Leaking Valve Cover

[vmaxtanker]

Ok, I have a 03 Max with 11,000m on her the valve cover gaskets are starting to seep. I just started to use AmsOil in her the last oil change. I have seen no less than 4 miles per gallon increase in MPG. I am going to change the valve cover gaskets before riding season. Will I have a problem with them leaking useing the full syn oil? This ls the only prob I have had with this bike since new. Any info would be great. Thanks SFC C

 

[thundermax]

I would not be surprised to find out the syn oil is to blame. I have a 91 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Used conventional oil until about 90,000 miles. Then I got a bright idea to use syn oil. I started having leaking problems.

I am not a big fan of syn oil. Especially if you have run conv. oil for a long time. Maybe it is different if you started with syn oil originally.

My advice to you is to change the gaskets and go back to conv. oil. I am going to stay with conv. oil in my max.

 

[wildweasel_pt]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. Go to the proper section to introduce yourself stranger... Oh and do not use synthetic oil... Be careful as well with what you clean/wash your bike with not to dry and make those gaskets cracky... they're supposed to last long even if opening the lids...

 

[one2dmax]

Your clutch is going to have the hardest time with the new oil. Reduced oil friction means less grabbing ability for the clutch since it runs in the same oil. Then all those little particles will float around the engine and through every path. So, the savings in fuel economy (which I doubt is strictly oil related) will be offset by the cost to rebuild.

Sean

 

[gamorg02]

the oil may be thinner so it can get to the valve covers..
that being said though i have an '03 and have only used yamalube and mine started seeping too. pretty common. they're expensive to do though, and a pain ($30 a pop). might as well check your valves while you're there.

 

[maxcruiser]

Don't feel bad, I have 2006 and the valve cover gasket started leaking at the end of last season. If you look close at mine on the 06, you can see age cracks all over them. I was using Amsoil full synthetic one for the first two seasons and changed 2 seasons ago. I find the Vmax prefers dyno oil vs synthetic.

As far as the valve cover gaskets, I think that the manufacturers are using cheaper rubber than they did years ago and they don't seem to last as long. My 1996 Vmax went 11 years before they started to leak.

Mike

 

[one2dmax]

There are still 85's out there with the same valve cover gaskets that don't leak. The rubber has greatly changed over the last decade and everything now is pretty much complete shit. I used to get wiper blades that lasted 10 or more years! Now I'm lucky to get 6 months!

Sean

 

[COP RUNNER]

i , I STARTED USING AMSOIL , ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO ON MY 2006 , I JUST TURNED 10,023 MILES WEEK-END BEFORE LAST , NO LEAKS OF ANY KIND ANYWHERE ! .. BUT NOW THAT I JUST SAID THAT , IT WILL START LEAKING FROM EVERY ORIFICE THERE IS ! . :rofl_200: .:rofl_200: .:rofl_200:

 

[vmaxtanker]

Thanks for the replys guys. I am gonna change the gaskets myself. Wish me luck. I am doing it on my 09 KLX250s in about a week when the gasket gets here. I am gonna go back to yamma lube when I do the gaskets. No biggi I guess. I will change the oil evey 2000 miles. I change the oil in the kawai every 1500 that thing is always running between 6000 and 9500 rpm. I am also going to get a K&N for the Max, and I have the switched Tboost. Anybody running it? How do you like it.

 

[midmoraider]

Tanker, shoot me a pm right before you go to change them. I just did mine the week after Christmas and I can let you know what to do and NOT to do.

 

[vmaxtanker]

mid, can do thanks.

 

[midmoraider]

Actually, here's the post I used to do mine, if you haven't already seen it. There were a couple of steps that didn't work out for me so I had to go a different route. That's the stuff I'll fill you in on. Oh, and I would HIGHLY recommend pulling the carbs as well. Allows for a whole lot more room to work.

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=12853&highlight=adjust+valve

 

[vmaxtanker]

Holly crap I didnt relize all that was involved.

 

[midmoraider]

It's really not that bad as long as you have your tools ready ahead of time. Just take your time and when you get frustrated (you will) walk away for a bit and have a beer or whatever. Again, the most important thing I can advise is remove as much stuff as you can to make taking the cover off and putting it back on without messing up the new gasket as easy as possible. I will try and put a list together of all the tools you will probably need.

Here is the carb removal thread. Again, not hard, just take your time and keep referring to the pics. The guys that made these threads did everyone here a huge service by documenting their work.

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=3570

If you have a decent set of tools and a little patience, you can easily do this in a day or over the weekend. I had never worked on bikes at all before, and I recently put in one of Sean's jet kits and adjusted the valves on the bike. Just used the resources here and stumbled through it.