Gasket replacing for Newbs - Your expertise needed please

[Baileyman]

I've got another thread going over here http://nighthawk-forums.com/index.php/topic,6076.0.html, but this question is more about what does one need to know about replacing gaskets?

When do you use something like yamabond, and when do you not?  When do you use oil on gaskets, when do you not?

I hear that silicone is big no-no.

I'm getting ready to put my oil pan back on, and want to make sure it's done right, and not leaking.  I also noticed that the gasket I have doesn't perfectly line up with the pan.  It mostly does, and all the surfaces will have gasket between them, but there is a little overhang to the outside, and doesn't reach all the way to the inner edge on PART of the pan.  It will line up just fine in some areas, but not it all areas.

Thanks again everyone!
BaileyMan

[Munkey]

I don't use any sealant on surfaces with gaskets unless absolutely necessarly to seal a leak. Just take your time and clean the surface good. It's normal to have some overhang on your gaskets. I don't particularly like that, especially with aftermarket gaskets that are green. But i'm too lazy to cut off the excess so it doesn't show, so I live with it.

Only use the Yamabond or Hondabond on surfaces that don't have gaskest but need to be sealed like cases.

[gammer]

I agree with Munkey. Don't use silicone unless absolutely necessary. Scrape the old gaskets off and clean both surfaces with something like Gasoline to clean the oil off. Then just use the new gasket and torque to spec.

[hppants]

My father is by all rights a jack of all trades, including a very good mechanic.  I was so blessed as a kid to learn things from him. To this day, I still remember my first gasket experience - the valve cover gasket on a Ford small block (easy side with the PCV valve).

(paraphrasing)

"Son - the only purpose of the gasket is to handle the imperfections that exist from the mating surfaces.  If this surface (valve cover) was exactly the same as this surface (Cylinder head), we wouldn't need a gasket.  So, you don't want to squish the gasket - just tighten enough to account for the imperfections."

I wish my son would show the slightest interest... 

[Baileyman]

I wish my son would show the slightest interest...  

FWIW, I'm showing lots of interest    Thanks for the paraphrasing, very helpful

I wish my dad would show a little more interest...

[Bumblebee]

Do what the manual says. Clean the mating surfaces very well however don't scratch them. Never use silicone unless it's permanent. Liquid gasket only when required and then only sparingly.

If you ever have to pull a piece that some nutjob put liquid gasket on a paper gasket, you'll wish you were someplace else. That goes double for any cover pieces that have pins holding them together. It's near impossible to remove.

[Munkey]

In the 2 pics in the first post in my rebuild thread, you can see the green gasket overhang on the clutch cover and between the cylinders and the cases. I think it's ugly but way more work than I'm willing to do to get rid of it.

http://nighthawk-forums.com/index.php/topic,4952.0.html

[gammer]

Ahhh, the telltale signs that an engine has been worked on...the green gaskets 

[Baileyman]

Yeah, I'm less concerned about a little green gasket showing, and more concerned about stopping the oil leaks.