Removing Old Gasket During Valve Check

[Chuckster]

After you pull the cylinder head cover off in order to check your valves, how do you remove the old cover gasket without getting pieces down in the motor? Seems like you would have to be very careful doing this. Any tricks I should know about? :-D

[BassCliff]

Real Gaskets recommended

Hi Mr. Chuckster,

I've replaced my breather cover gasket and valve cover gasket with parts from Real Gaskets. They're reusable silicon gaskets that last for years. But in the past I've sprayed the old material in WD40, let it soak in, and very carefully used razor blades or similar to remove the stuck gasket residue. Many here have had good luck with Permatex Gasket Remover and other such products. Good luck and happy wrenching. :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Greg O.]

Sometimes a person gets lucky and the gasket comes off with the cover. Mine did this winter when I took it off. The cylinder head was clean, just had to scrape the old gasket off the cover. I have had it stick to the head before, and that makes it more difficult. Just takes some time and elbow grease, and try to keep the pieces out of the engine. A good gasket scraper, or stiff putty knife that has been sharpened works pretty good.

Greg

[chuckycheese]

Shop vac

A wonderful, understanding wife with her hand on a 'shop vac' will keep stuff out of the engine...\\/

[tkent02]

A wonderful, understanding wife with her hand on a 'shop vac' will keep stuff out of the engine...\\/

Wow, I'm seriously impressed. She does this?

[Nessism]

I spent a LOT of time scraping the gasket off my 850; thing was absolutely petrified (hard as a rock). Tried the permatex gasket spray but while it helped, it also ate the paint off anything it touched. No amount of care could completely keep chunks out of the engine so in the end I took paper towel and soaked all the oil out of the cam wells and then picked pieces of gasket off the valve buckets and cams using q-tips and the ilk. Huge pain. Replaced the gasket with a Real Gasket - worth the money in my opinion.

[Chuckster]

Hi Mr. Chuckster,

But in the past I've sprayed the old material in WD40, let it soak in, and very carefully used razor blades or similar to remove the stuck gasket residue.
BassCliff

Hopefully, mine will be that easy. Thanks for the tip on the WD40.

Sometimes a person gets lucky and the gasket comes off with the cover.
Greg

That's what I'm hoping for!

A wonderful, understanding wife with her hand on a 'shop vac' will keep stuff out of the engine...\\/

That would be nice and I'm sure my wife would. May actually try that if it doesn't stick to the cover.

I spent a LOT of time scraping the gasket off my 850; thing was absolutely petrified (hard as a rock). Tried the permatex gasket spray but while it helped, it also ate the paint off anything it touched. No amount of care could completely keep chunks out of the engine so in the end I took paper towel and soaked all the oil out of the cam wells and then picked pieces of gasket off the valve buckets and cams using q-tips and the ilk. Huge pain. Replaced the gasket with a Real Gasket - worth the money in my opinion.

This is what I'm scared of right here! :shock:

[Guest]

hey chuck,

i JUST spent the last 2 days doing this on mine. my advice is the same as the others, except to add pull up a seat and get comfortable. i sprait the "aircraft stripper" on q-tips and painstakingly painted it on the worst bits, several rounds of that and tedious, careful, detail oriented scraping with a razor blade and my surface is "fairly" clean. i got a real gasket, so this shouldnt have to happen EVER AGAIN.

greg

[chuckycheese]

Lucky!

Wow, I'm seriously impressed. She does this?

She's surprisingly nice; and I'm surprisingly lucky!!:-D

[salty_monk]

From memory I stuff shop rag pieces down into the buckets etc before I started & then carefully pulled them out & any bits of gasket with them at the end....

Dan

[Roostabunny]

Mine was medium petrified - some of it came out in chunks other parts stuck.

I soaked mine with PB Blaster (available and AutoZone and probably other places), and that helped, but careful use of a razor (sometimes clamped in a vice grips) was what got it done for me. If you try this, proceed with caution - you can gouge that soft aluminum real easy.

I think the best tool would be a plastic disposable putty knife that's been sharpened with some 120 or 220 grit sandpaper on the bench.

Meanwhile, I'll add my endorsement for Real gaskets. If you hate this job, do it well, then buy a Real gasket. It'll be the last time you have to scrape. At least for valve adjustments.

[Chuckster]

While I'm on this subject, is it okay to clean the valve cover with parts cleaner while I have it off? Or should I use something milder? Is it okay to rinse the whole thing even with the breather cover still on it? :-D