Head Gasket Blown?

[ss440ex]

How can I tell if gasket is gone?
I have a small amount of oil seepage on left side maybe one drop until warmed up,Just enough to make a dark spot.
But there is no exhaust leak sound,like a full blown gasket.
Quad still runs great.
Thx.

[toby400ex]

Ive never blown one myself or seen one, but im betting their will be no down when its blown , as in air and oil being pushed out of the leak at a fast rate.:blah:

[Dune Surfer]

If you have oil leaking you need to start thinking about you next rebuild:grr: I have blown many head gaskets and it will only get worse. Sorry

[kenny]

you can find out if you have any leaks by doing a cylinder leakdown test.you can buy the tool from a parts house for automtive.you warm the bike up remove the plug find tdc on comp stroke in gear so engine cant turn over.then install leakdown tester . i believe 10% leakdown is considered normal.if you exceed 10% you can remove exh - intake manifold to listen for air escaping through valves.or crank case vent . for blow by . you can also spray a soapy solution on the head gasket to ck for a leak there. if you do that you may not want engine too hot though.my head gasket just blew.my bike is down right now.it was blown between the shims on the shifter side also.my friend says they always seem to blow right there.i ordered and got today my copper head gasket for 89 mm from the people on e bay.replace your head studs while apart.they are sesigned to stretch and it is not recomended to reuse.hope this helps you.oh ya another cool thing about this tool is you can monitor your engine topend wear and rebuild before you have extensive problems.

[ss440ex]

Thanks everyone,
It looks like a new top end is in order,with some heavy duty studs.
Thx,

[cals400ex]

i was told that with they 440's, there is a good chance that you might need to bore the case. there should be some play between the sleeve and case. i am not an expert on this, i just remember mickey stating it. i would get a hold of him if you are having problems. he also said the cosmetic gaskets were the best ones. i am sure the heavy duty studs won't hurt either. good luck

[ss440ex]

Disassembled top end today and found the torque o.k.
Leak was between the two piece copper head gasket.
Going to get bore cked and some heavy duty studs & good gaskets.

[cals400ex]

also, you won't want to put any sealant or anything on the headgasket like copper or anything else. the cosmetic flexsteel gaskets seem to work great. they are also a little thinner than stock so that will raise the compression ratio a little bit. good luck