What else should I do while I have the right side crankcase cover off for clutch

[Protonus]

I'm about to take off the right side crankcase cover, to get at the clutch assembly.  What else should I do while I have this off?  IE, other seals that are common to go at this bike age?  Or other preventative type fixes or modifications, that I would be stupid not to do (like for instance, not doing the starter clutch when having the left side cover off to do a stator) I have approx 18k miles on the bike. 

As for why I'm taking off the right side crankcase cover... On the advice of y'all in my starter clutch thread I tried to adjust my clutch, using the locknut/screw under the little 2" access cover on the right side.  I did this after staying up all night and working for 12 hours straight to do the starter rebuild, and starter clutch, etc.  I shouldn't have!  I found that the locknut and screw were loose.  This probably explains the rattle noise I heard from that side of the bike, and probably why the clutch was out of adjustment.  Well, I found that the locknut was frozen to the screw.  I tried freeing them up with penetrating oil, and using the proper size screw driver and I could not separate them.  I then upgraded to an impact driver.  Still couldn't.  I kept trying and trying until eventually the phillips pattern in the screw fatigued and "coned" and became a useless slug.  So I tried vice grips on it, no deal.  I then cut a slot into it with the dremel to try and use a flathead blade.  I actually got it to turn!  But the head of the screw sheared off! Ugh!  So then I used my impact and drove off the stock locknut.  I then tried to double nut the screw in order to adjust it to where I needed.  This started to work and then.... the worst thing happened (as if this wasn't bad enough). I dropped one of the nuts I was using, INTO the engine, thru that little access hole for the adjuster.  I tried and tried to fish it out (couldn't see it at all even with a mirror). I then tried using a magnet on a string.. and after using this for an hour, the string broke, and I got the magnet stuck in the engine too!  I then tried ANOTHER magnet, but never got them out. 

So now I have a nut, and a magnet, stuck inside the right side cover.  Combined with the fact that the adjuster is in shambles, I figure I have no choice but to remove the right side cover at this point to retrieve them.  I have the spare parts bike, so I plan to just swap over the whole clutch off that bike and swapping it in, OR at least swapping the adjuster over if my clutch is in better shape (the spare parts bike has 5k less miles so I assume it's clutch is in better shape).

Ugh :-(  I was really hoping to ride this week...
:'(

[fret not]

You may well yet ride this week, but lighten up on your intensity a bit or you might get a stroke or something. ;)  Machines don't care what you think or feel, they react to physical input and it is up to you to decide how physical you need to be.  You need good judgement, which comes from experience, which often comes from bad judgement.  I think we learn far more from the pain we inflict on ourselves from our failures than we do from our victories.

[Rick G]

If you remove the right side cover , you MUST replace the seal in it ,that seals the cover to the end of the crank shaft. Grease the new one  up well , before installation. Otherwise you will loose the crank if the seal fails .

[Protonus]

Ugh manual says I need to yank the thermostat housing off to get the right side cover off.  Is that necessary or is it possible to skip that or move it aside or something?  If it does need to be removed, looks like I have to drain coolant then, there is a gasket on thermostat housing that should probably be changed, and a bunch of o-rings looks like.  Is there any gaskets/orings in particular that definitely need to be replaced re: cooling or the thermostat housing?  I hate when projects snowball like this but I figure I also should change out my coolant hoses then too right?  :-/

If you remove the right side cover , you MUST replace the seal in it that seals the cover to the end of the crank shaft. Grease the new one  up well , before installation. Otherwise you will loose the crank if the seal fails .

Thanks Rick!

And thanks for the "greasemonkey moment of zen" fret nut :-)

[QBS]

Remove the right side cover as per the Haynes instructions.  Yes, sadly it is much more involved than the right side.  I personally wouldn't be concerned about replacing any hoses unless they are showing significant signs of being damaged.  My '83s' oem hoses look new and have never leaked anything.  A tip for removing hoses:  Before attempting to pull them straight off, twist/rotate them on their spigots.  If need be, use channel lock pliers to get them broken free.  Then gently pull them off.  A REALLY GOOD TIP:  Grease the spigots with wheel bearing grease before reinstalling the hoses (either new or original).  The next removal will be much easier.

In my experience (one clutch and one water pump) I've not had to replace any water pump/coolent related rubber parts, o rings, etc.  If the engine cover gasket remains intact it can be reused.

Removing and reinstall the side cover as it relates to the two coolent pipes and the cylinder coolent inlets should be done with care.  Do not kink the pipes.  Use grease to aid their insertion into the cylinder coolent inlets.  The O rings there are the only seal that keeps the coolent contained.  It may seem like a marginal system, but in reality it works very well.  Kinda like the Rube Goldberg exhaust set up.

[Rick G]

The only cooant hose I have replaced had been cut ,by some one with no knowledge and no patients

[Protonus]

LOL I love the reference to Rube Goldberg re: the exhaust, and I get exactly what you mean. 

Thanks for the info guys!  I will just plan on replacing the main right side cover gasket, and the crank o-ring then for now.  If I see any other orings with issues, I have a nice set of HNBR orings I can probably use. 

[Protonus]

annnnnnnd fail.  The right side crankcase cover gasket is no longer available from parts dealers, it shows no longer available in the parts catalogs.  No one locally has it either.  Doh!   I don't want to reuse the old one if it looks anything like my left side did (as in, in pieces), and I don't like using RTV/yamabond in lieu of a gasket.  Think I'll get one from Tiger along with some of his fancy spark plug wires...

The crank seal I tracked down, it's part number 93101-14089-00 (for anyone else looking, I only found 2 threads here mentioning the part number)  - one of my local dealers had it in stock! woot.  Going to pick it up tomorrow.