How to reuse the old head gasket

[KA1J]

Just bought the wrong head gasket (for the XS11) & the one I bought for a nice price turns out to be for oversize pistons. I didn't realize the gasket was a cometic with a different than normal size ring diameter Bore size: 74MM-74.5MM and mine are stock. 72.58. (DAMHIKT) & best belongs on a bike with larger pistons though it would likely still work on this one.

The old head gasket wasn't leaking and it came off as one piece So Rather than buy an expensive head gasket again, I'm thinking I ought to try the old one & see if it holds properly. For the folks who have reused their old intact head gaskets, what chemicals did you use to help it seat properly?

I'm sure getting an education with this bike...

Thanks!

[lakecountrydave]

Are you in a hurry? I purchased a gasket set from Parts & More for my 79 Special. I did not use the head gasket. I would be happy to send it to you if you would like. The only catch is that I have it stored in my parent's garage, and I will not be able to make it out that way until June 27th. If you can wait then PM me your address, and I will mail it out to you.

[petejw]

hey KA1J,

all i do is coat both sides with grease, as long as its in
one piece and in good nic u should be good to go,
ive used the same 1 on the same engine 3 times, also
theres no need to retorque the head nuts as the gasket
is already compressed.

if u have any concerns post a pic of both sides of the gasket.

[psycoreefer]

I strongly disagree with the no need to re-torque statement. I just put my bike back together, torqued as specified in the manual, rode it back and forth to work for 2 days and then re-checked and all the head nuts were no where near the specified torque value.

Re-checking and re-torquing costs you nothing other than the time to pull the tank and could save you having to replace the head gasket.

[petejw]

I strongly disagree with the no need to re-torque statement. I just put my bike back together, torqued as specified in the manual, rode it back and forth to work for 2 days and then re-checked and all the head nuts were no where near the specified torque value.

Re-checking and re-torquing costs you nothing other than the time to pull the tank and could save you having to replace the head gasket.

yep, thats fair enuff, ive rechecked mine before but havent needed
to adjust it any more than what they were set at.

was that using a used gasket or a new one?

also after retorquing its always a good idea to adj the cam chain again.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey KA,

Amazing what you can find with a little searching!

See this thread, this page, Trbigs comments and others....
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...+gasket&page=2

Similar to what Pete's said, can be reused IF not damaged/torn/ delaminating, and some stuff to use as a sealant, but not the silicone based stuff. YMMV.

T.C.

[crazy steve]

...For the folks who have reused their old intact head gaskets, what chemicals did you use to help it seat properly?

For a head gasket sealer, I've used plain ol' silver paint, preferably the cheap varitity. Just check that it uses powdered aluminum as pigment. Spray on a really wet, drippy coat, then immediately install the head.

Used to use this method on 'steel shim' head gaskets, and never had a leak.

[KA1J]

Here's some photos of both sides of the gasket I took off.

Side 1:



close-ups here
http://doctorgary.net/HG2.jpg
http://doctorgary.net/HG3.jpg

Other side:


close-ups here
http://doctorgary.net/HG5.jpg
http://doctorgary.net/HG6.jpg

Anything obvious in the gasket why I shouldn't use it?

Also when you mention paint, are you referring to regular spray can paint (with real aluminum or copper?) I do have some ultra high temp stainless steel paint made of stainless steel particles which I was going to use on old headers. Would that be a good choice?

Thanks for taking the time to offer all this help.

[crazy steve]

Also when you mention paint, are you referring to regular spray can paint (with real aluminum or copper?) I do have some ultra high temp stainless steel paint made of stainless steel particles which I was going to use on old headers. Would that be a good choice?

Yep, regular spray paint. I was told that the cheap paint was better for this use, as they usually skimped on the other ingredients and the percentage of aluminum was higher (but if used as paint, it didn't hold up as well). The cheap stuff has poorer binders in it too, so if you need to pull the head, the gasket will release easier.

The theory is the soft aluminum powder will fill the tiny imperfections in the gasket, is soft enough to 'deform' for fit, and conducts heat well. Copper paint would work as well, but is usually considerably more expensive, and I'm not so sure you can still get paint with real copper in it any more; it's been banned for some uses, so you'd have to check the label.

Stainless steel paint? I don't know about that one. I'd avoid that personally, as the much harder particles could act as an abrasive and is a much poorer conductor of heat.

This was my sealer-of-choice on a stroked 427 Ford medium-riser with the shim head gaskets, and I never had a gasket failure. Even today, unless the gasket specifically spells out not to use any sealers, I'll give 'em a heavy coat of aluminum paint before install. I've never had a head gasket failure when I've done this...

[planedick]

Gasket

The gasket looks like it could be used again. There is a noticably hot spot between 3 & 4 probably caused by either, or both lean. Anti seize both copper fill or aluminum fill would work for sealing, but the steel rings around the cylinders must be unbroken and smooth. Coat both sides with whatever you use and put it on carefully. Proper torque pattern is necessary to be sucessfull.

[b.walker5]

Ummmm ... Tell me again why you dont want to use the new gasket??? You state that it's for an oversize bore, but we're only talking 1.5 to 2 mm oversize, and thats total, so at most you're only .75 to 1mm oversize around the circumference of the bore. Not sure that I would find that a problem...

As to reusing an old gasket, I agree with the spray paint method. I've done it before and it works fine, however my father used to use nothing more than grease and I've don't recall him ever having a failure, mind you that was on old side valve engines in things like our old '34 Desoto and mums Austin 7, etc.

[petejw]

+1 on what planedick says,
i wouldnt go using grease on that gasket as i said earlier, as there are some spots that have come away from the gasket,.
the bottom pic between cylinders 3 and 4 looks like it could be a problem,
also looking at ur other thread of the pic of the cylinder bores looks like it was leaking between those cylinders as well, cross ur fingers and hope for the best,
give it a go at worse if it doesnt seal the way u want its only removal of the head next time.