Hey guys I am knew to this fourm and have a question.
I have a 86 atc350x motor and I have a oil leak. The leak appears to be comming from the rocker arm cover not the 2 covers that cover the valve springs but the one were those covers bolt to. well i took that cover off and there was now paper gasket but there was a little amount of some kind of sealer. Should there be a paper gasket or will a high quality hi temp sealer work.
Thanks Colin

 

You should get rid of the old gasket and sealer and replace it with a new one if still available. This is probably a $10 repair. Someone likely just used a little sealant instead of replacing the gasket. Some good online sources would be partsfish.com or bikebandit.com. I'm not affiliated with these sites, but they have worked well for me in the past. When you put the new gasket on, put a very little sealant on the head side and none on the cover side. If you ever have to take it off again the odds you'll have to replace it will be lessened. Keep the oil changed in that machine regularly, as they are prone to problems in the cam/journal area if you don't.

 

There is no gasket for the rocker cover. I believe this is due to the fact that the rockers are built into the cover. Raising the cover with a gasket will mess up your valve clearance. The best thing to do is take the cover back off, and clean the surfaces good. Then go down to your dealer and buy either Threebond gasket sealer or Yamabond (Yamabond is available from yamaha). Put a small bead around the mating surface on the head, and reinstall the rocker cover. Put all the bolts in and torque them. LET THE BIKE SET. AT least 24 hours later, you can start the bike. The sealer will be almost cured. I love the threebond sealer, the only problem is it will be hard to get the cover back off when you need to. You will have to tap it with a hammer. Hope this helps.