Think Ive blown a gasket

[Dan Filetti]

Nope, the gasket & bolt seals are seperate. When you ordered your V/C gasket you did not order bolt seals. I emailed you but did not hear back before I needed to ship. Based on your location and the delay  in shipping I took a chance you needed them and sent them as well and would charge you later.

But, I heard back from you the next day and you told me you had already replaced them, so you now have an extra set.

Randy - RPM

Stand-up move, that is.

Nice going Randy!

Dan

[Pat Conlon]

Not surprising at all....Typical Randy 

[markmartin]

Stand-up move, that is.

Nice going Randy!

Dan

I agree.  You're a class act Randy. 

[Flyover Country Joe]

Not surprising at all....Typical Randy 

Yes it is...

[Brook]

........ I also agree, ... Randy is first class!!

[FJTillDeath]

Ok so I heard wrong from the dealer, telephone conversations are a waste of time. Okay so here is what is happening according to them:

Its none of the gaskets that have blown, from what I understand after talking to the guys. The oil leak they say is just the bike "sweating" they said  this was quite normal of older bikes and that I am not to worry as the bike wont leak enough oil at a time to drip. I personally dont know if this "sweating" is accurate or true. They said in order to fix it (not that its important anyway) would be a 12 hour job becuase when you take things apart you mess up the system or something and then have to replace everything. Terminology that I dont understand enough to try and repeat.

With the exhaust issue now.... The problem is the exhaust header is damaged and blowing on the 1st and second things on the right and that is what is causing the loss of power and the really terrible sound from the motor. There was promising news where I might have been able to order the exhuast header alone, but now cant. So unfortunately they say I will have to order the full system with exhaust for 3200 rand (about 450 dollars I think) which isnt too bad of a price actually. But before I make any desicions ( I only eran 4500 a month - so going with the system will leave me bankrupt virtually) are there any suggestions, second opinions corrections ect or just advice that anybody can help me with? I will take a look at Randys page and see if i can get the headers there and how much it will cost.

They said I could drive around with the exhaust as it is for a little while but I mustnt push the bike as I will then probably blow a gasket for sure and then have very big damage for the bike. So I need to be very careful

[RichBaker]

Get the bike back.... "Sweating"?  The dealer is an idiot or screwing with you, I suspect the 2nd option.  As we've told you, the likely cause of your oil leak is the cam cover gasket and bolt seals.....
Pictures of the exhaust headers may help us, if you actually need head pipes, ebay is the place..... or the classifieds here, if Randy doesn't have anything.

[andyb]

Sweating?

A properly sealed engine doesn't leak.  End of story.

[FJTillDeath]

I agree that the engine isnt sealed properly but with them saying it would be a 12 hour job to replace and since I have no knowledge of how to fix it myself I am sort of at the mercy now. I took a look on Randys site, but I could only find the exhaust headers for the 1200? are they the same because I have never seen anything like them on my 1100. As far as pictures go, I dont know what I would actually be taking a picture of? I know now that the gasket they said had blown was the gasket in the exhaust header but thats not causing the leak - well its not actually a leak because its not exactly always there. I cleaned the engine to remove the old oil and nothing has come uo since although I did notice that oil had also leaked to the back of the engine (the opposite side of the first pic in this thread) and its also coming from the middle

[rktmanfj]

I agree that the engine isnt sealed properly but with them saying it would be a 12 hour job to replace and since I have no knowledge of how to fix it myself I am sort of at the mercy now. I took a look on Randys site, but I could only find the exhaust headers for the 1200? are they the same because I have never seen anything like them on my 1100. As far as pictures go, I dont know what I would actually be taking a picture of? I know now that the gasket they said had blown was the gasket in the exhaust header but thats not causing the leak - well its not actually a leak because its not exactly always there. I cleaned the engine to remove the old oil and nothing has come uo since although I did notice that oil had also leaked to the back of the engine (the opposite side of the first pic in this thread) and its also coming from the middle

Or, you could choose to actually take this opportunity to learn something about your bike, and fix it yourself.

The cover gasket and bolt grommets are one of the simplest repair jobs on the FJ.  You can do it.

If you really want to trace the exact source of the leak, clean the engine well and spray it with aerosol powder (like foot powder).  The source should become evident as soon as you run it.

[Arnie]

The "early" FJ's had a double walled exhaust header.  
These frequently rust through and rattle, which may be what yours is doing.  
The "later" FJ's (from '86 on, I think) all had single wall STAINLESS headers that did not have this problem.
These "later" downpipes will interchange with your pipes.

With 850 rand being ~US$108, I'd go looking for a set of late model exhaust downpipes or a good condition 4 into 1 exhaust.

Arnie

[FJTillDeath]

I have been trying to find some headers and downpipes and to be honest their price on ebay isnt that great with shipping copmared to buying a complete system. I currently have an AIRAGE exhaust and the cheapest full system I can get is a cowley for 3200 including labour. compared the 2 arent that bad actually, so I see this as sort of an opportunity to make the bike a little better.

What are the opinions on buying the full system and saving time in having to do future repairs vs getting a cheaper second hand set of downpipes and header(which arent easy to find and even harder to find in good condition)

I could afford the system if i could take 2 months to pay it but the dealership doesnt do accounts. So unless i can make a plan I will only be able to replace the system in 2 months. What damage am I to expect? With regards to the old system, what can I do with it? The AiRAGE is still in good condition from what I can tell so I am thinking of selling it to make up a bit of cash. Can I sell any of the rest of the system?

If I can do the replacing of the gaskets myself I am then assuming that it being a 12 hour job is bullshit? As for actually doing it myself, I will try, when I actually have all the neccasarry parts in hand. I cant afford not to have the FJ not running not even for a day so I want to make sure that once I open it up I finish it. For the moment it seems the header problem is a more serious one and therefore requires more timely action so that will be my priority - unless anybody can supply me with a valid reason for the gaskets being more important than the exhaust

[rktmanfj]

If I can do the replacing of the gaskets myself I am then assuming that it being a 12 hour job is bullshit? As for actually doing it myself, I will try, when I actually have all the neccasarry parts in hand. I cant afford not to have the FJ not running not even for a day so I want to make sure that once I open it up I finish it. For the moment it seems the header problem is a more serious one and therefore requires more timely action so that will be my priority - unless anybody can supply me with a valid reason for the gaskets being more important than the exhaust

TOTAL bullshit, if it's just an exhaust gasket, cam cover gasket, and grommets.

I would think that even a complete novice could finish those jobs in two hours or less.

Just don't overtighten the cover bolts... they are easy to twist off.  Borrow a torque wrench if you can.

[RichBaker]

Do you have a complete aftermarket exhaust, or just a slip-on? If stock headpipes are still there, where exactly is the leak?

[FJTillDeath]

Do you have a complete aftermarket exhaust, or just a slip-on? If stock headpipes are still there, where exactly is the leak?

Im not actaually sure if its a complete system or just a slip on but I know that I can unskrew the exhaust from the system. Im not entirely sure either where the leak is. The dealer told me it was blowing from the 1st and second headers and the header gaskets there had blown So I am assuming the leak is there.

Its a 4 into 1 system if that helps in determining if its just a slip on or not