the rubber plug im talking about is the plug that is above one of the head bolts.
ive broken down the topend before and applied some rtv sealant around the outside lip of the plug but when i just broke down the topend again it was Very easy to just pull right out...
whats the best way the ensure this plug will stay put and seal...
and do i put anything under the copper washers for the head bolts?
tips........

i added alil pic of what the savage has turned into the last couple of days...

heavy coat of what? if your talking about RTV, what kind? the most oil resistant kind or the high temp stuff?
any other critical sealing points i may have overlooked?
im puttting new head studs, o-ring, gaskets, bolts
and want to make sure when i torque it all back together it'll be ace for along time

 
 
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1256079122


This is your Tech Tread for how to do the rubber plug with the engine still in the frame.

RTV has improved a lot over the last 3 years, I'd pick whatever color matches your head so the over-ooze isn't so noticeable.

All the current RTVs are up to the job of sealing your plug and your head cover.    Just remember to go lightly, a thin finger wipe on both sides of the head cover surfaces is enough.  

Too much RTV winds up squishing and protruding into the oil passages and jacking the cover way up in the air (increasing the running clearance in the cam bearing journal areas).

The rubber plug needs a significant coating, the ooze there isn't oil passage critical.
 

You don't put anything on the metal gasket......only on the rubber plug.

What is the problem you are having?  An oil leak.....or a compression leak?

 
RTV used to require 10-20 minutes of jell time before actual assembly.

Now you can apply, smear and assemble without waiting for jell time.

For our head covers, this new generation silicone is ideal as it can be smeared thin on each half, then assembled with no waiting ....  this minimizes the "growth" in the cam bearing journal gap clearance due to jelled up RTV and it also minimizes the chance of ooze blocking off an oil passage.

Permatex makes several colors of RTV, available at Walmart or any auto parts store.   Specifically, they sell a black and a gray that match our painted parts on the Savage very nicely.   Folks who use red RTV are uglying up their bikes unnecessarily.

Permatex also sells small tubes (mini-tubes) of their RTVs for a lot less money.  These mini tubes are enough for a head sealing job with a little left over.   I have had several big $8.00 tubes of silicone RTV sealant set up on me over the years after using a very small portion of it actually working on my bike.

$2.99 for a right size tube of properly colored Permatex beats buying a tube of Yamabond or Kawsakibond or Hondabond from the dealership at $12 to $18 a tube.

problem? oil leak and feels like a compression leak. so im gunna put all new head studs, bolts, gaskets etc.
i dont know what else to do, ive changed gaskets before still leaked the same amount... if this doesnt work the savage will be on craigslist for sale, cheap.

Do a leak down test?

Or, better yet, get a spark plug & gut the ceramic out of it, get a nipple welded in it, or if theres enough surface area to play with & you can get a good fit, JB weld something in it you can get a milton fitting on & air it up. If youve got a bad gasket, surely you can prove it that way,
Make sure you open the oil fill, so air coming past the rings doesnt air up the casees & mess a seal up.

HOw would you describe "Feels like compression loss"? Can you be any more detailed?

when i got the bike it was missing a few bolts on the head and one of the head bolts would only torque down to 20ft pounds and then the nut would slip. also last time i had the engine apart i put a thin layer of redRTV on both sides of the metal cylinder gasket...

RTV that gasket for a sure fail,.,


when i got the bike it was missing a few bolts on the head and one of the head bolts would only torque down to 20ft pounds and then the nut would slip.

You were sold a defective machine. The previous owner knew it & defrauded you. ( IMO)& you are definitely NUmber 1 in "I think I have a blown head gasket",, & I am sorry to hear it.

Yes, I would drop the engine. IDK if I would try to fix it myself or if I would hire it done. There are guys here with much more experience in thread repair kits.