XBR Valve cover removal and refitting

[welland99]

I'm still thinking about getting the valve cover off the XBR engine to investigate the loud rattling noise that is intermittently heard.  What is the liklihood of being able to get it off without damaging the gasket, then to refit it again and get a good seal with the old gasket?

Im asking the question in view of the near -£30 price tag of buying a new gasket, and the resultant wondering about how important it is to use a new gasket?  Or s there a cheaper way that I have overlooked?

I am aware of the recent thread about fitting a one-way valve in the breather to help prevent oil leaks.  Although I don't have any leaks at present, I was going to get one to see if it reduces my oil consumption. 

[timbo]

There are four threaded valve/tappet covers, two inlet, and two exhaust. These can be a bugger, and may be stuck on their threads. Get the exact size of ring spanner, for the hex cover, and gently tap it with a mallet to free them. Then you can check your valve clearances once you've removed the two threaded covers on the side casing. When replacing the valve covers, put plenty of copper grease on the threads 

[welland99]

Hi Timbo, that's not what I meant.  I did not explain myself correctly, sorry, I'll try again. 
(I have had those valve adjuster covers off, and they were pretty tight.  IIRC, they have a rubber o ring seal - or am i making that bit up?.  You must have been confused about my comment about an expensive gasket?). 

What I was referring to was the cyclinder head cover (I checked the name in the manual this time!)

[timbo]

Aye, I understand. I was really just saying that you don't need to remove it to check/adjust your valve clearances, which could solve your noise problem. Though if you do remove it, I suppose you will be able to check the cams on the camshaft. Apparently, the third cam is prone to wear 

[welland99]

Fair comment.  I did check the valve clearances, and I thought that they were in tolerance. So I thought that a look inside would allow an inspection of everything else. 

So, back to the gasket question.........  has anybody had the head cover off and avoided the need for a new gasket?

[timbo]

I can't remember if gasket is metal, or paper 
If metal, I reckon you could reuse it. If paper, and I was the last owner of the bike, then it may well come off intact, as I always coat both sides of gasket with a coating of HMP grease, same as I lather every thread with copper slip. This is highly unlikely, so get out the scalpels and/or Stanley blades. Cut your own paper gaskets. Very calming and therapeutic for a frantic mind, IMHO 

[JOOLZ]

I have reused the gasket in the past, its a metal gasket covered with a thin layer of silicone, just make sure that the faces are clean when you reassemble and you should be ok

[Rossco500]

I haven't any experience of re-using the rocker cover gasket as I usually replaced them but you might as well give it a try as Jools has mentioned. The price of an engine gasket set for the xbr / Dominator range compared to other bikes is definitely on the (very) high side even for pattern gaskets - I can see why you'd want to have a go at re-using them.

Hopefully you wont run into any problems removing the bolts that retain the cover - there always seems to be one or two stubborn ones. I have heard that if you tighten the bolt a smidgen (not an engineering term!) first before loosening it, it can help to break the seal as such. I stand to be corrected on that thought though. I'm sure it will be interesting to see what's going on in there. Remember to use a little copperslip when replacing the bolts.

Good luck

Tony

[welland99]

Thanks for your replies.  It sounds like there's a reasonable chance of successfully reusing the old gasket.  🙄