Valve Covers

[Hoff]

Decided to service my 2012 triple black GS myself as no extended warranty in Portugal and no good independents to be found.
The bike was serviced by the dealer who supplied the bike for the first two years and I tried a local bike shop for the first service in Portugal but they forgot to do things, could not check the fault codes and forget the service indicator.
Decision made GS911 purchased, DVD fro Jim Von Baden and off I go. The point of this thread is when I removed the covers there was a thin film of black sealant on the valve case and the matching face on the head, the gasket was still there. I have found no mention of sealant in the Haynes manual, on this site and in the DVD. Has anyone else seen this before?
I cleaned all the faces off and assembled as per the book/DVD, topped up with oil and finished the service. I plan to test run and check oil levels tomorrow.
A second point is that all the exhaust valves are at the top end of the specified gap, is there a reason for this?
If I have committed blasphemy by asking the obvious I stand ready to receive the oncoming volley but do hope some kind wag on here can help.
By the way for those who need help the DVD is a fantastic starting point, thanks Jim.

Cheers

Paul

 

[richard shaw]

covers

i have a 12 plate rallye and just changed the rocker covers to some i had powder coat black ,when i swaped them there was no sealent on covers, put them back with out any sealant no leaks all ok

 

[Roymondo]

As far as I know, the cover seals are intended to be fitted "dry". I daresay the sealant was applied by the Portuguese shop as on some bikes (e.g. Kawasaki) sealant is called for on the cam cover "rubber" seals.

 

[Bendy toy]

Silicone sealer is a bad idea because it's like grease until cured so soft seals can get pushed out of the joint.
Clean the faces and put it together. If it leaks you need a new rubber gasket. You could use some Loctite 517 Anaerobic gasket on the old seal as a temporary fix.
If the clearances are close to the smaller gap they need to be re set. Close to upper value no problem. Must be in spec of course.
Valves expand when hot hence the clearance. If you check them regularly and don't mind faffing with shims you could set them to mid clearance. But it's more work and TBH a bit OCD.
As long as the values are within spec don't worry.

 

[SteveM]

I've had my covers off a couple of times Hoff and there was no sealant - just to add to the 'fitted dry' theory.

 

[Hoff]

Thanks for the replies.
I have just done a test run, checked the oil level - all good and no leaks.
Paul

 

[Bendy toy]

My cover seals seemed to have stretched and kept falling out as I fitted the covers. I used a smear of Loctite anaerobic gasket to keep them in place. No problems since.