu, 17 May 2012 01:02:29 -0700, Thomas <keen...@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > ffs, What is so complicated about plumbing? OK, gas lines I can
>> > > see, in that they can make pretty fires and go bang, but water
>> > > and sewer lines? There isn't much in this world that's simpler.
>> >
>> > What can go wrong? You can be left with some combination of
>> > - no hot water
>> > - no water at all
>> > - much too much water, all over the floor.
>>

>> Which all comes back to making a water-tight seal. It's the one skill

>> required for a plumber, and it's an easy one to learn. All the rest
>> is a plug-and-play game of which fittings go where.
>

> I beg to differ, but when you're still using copper, bending pipes at
> the right point is a definite skill, especially when doing compound
> bends.

OK, maybe 2 skills, but with the right tool, it's not rocket science.
Certainly not on the scale of motorcycle mechanics anyway. Anyone who
fiddles with their own bike can certainly do 90% of the chores required in
home plumbing.

[Simon Wilson]

Bits and pieces yes, but to do the whole shebang properly (no airlocks,
water hammer etc.) takes more skill than I (and some plumbers) have.
Especially if you include heating.

--
/Simon

[Pip]

In article <4fb53054$0$12259$5b6a...@news.zen.co.uk>, Krusty says...

> Yeah, designing a complete system from scratch is something I wouldn't
> tackle unless I had a lot more spare time.

And hair.

Don't forget the hair, for pulling out purposes.

--

Pip: Keeper of the Cable Ties

[PipL]

On Thu, 17 May 2012 12:42:28 +0100, Champ <ne...@champ.org.uk> wrote:

>What can go wrong? You can be left with some combination of
>- no hot water
>- no water at all
>- much too much water, all over the floor.

I do treat mains-pressure plumbing with caution, but that doesn't stop me
doing things like shower repairs (now that's a combination that demands
respect: mains and water) and grey water waste pipe repairs. I'd leave central
heating to SWK, though. Oh, and soil pipes.
--

Pip

[Mups]

In article <op.wegk8...@tom-pc.san.rr.com>, Thomas says...

I'm fairly confident I could do simple plumbing if I had to. but more to
the point I don't want to and one of the reasons why I work is so that I
can pay people to do work that I don't want to do.


--
Mups

[Champ]

Give the man a coconut!

[Pip]

In article <4fb545ba$0$10733$5b6a...@news.zen.co.uk>, Krusty says...

>
> Pip wrote:
>
> > In article <4fb53054$0$12259$5b6a...@news.zen.co.uk>, Krusty says...

> > > Yeah, designing a complete system from scratch is something I
> > > wouldn't tackle unless I had a lot more spare time.
> >
> > And hair.
> >
> > Don't forget the hair, for pulling out purposes.
>

> Ah, bit of a problem there. Gissa lend of yer beard will ya?

<passes a cubic metre of beardy rockwool>

[Thomas]

On Thu, 17 May 2012 10:03:29 -0700, Simon Wilson
<siwi...@nodamnspamn.hotmail.com> wrote:

> On 17/05/2012 16:57, Thomas wrote:

>> ... Anyone who

>> fiddles with their own bike can certainly do 90% of the chores required
>> in home plumbing.
>
> Bits and pieces yes, but to do the whole shebang properly (no airlocks,
> water hammer etc.) takes more skill than I (and some plumbers) have.
> Especially if you include heating.

Yebbut, how often does that ever come up? It's akin to building a new bike.

Household plumbing really comes in 2 flavors - big jobs and little jobs.
Big jobs are mostly new construction or remodels. Little jobs are repairs.
You can always call a plumber for jobs that are too dirty, take too much
time, or just too much trouble, but you shouldn't be calling a plumber for
small jobs because you don't have the skills. I'll be calling one soon
because the sewer drain has some tree roots clogging it. I _could_ go to a
local tool rental, hire a power snake, haul it up on the roof and do the
job myself for ~$60 and ~2 hours of labor, but I'll gladly pay $160 for a
pro to do it.

[Haighy]

On May 15, 10:55 pm, "JB" <j...@nospam.net> wrote:
> "Haighy" <steveonholid...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:05b029f6-33a0-4b40...@hq4g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
> On May 15, 9:23 pm, "JB" <j...@nospam.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Haighy" <steveonholid...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:556d3334-9ad3-4deb...@l5g2000vbo.googlegroups.com...
> > yes, it's water cooled. When stopped, the engine it was hissing with a
> > little bit of bubbles along 1 inch of the edge, and then I sprayed
> > WD40 on it to identify it exactly so now it looks wet and difficult to
> > tell. I don't think there is coolant coming out, just compression.
>
> > Yes, I've checked the tightness of the head bolts on that side. They
> > are 'very tight'. Hmm maybe I should actually get the torque wrench
> > out and check they are what they should be...
>
> > How long a job is it? I can get a new gasket of ebay for £15. Maybe i
> > should just fix it? Tank off, drain water, head off. Is that it? Do I
> > use any kind of gasket goo or is it dry fit?
>
> > Oh yes. Dry fit the head gasket only. They are rubber coated steel. Drain
> > coolant, whip head off, clean srfaces, fit new gasket, torque down. refill
> > coolant *****and bleed the air out while you refill it**** by undoing the
> > M6
> > bleed bolt on the head. Undo about 3 or 4 turns until coolant comes out.
> > Then nip up gently.
>
> > JB
> >Thanks JB, you're a star. I've ordered a gasket.
>
> And if you ever feel the need to sell the KMX, I am always in the market for
> spares for these.
>
> JB

Just an update as thanks for the advice. I changed the head gasket and
the problem has gone, and it starts first kick now when before it was
a bit a of a pain, so I'm thinking the compression may have been poor
before too.

Pretty easy even for "dense" people.

[Wicked Uncle Nigel]

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Haighy
<steveon...@gmail.com> typed

>
>Just an update as thanks for the advice. I changed the head gasket and
>the problem has gone, and it starts first kick now when before it was
>a bit a of a pain, so I'm thinking the compression may have been poor
>before too.
>
>Pretty easy even for "dense" people.

Cool report back in 500 miles.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest"

Contains moderate bullshit and simulated opinions.

[Dan L]

Well done chap.

--
Dan L on the move