Gasket woes... needing some advice.

[Boogieman]

:bang head:

So I'm redoing the starter clutch, and got to the part where I need to remove the old gaskets. The old gaskets have apparently been stuck on with satan's own nut sweat or something. I've messed with gaskets before but nothing stuck like this. They are so bonded with the aluminum, it's like they were superglued on. I don't think they were actually superglued, just damn are they ever stuck.

I've tried a brass scraper, I've tried some double edge razor blades (they are not stiff like the regular ones). Does anyone have any advice on getting this stuff off? At this rate it's gonna take me 4 or 5 hours to scrape it off. :confused2:

Some things I thought of, but wonder if anyone has ideas or experience: Scotch brite pads, some kind of solvent?

I figured it's time to take a break and ponder this before I mess something up haha.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Fire-medic]

Permatex makes a gasket removal spray. You could also try the home-made penetrating oil: ATF and acetone. Let the gasket surface soak in it, like the side cover in a tray w/a bit of that in the bottom. Highly flammable! DON'T use around a pilot light for a gas heater, water heater & etc.

 

[Boogieman]

I'll check my local parts store and see about that permatex spray. These things are bad, bad. I may go the homemade route. No pilot lights in my garage so I should be o.k. I have a big fire extinguisher just in case. Thanks for the info.

 

[Fire-medic]

Just so you know, the fumes can travel dozens of feet, seeking out a source of ignition. I can cite to you multiple such explosions, where people lost their lives. It can happen w/gasoline too.

On the subject of sudden ignitions, another incident I have repeatedly warned-against is aired-up tires and doing welding on such. We just had another fatality at a tire store where a tire exploded, killing the tech. NO welding a wheel w/a tire mounted! I wouldn't want to hear someone on here lost his life. Years-ago, one of the adjoining fire-rescue jurisdictions had a fatality where a tech welded on a dune buggy tire/wheel combo. One dead, one injured.

 

[blaxmax]

I use a shrink wrap heat gun on sale now at harbor freight for $8-1500watts-
Be careful with the heat.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

 

[Fire-medic]

Yep, I have one, and find it useful for many other things requiring concentrated heat, but not a flame.

I use a shrink wrap heat gun on sale now at harbor freight for $8-1500watts-
Be careful with the heat.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

 

[Boogieman]

I use a shrink wrap heat gun on sale now at harbor freight for $8-1500watts-
Be careful with the heat.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

Good idea, I already have a heat gun. I'll give the permatex a try since I found it and got a can of it already. Backup will be the heat gun if it doesn't work. I'll be sure to wait overnight before using it though just in case there are some residual fumes. I remember reading in The Horse a few years back about someone welding on a part they cleaned with brake cleaner. It literally almost killed them, a long hospital stay, IIRC almost had liver failure etc. After reading that, I probably err on the side of caution when heating any kind of solvents. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'm going to try the permatex now.

EDIT: I almost got it clean. I ended up using the permatex. It helped some, but wasn't a perfect fix. It did help though. I couldn't find my single edge razor blades, so ended up using a (get this lol) straight razor to shave off the gasket. I had a cheap gold dollar razor that I had hoped to one day hone into a good razor (great steel in them, really shitty grinding/honing from the factory). Well... I don't know if it will ever make a razor now, but I think it will since the edge looks O.K. and to regrind it it takes quite a bit off anyway.

So, now I sit with most gasket off, a few stubborn places that I would almost call stains they are so small. I'll take some scotch brite over the troubled areas and clean out the engine covers tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be as good as new in a few days.

 

[sdt354]

I like a round scotch bright pad on an air die grinder. All available from Harbor Freight. 25% off 1/1/16. PM me if you need a coupon. Get a holder/scraper for the single edge razor blades. Usually you can work it under the gasket. Someone may have used some serious gasket cement. None needed on install except around the wires at the gromet. That's why I like Yamabond 4 if I need to cement it on. It's easily removable and pliable. Good Luck with it.
Steve

 

[DocDoom]

Good idea, I already have a heat gun. I'll give the permatex a try since I found it and got a can of it already. Backup will be the heat gun if it doesn't work. I'll be sure to wait overnight before using it though just in case there are some residual fumes. I remember reading in The Horse a few years back about someone welding on a part they cleaned with brake cleaner. It literally almost killed them, a long hospital stay, IIRC almost had liver failure etc. After reading that, I probably err on the side of caution when heating any kind of solvents. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'm going to try the permatex now.

EDIT: I almost got it clean. I ended up using the permatex. It helped some, but wasn't a perfect fix. It did help though. I couldn't find my single edge razor blades, so ended up using a (get this lol) straight razor to shave off the gasket. I had a cheap gold dollar razor that I had hoped to one day hone into a good razor (great steel in them, really shitty grinding/honing from the factory). Well... I don't know if it will ever make a razor now, but I think it will since the edge looks O.K. and to regrind it it takes quite a bit off anyway.

So, now I sit with most gasket off, a few stubborn places that I would almost call stains they are so small. I'll take some scotch brite over the troubled areas and clean out the engine covers tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be as good as new in a few days.

Resurrecting just for anyone who hates gaskets as much as me soldering tips are made up of a lot of soft alloy including copper, if you use a chisel tip which is dull and it gets over 500 degrees F it will yield to aluminum and not scratch it. I wouldn't get crazy with stabbing at it but you can flake off the gasket and kind of color what is left into a smear and wipe it off with wd-40. Aluminum transfers heat very well so this is pretty safe. I wouldn't have a wd-40 coated rag protecting the work or anything.