Topic: best top end gasket set.

[chuter]

     Good morning:
             
                              I have a 1977 CB750F that I rebuilt a few years ago, since then it has always seeped oil from around the head to cylinder area. I lived with it for awhile but I do want to stop it by installing all new gasket and seals in the top end. I know everyone has their own preferences as to gasket selection and manufacturer. I would appreciate if I could get some suggestions as what is the best set to purchase and use. The weather here is about 27 degrees so I need something to do in the garage. Help me out..    Thanks  Chuter.
As you can see I am new to this forum and I am still trying to get used to it and navigate around. Please excuse it something is not right.

[70CB750]

Try the google search, it should give you enough reading on the topic for a while

Anyway, I am rebuilding 78F engine myself and purchased for it gasket set from CycleX.

[Greggo]

Did you ever re-torque the head nuts after running the motor in?

[chuter]

    Sorry to say I did not as it would require removing the engine from the bike. I don't know what I will do the next time but I am sure I will have to do something. Maybe cut the frame and rework it so I can do so. I have checked here and I believe someone has some type of kit to do this. I have been researching for some time as to what might be leaking. Some suggestions seem plausible and some do not. Any advice for others would help out.   Thanks,  Chuter

[Stoli]

I used the CycleX gasket and seal kits when I rebuilt my '78K last winter and  have not had any problems after 2000 miles.  I should also mention that I replaced the stock cylinder studs with APE studs.

 HOWEVER - right after the weather turned colder this fall I noticed a few drops of oil leaking from the head. In my case, it is obvious that the leak is not coming from the valve cover or head gaskets though. The leak is either coming from one of the pucks under the cam tower or one of the four studs that secure the cam tower to the head. They are right next to each other, so impossible to tell.

I thought I did my homework before the rebuild but I missed the fact that if you remove the four studs, you need to use some thread seal during reassembly or oil may wick out into the spark plug area. I did read about the potential problems with the pucks but for some reason I elected not to seal them at the time . Not sure why. Fortunately, both are fairly easy fixes and did not require me to pull the head off.

So, I guess my point is that you might want to verify the source of the leak before you replace your head gasket. My son's 77F has the same problem. In his case, there was enough oil around the head and cylinders when he bought the bike that it is not obvious where the leak is exactly, but it is possible that all the oil is coming from the pucks or studs even though it has seeped down to the cylinder area. There are threads on this forum that have some good techniques on how to track down the exact source of the leak.