Head gasket oil seep

[clong]

Does anyone think this is an issue. My motor has just been rebuilt. Its a '83 200X. I had my first major ride with it last weekend and it runs fabulous. I was looking at the trike cloesely last night and noticed the middle head gasket has a little oil seeping out. Its very little.....like it only soaks out to the edge of one fin. Its not enough to even drip off a fin. Should I worry about this or is this fairly common. I don't want to tighten on the head bolts anymore. Think I could just leave it alone?

[J.D.]

You should probably tighten the headbolts down just a tad more....but....I really don't think it will blow anything up if you don't.

[clong]

I guess I could snug them down a little more especially since I have run the bike since the rebuild. I don't have a toreque wrench though. Is it better to warm the engine up and then try tightening the head bolts more or is it better to do it cold?

[J.D.]

Do it when the engine is cold. I just guessed on my TL250 bolts, and had no problem. When you turn them, you will hear a POP, don't worry about it, it's normal. Don't go TOO crazy with the tightening though!

[compaqkoci]

my 250R does that a tiny bit but its no biggy wont hurt nothing and it won't blow up

[clong]

I just called the friend of mine that did all the engine work and I told him about the head gasket seeping a tiny bit of oil and he said not to do anything. Don't tighten the bolts anymore. If its such a little amount that it doesn't even seep past the edge of a fin then its no big deal and it won't blow up. He said oil is pumped up through that head on that motor and oil is just going to seep a little, not to worry. I guees I guess I won't worry about it. :?

[TRI-Zbrian]

sounds like the head was a bit worped to me... and no its not a big problem now but it will be later on down the road

[clong]

I asked my mechanic friend about the head being warped and he said its highly unlikly becasue if the head was warped it would be leaking enough to drip off a fin and it would be leaking at the base gasket or the rocker arm cover as well. He said he also wet sanded the head and tightened it down in a criss cross pattern with a toorqe wrench. I'm gonna run it for awhile and watch it.

[TRI-Zbrian]

yeah just watch it... it not going to hurt anything unless its literaly spraying oil out of it.

[ejc042]

He may have left one of the o-rings out on the oil passage from the bottom end to the head.

[clong]

Gosh I hope not. That sounds bad. If it never leakes enough to drip off a cooling fin I don't think I'll do anything about it. Hope for the best. These darm 3 wheelers. I love'em but I feel if its not one thing, its another. I love rehabbing these 20 year old trikes but I already got more into mine that its worth. After reading all the posts it sounds like I shouldn't have bothered bringing this 83 200X back to life. The 83 200X seems to have allot of design flaws. I'm not going to abandone it yet. I'm attached......