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I agree that the gasket looked very wet and I've not noticed that burnt stain on the (few) heads I've removed, yet that wasn't the source of any leak?

From what I can see looks like the little ends have got very hot too might be best to replace them and you need to find out why it had what looks like a partial seizure. great videos love watching them

How do the big and little ends feel?

I would be looking at the valve guides, especially as smoking only on one side.

i use an old plug welded to a bit of hex stock, makes the head easily orientated in the vice and keeps the gasket surface out of harms way. Never heard of guides being sleeved, why go to all that trouble when guides are available ?. run on no oil or low oil?. i'd check the return flow and pump of not done already.

A few observations.........Not a good idea to purchase valve guides until you determine whether or not they are std or oversize. Triumph did not fit valve stem seals until circa 1981(.OK to use on early models but fit on the inlets only). Get your machinist to slightly countersink the pushrod tube holes as an aid to avoid damage when fitting seals ( use rubber grease when fitting ). Head gasket is very wet so I would be pulling the barrels off to investigate!.Your call ,Cheers, Russ.

The G in gnarled is silent

Very educational video. I'm dealing with a smokey right side cylinder on a T140. Haven't taken it apart yet. What size was that stud remover socket you used to take the rockerbox and base studs out? Or was that too different sockets? (I need to buy some stud removers, but I'm not sure which ones I'll need for my Triumphs.)

sounds 'tappety' when it runs but i'd go for gummed rings

The carb flange has been overtightened and is warped.

Good to see a Triumph, finally Frank

Tired top end? Smoke and low compression..

Good job Frank.

Good exercise, think of all the money you’re saving by not having to join a gym lol

Nice work, mate.

At least it hasn't got Norton silencers fitted which annoys me.

Short and sweet. Do you have a link to any work that Kevin has done on this particular machine, please?

"I always drain the sump on any Norton that's sat 10 years". That's a good plan (not criticism implied) but I always drain the sump on any Norton that's sat 10 days without being started. An electric starter will hydro-lock a full crankcase but even a kick starter will loosen the main seal on the crank (and do other damage); if that happens, you get a primary full of engine oil with flooded clutch plates and even the chance of contaminating the gearbox lube -- especially if you don't have a "Dyno Dave" sealed clutch nut, which I recommend on every Commando (and don't tighten the clutch nut to 70 ft/pd). At least, always kick it over (ignition off) until you see oil returning to the tank slowing down. This is especially important on '71 and earlier because of the timed breathers designed for a 500 cc engine.

Hi, Thanks for the videos. May I ask what size of stud removing sockets you use for the Norton? I've never seen them before but they seem to work great. Looking forward to your next video.

Why remove the rocker gear? Every time you remove the rocker spindles you are causing more wear

Nice video, good mix between the use of the tripod and the handheld camera.

Bent valve?.

If you can stuff the push rods into the head and manage to hold them in there, the head can be tipped backward and removed or installed. Maybe just lap the head before you reinstall it, rather than machining it. Happy wrenching! 😊

I've always managed to gather the pushrods into the head and lift it offf It is fiddly but doable I couldn't see on my phone if youd pushed the rods all the way up?

I think if you have a second set of hands, you can pull the rods up into the head just enough?

maybe over torque cracked the casing

Good work. Your subtitles were off and the sound is very low. I know you have been struggling with the sound lately.

Personally i prefer a composite head gasket to a copper one Far less likely to leak in my experience

Could the push rod or the valve have been too long, that's why there was no slack or clearance in the tappet?

Not exactly unusual for a commando to leak from the pushrod tunnel Is it a composite head gasket? How many miles has it done since the head was fitted? Sometimes the only fix for a pushrod tunnel leak is the old dental floss trick The bike looks great It's a shame to pull it down

Never did I clean a rubber tip of a bowl valve and it's seat, perhaps I should start doing it, but most times I had a leaking carb issue it was just too high gas level in the bowl. Also your level set up for those carbs looked tiny bit too low for me. But it worked apparently so you were right about it. All your carburetor videos are really appreciated and watched very carefully by me. Thank you. I really like those brass plug's bowls, have them in my Trident. And I still use these old plastic floats, nothing wrong with them. :)

The Triumph looks really nice

If you get it stripped down to get access to the head bolts, then You Might As Well, lift the head. 🤔

I haven't been doing this sort of thing for very long, but so far I haven't had much luck trying to stop leaks by tightening bolts down. I've had a leaky drain bolt that after loosening a smidge and then re-tightening stopped the leak, but that's a different thing.

I’ve found that going to first principles and methodically working it back saves the most time. So pulling it apart is likely the best option. Especially since you’re not completely familiar with that bike. It was a famous saying in my office (usually a small sign on folks desk discretely). It read ‘Why is there never enough time to do it right but always enough time to do it over?’ Cheers!

I would suspect that if you do retorque the head and it doesnt leak after it shall leak at a later date; next day, week or month. That being said and as much as the owner probably doesnt want to tear apart his very nice bike it has to be done and done correctly. Keep in mind our Nortons are all +50 years old :) and like us need a little more TLC.

This is one of these situation is while you have it apart you might as well. I know I would. I know if it was my bike I would want the head removed and have a guaranteed fix. This bike is so nice it is worth the cost to repair. I enjoy your videos. I love these old British bikes and the old Japanese bikes. They have class.

if they arent loose then tear it down. if loose retorque and chec

I'm not a mechanic like you, and most could do this faster than me, but this is how I look at it. I can remove the tank in 10 min, loosen the coils in 5, retorque in 20; then double that to get it back together, so with extra 1.5 hrs. For the head removal, the carbs are 30 - 40 to remove, head steady 15, drop the engine a bit - don't know never done that, the pipes 40 min, then the the head removal remove bolts and head 45 min minimum. Double and add a buffer to re-assemble. I'd try the retorque anticipating it won't work, with the hope of getting lucky. You always make it look easy so I'll be watching.

Best to consult "Murphy's Law" which says that there are bound to be other issues so remove head & see what surprises are in store.

My mkiii was leaking at the same spot. Tried a retorque and found the three head studs were loose due to the threads pulling out of the aluminum head. Repaired with helicoils. So do a retorque and see if you get lucky! Cheers

Man, that's a job to repair! 6hrs labor?

They are buggers for leaking from that area where the two studs are at the front. People don't re-torque the head after 50 and 100 miles on a new gasket.

The 74 Commando is considered by some to be the last real Commando. The owner installed the smaller and more attractive tail light. Removing the black paint and having the instrument holders polished would also be a nice touch. Like the old school wiring of the exhaust nuts. The owner keeps this one looking real good. Not many bikes, if any, look better than the gloss black with gold trim 73/74 850 Commando IMO.

Great picture of the OP’s!!

Why not to modify it with 2 notches like Triumph/BSA seal covers?

How do you clean these switches from an old paint? I have mine Trident original switches to repair.

Actually don't agree with your statement about doing more things than necessary to this carbs, everything you did was necessary and checking idle circuit was the most important thing which is often omitted by many owners. All the comments on the subject of checking and setting carbs on the bike were very important, interesting and I expect to use them on my carbs in A65 soon.

Are copper washers more effective than aluminum washers?

You fixed the brake light!👍