I have a 88cc with 20k. The rear cylinder gasket between the rocker box and head is leaking so very little.not much at all but enough to notice it left rear corner. Is this something "major" since it is only from inside the rocker box cavity. Engine compression is 145 150 on both cylinders. Can it wait until riding season is over?

 

Sure it can wait but it's something you should be able to fix in a few hours.

 

It's a hassle to fix, not difficult. Yes, it can wait.

 

If you don't have a repair manual I recommend that you find one. Pay attention to how the old gaskets orient when you take them out. Oil passages must line up. Put Masking tape on the push rods and number them 1.2.3.4 from front to back or back to front. They are all different lengths so don't get them out of order. Torque the fasteners, should be good to go !!!

 

Upgrade from crappy paper gaskets to rubber coated steel gaskets. This'll put a stop to weeping gaskets every 15-20,000 miles.

 

Fairly common on the EVO's but I've never had an issue with the 88's or 96's.

My cousin's 2000 EVO Springer developed a bad leak on the front cover during a trip 2 years ago and it was getting messy.
A dealership in NC replaced the covers for him and I'm not sure but I think the tab was in the $300 range.

An indy would no doubt give you a better price.

 

Assuming this is on your 05 and it is at 20k miles, ride it for the season and then freshen up the gaskets and check/change your tensioners.

 

Do the push rods have to come out when replacing the rocker gaskets on a twin cam? I changed mine on one of my evos and didn't need to remove them. Matter of fact, it was so easy to do it was scary. I changed them about 8 months ago and I still check to see if they're leaking because it was too easy!

 

Thank you for the info.

 

If you're just changing out the top box gaskets, no, the pushrods don't need to come out.