Cylinder Base gasket replacement

[EZMoney]

Hi all,
I am getting ready to reassemble my motor as well as the rest of the bike after a winter complete strip down.
I had a leak at the back on the base gasket and took the motor down to replace it. As it turns out when I took it apart I found a broken top ring on #1 cylinder, no damage just broken in two pieces.
Anyway my question is:- when putting the base gasket on do you add anything to help it seal or does it just go on dry?

I have cleaned both surfaces with laquor thinner and made sure there are no nicks or scratches in the surfaces. Also got all the grit (I'm hoping) that fell into the crankcase from the cylinder lift with a small tube and a vacuum.

Thanks
Ed

[prometheus578]

I vote for dry gasket.
You could also remove the oil pan and give the case a quick flush with gas to remove any hidden grit

[Snow]

What does the manual say? Any mention of Yamabond? When I did mine, I put it on dry.

[John]

DRY!!! If you use some sealer, you may never get it apart in the future. If you must use a sealer, only apply it to the case side, and not the cylinder side of the gasket.

[EZMoney]

Thanx
I was sure that it went on dry but I thought I had better check first. It's much easier that way
Prom. I have the oil pan off, as I am going to replace the gasket on it as well, and I was thinking of flushing with gas or varsol but wasn't sure if when I flushed it that I wouldn't get the grit into somewhere that I didn't want it. Any thoughts or trick to it.

Ed

[Snow]

Originally posted by John
DRY!!! If you use some sealer, you may never get it apart in the future. If you must use a sealer, only apply it to the case side, and not the cylinder side of the gasket.

John, doesn't yamabond also help with disassembly or is that an unfounded claim?

[prometheus578]

Any thoughts or trick to it.

HHmmm so many thoughts, so many answers.
The idea is that with a flush, like by pouring gasoline... any grit would be quickly carried away.
sure, there's the poaasability that something might be carried into an open bearing, but there's really no way around that.
Vacuum was a good try, and I've done that before, but a piece of grit stuck in a pocket of oil will not be removed that way.
Anything left inside after vacuuming and flushing should be too inconsequential to affect anything and would be picked up by the screen or filter, anyway.
Not worth disassembling the whole engine for.
Flush it and blow it out with compressed air. That's all you can do.

[John]

Originally posted by Snow


John, doesn't yamabond also help with disassembly or is that an unfounded claim?

I would think the that the only way it would aid in disassembly, is that it doesn't dry rock hard like some other sealers. It will stay plyable, but it needs to be scraped from any surface it is applied to, before applying it again.

[EZMoney]

Thanx again,
I have already vacuumed the grit I could see and as soon as I get some of the honey do jobs done this weekend I will get back to the engine.
Seeing as I have it out and on the bench I will suspend it in such a way as to send as much as I can back towards the pan opening.
Not looking that forward to putting the pistons back in, I have done lots of car engines before but they all go in the top 1 at a time. Still trying to figure this one out without cutting myself or damaging the pistons. The manual makes it look so easy.
Anyway Lord hates a coward .

Ed

[trbig]

Just ease them in. Tilt the cylinders to one side a bit and just go down the row pushing the rings together and up. Remember to put the rings with the gaps around 1/3rd of the way away from each other.... and don't force it! If it's not going, a ring has popped out around the other side somewhere. I was going to try to do just two cylinders at a time... but a little force applied just makes the others come up to... so just did them all at once. Don't be skeered!!

Tod

[EZMoney]

trbig, do you set them at 1/2 stroke so they are all at the same height and put something under the piston to stop it from moving or do you just hold them in place?
Looks like I'm going to have to get one of my teenage boys off the couch for this one

Ed

[Ken Talbot]

Originally posted by EZMoney
Not looking that forward to putting the pistons back in, I have done lots of car engines before but they all go in the top 1 at a time. Still trying to figure this one out without cutting myself or damaging the pistons.
Ed

Try using some large size hose clamps for piston ring compressors. That makes it a bit easier.

BTDT - more than once...

[EZMoney]

Ken, got a couple just for the occasion I have a piston ring compressor for car engines and I was trying to figure how I was going to get it off once I dropped the cylinder down then I was talking to a machinist at work who works on bikes quite a bit and he told me about the gear clamp trick.
Thanx
Ed

[trbig]

Yeah, I just put them at half stroke where they are all even. They go there naturally anyway. I've done it several times without a ring compressor and it was easy enough. I have never used one, so I couldn't say how much easier it would or wouldn't be. After doing it, I just didn't see the need to get one. But.. it's your call. Remember to use some Molly lube or such on everything (Rings, cylinders, etc) to protect things on that first startup.

Tod