Thread: Needed a chainsaw carb gasket now on Sunday afternoon.

and saved a fortune in the process.
Well done Bob.

Phil

One weekend last year, my wrx had developed a split in one of the intake pipes. This is a pretty big emergency for a turbo car, the resulting leaning can blow things to pieces pretty quick, and it was our only car at the time. So i manage to scrape together a 2nd hand turbo manifold to put into the old girl and the job went ahead on the sunday to have the car ready for the week. In the process of putting the intake manifold back on the motor, we (my wife is quite handy with a spanner or two) minced up one of the gaskets. On a sunday afternoon. In a western NSW town. Crap.

Thankfully, my wife and her major in printmaking came to the rescue. She had a stock of super thick and fibrous papers usually intended for printmaking stashed away. 20 minutes of fine scissor work later and she had one ready to go. Doped it up with some oil and popped it. Still there over a year and 20k kms later. I posted this story on an australian wrx forum and so so many cant fathom that you can actually make a gasket without any problems. Its all genuine subaru this and cosworth that...pfft! Hasnt leaked yet!

If the mating surface has a sharp edge you can simply lay the gasket material on it and tap around the edge with a ball peen hammer.

This will cut out a hole as well as any wad punch. It basically uses the sharp edge as a primitive wad punch I suppose you could say

You can do external edges this way as well.

Old trick most mechanics get taught early on.

Rob

Or, you could hand scrape both surfaces and do away with the gasket!

Simon

Originally Posted by simonl

Or, you could hand scrape both surfaces and do away with the gasket!

Simon

BTW

I've owned air cooled V twin Ducati MC's for over thirty years.

NO head gaskets used on these engines.

The Italian electrics and hard casing might suck, but their machining is pretty good.

Rob

Originally Posted by simonl

Or, you could hand scrape both surfaces and do away with the gasket!

Simon

I tried that but it is under the metering gasket and needs the thickness of the gasket to work properly. Thanks...Bob

Originally Posted by simonl

Or, you could hand scrape both surfaces and do away with the gasket!

Simon

And gaskets help serve as a heat barrier on intake manifolds. A popular mod for turbo cars is to fit phenolic spacers between the heads and intake to help prevent heat making its way back up the inlet.

Originally Posted by aametalmaster

I tried that but it is under the metering gasket and needs the thickness of the gasket to work properly. Thanks...Bob

HI,
That is Dead right and also the Gasket has to be on the Correct side of the Diaphragm. I am a Outboard Mechanic and also Service and Repair Light Engines. You will be Amazed at what People will use for Gaskets, but Hey some of them Work quite well. One that does Work quite Well is Cardboard from a Cornflakes Packet, but obviously it depends on the particular Application.
I HATE THAT BLUE SILASTIC STUFF.

Originally Posted by steran50

HI,

I HATE THAT BLUE SILASTIC STUFF.

So do I.
I was following a Sika van yesterday (you know Sikaflex etc) and their slogan was "take the guesswork out of getting it right". Funny, I always thought we used skill to get it right, not guesswork!

Phil

My son bought a used Mustang with a 5.0 motor and the water pump was leaking. He said hey you are an old 5.0 guy from my younger years can you fix it for me. So i tore into it and it had a good gasket but the guy whoever used bathtub and sink latex caulk on it. No wonder it leaked. It won't leak now and he is going to be mad next time he tears it down after i fixed it...Bob

We had a Victa lawnmower up the farm that had the head off for new rings and we had no head gasket so we just put it back on with some clear Selleys silicon.

No worries, still holding fine when the motor finally wore itself out years later.

Amazing stuff silicon. Handles heat quite well.

Rob

Originally Posted by nearnexus

I've owned air cooled V twin Ducati MC's for over thirty years.

NO head gaskets used on these engines.

I had a go kart with an Italian 2-stroke motor 30 years ago. No head gasket on that engine either.

Originally Posted by nearnexus

If the mating surface has a sharp edge you can simply lay the gasket material on it and tap around the edge with a ball peen hammer.

This will cut out a hole as well as any wad punch. It basically uses the sharp edge as a primitive wad punch I suppose you could say

You can do external edges this way as well.

Old trick most mechanics get taught early on.

Rob

Did exactly that last night -- Thermostat on the old bus went AWOL - fortunately stuck open! -- so at 10pm last night I was putting in a replacement -- gasket made from proper paper but cut out the centre hole using the above method. -- Has not leaked this morning, and the heater now works.