What is a cylinder head cover and what does it do? The cylinder head is a vital part of any engine (motorcycle or otherwise) and the cylinder head cover, although probably one of the simplest parts of the cylinder head, is essential to the smooth running of the motorbike cylinder.
Kawasaki ER5 cylinder head with cover
The cylinder head cover is usually held in place by a series of bolts and normally has a rubber gasket to stop the engine oil escaping.
The cylinder head cover bolts that hold the cylinder head cover in place on a Kawasaki ER5 engine.
Note – As bikes age they can develop oil leaks from the cylinder head cover, this is usually due to cracks and splits in the rubber gasket as the rubber starts to go brittle with age.
The bottom of a cylinder head cover with a red gasket sealant on the rubber gasket (possibly used due to leaks from the gasket).
The rubber gasket above has been sealed with a gasket sealant which can be to stop a leak or may have been used to stick the gasket in place.
If a gasket is leaking is always better to replace the rubber gasket as they are normally fairly cheap and not a massive job to change.
The Kawasaki ER5 has 2 blanking plates each held in place by 2 8mm bolts.
The Kawasaki ER-5 has 2 blanking plates on the cylinder head cover. Earlier models (and some GPZ500 engines on which the ER5 engine was based) had a reed valve and pipes instead of the blanking plate that was used as a crankcase ventilation system (CVS).
Cylinder head cover removed
The cylinder head cover is easily removed once the bolts have been taken out, you will need to carefully use a flat bladed screwdriver or similar tool to pry the cylinder head cover free.
Note – Be careful not to scratch or damage the edge of the cover or the cylinder head when prying the cover free.
Also, make sure the surfaces are completely clean before reinstalling (carefully removing any only gasket paste or gasket parts) as any old debris left on the edges will likely cause oil leaks.
The cylinder head cover removed exposing the cylinder head.
The cylinder head cover is used to cover the top section of the cylinder head including the cam shafts, valves and cam chain.
Disclaimers:
The information provided on this page is ‘to the best of our knowledge’ and should not be taken as 100% accurate!!
To keep this page as a free resource for people to use, there are affiliate links (mainly Amazon) throughout the article. These affiliate links help maintain the cost of running this blog (basically, if you visit Amazon through one of the links and buy something, we make a few pence!).
Leave a Reply