Leaky gasket

[Barry S.]

My '76 GT750's head gasket has been leaked slightly, it's got some brown crap seeping around the large head bolts. I had .020" milled off the top of the block and lapped it and the head on a surface plate so I know it's pretty flat. I have a thin Suzuki gasket on it that I sprayed with copper coat when I put it on several years ago, I have another new one and I have a thicker style in a gasket set I could use. I may try the thick one since I got it milled a little anyway, it may seal better than the all metal ones. One reason it seeps is I replaced the sealing washers with regular stainless and lock washers, where were some of you getting the sealing washers to replace the bad stock ones?

[oldjapanesebikes]

My '76 GT750's head gasket has been leaked slightly, it's got some brown crap seeping around the large head bolts

Sure its the head gasket ? The reason for the rubber seal is to keep water out of the bolt holes - if you've removed the sealing washers, then it could just be rust.

[Barry S.]

Once a couple of years ago green anti-freeze came out around one of the small bolts in the center of the head, I checked it and it had loosened up. I'm not sure if it still leaks but for the rusty muck around a few of the large bolts. Didn't somebody on the board use stat-o-seals to replace the old stock sealing washers?

[Coyote]

I remember stat-o-seals being used to replace the stock seal washers on oil lines (Juggy?), but not a replacement for that type of seal.
The sealing washers you omitted are still available from Suzuki. Part# 09168-14008.

[Barry S.]

It was leaking with coolant seeping out so I changed it out yesterday with a thicker Athena gasket out of a gasket set I had. It took a little cleaning and I used copper cote spray on the new gasket surface. I torqued them 29 and 16 ft/lbs and rode it to put it thru a heat cycle, ran great, couldn't really tell any difference between the thin Suzuki metal gasket and the thicker one as far as performance. I re-torqued the bolts this morning and they tightened some more, probably 1/8th turn on most.

[Buffalo-guy]

It is most likely that very situation, why Suzuki required a small amount of Bars Leak to be added to the system, when ever the cooling system is serviced. As Ian said, the sealing washers were to keep water out of the stud pockets, not to keep coolant in. They need to be there, especially for the long term ease of removing the cylinder. My friend found some in the hardware bins at Home Depot, when we built his engine. Find some, and install them, and add some Bars Leak (or equivalent), and nip this problem early. There's my thoughts for the day. Boy, that was painful. Cheers.
Fred

[Barry S.]

I put a bead or red RTV between the washers to do just that.