boot to reed cage gasket

[1FAST450R]

should there be a gasket between the intake boot and the reed cage assembly? i have one between the reed cage assembly and the cylinder. the reason i am asking is because when i start my bike up, it revs to the moon. the po put a thin layer of clear silicone between them and i fear that i have an air leak at that might be the culprit. i took it apart last night and noticed the silicone apparently used as a gasket.
 all of the schematics i looked at last night does not show a gasket there but i feel as if it would need one.
thanks!

[Foxx4Beaver]

I only run one between the cylinder and cage...I'm running a VF2...and I also always run a thin layer of yamabond4 on the mating surfaces.

*EDIT*
I should add, that I only use the yamabond on the cylinder side...intake boot has a raised rib, like an o-ring built into it, so yamabond isn't needed there....and I use the Cometic gasket.

[1FAST450R]

cool. thanks for the info beaver! well it seems my air leak is not from that.

[Motorrad]

cool. thanks for the info beaver! well it seems my air leak is not from that.

A can of carb cleaner while the bike is running is your friend

[1FAST450R]

How would i utilize that? The only problem is that when i start it, it will rev like it is wide open. Don't want to grenade it.

[Foxx4Beaver]

I'd pull the carb and be sure the slide is going all the way back down too...
and be sure the float height is set.

[Foxx4Beaver]

check your cable routing, be sure there's no tight/stretched spots especially when turning the bars left and right.
and check the adjustment screw up at the throttle housing....you should have no more than an 1/8" of throttle free-play when adjusted correctly.

[mikectanker]

What do you run for coolant? Did it freeze by chance and blow a gasket out?
Happened to me when I forgot to drain the cooling system before winter once.
I switched to regular antifreeze after that

[1FAST450R]

Sorry guys. got busy.lol
i pulled the carb and everything looks fine. the slide goes all the way down and no tight spots on the throttle cable.
I run engine ice coolant. it is kept in a climate controlled garage so there would have been no chance of freezing. looking like a leak down test for me.

[Foxx4Beaver]

yeah, a leak down would be your best bet...
base gasket looks good?

[1FAST450R]

everything looks good besides the head gasket. they used some sort of gooey sealant on it. its redish in color and becomes soft when the engine comes up to running temp. i might just do a top end rebuild before i ride it again to get rid of the red junk.

[Foxx4Beaver]

yeah, there should be no sealer on the base gasket.
when you order your gaskets, go with Cometic....they're a metal gasket, and they have a rubberized coating on them, that acts like a giant o-ring....they won't leak.

[Foxx4Beaver]

here's there link...

http://www.cometic.com/shop.aspx

PM alward25 too...I believe he gets the base gaskets with the smaller holes for the KIPS valves.

[Foxx4Beaver]

everything looks good besides the head gasket.

I mis-read this the 1st time...I thought you were referring to the base gasket.
there still should be no sealant on the head...my guess is that the head could be warped to some degree, and/or the cylinder's mating surface isn't flat...you'll need to pull the cylinder studs, and lap the cylinder and the head until they're flat.
Might as well toss in new cylinder studs, and new head nuts too....and with an OEM or Cometic head gasket, it won't leak...unless there's another under lying issue...i.e....a crack in the head.  

[1FAST450R]

I pulled the head off and they just put sealant around the outside edge of the cylinder. but what I found inside is concerning. there is a crack between the kips port and the exhaust port. that should be concerning right? I think it would be time for a repair, replate and top end.