Build a gasket or not?

[degrom]

Hi.

I have a leak on one of my cam belt tensioner gaskets... It's not a really big gasket.

Is it possible to make your own gasket?

If it's okay to make one,how will I do it and where can I get the needed materials?

Thanks.

[Warren]

If it is the cardboard type stuff you can buy rolls of it (?5 metres) and cut to fit. I can't remember where I brought mine but it was from a bike shop.

[degrom]

If it is the cardboard type stuff you can buy rolls of it (?5 metres) and cut to fit. I can't remember where I brought mine but it was from a bike shop.

Thanks for you input...

I not really sure about the cardboard type gasket material... I know about the Cork kind that was used on old cars heads...

Is there pressure in the chamber where the cam-belt runs?

I don't want to use home made stuff if it needs to be up to better standards.

Any suggestions?

Thanks all!!!

[degrom]

Hi.

I have a leak on one of my cam belt tensioner gaskets... It's not a really big gasket.

Is it possible to make your own gasket?

If it's okay to make one,how will I do it and where can I get the needed materials?

Thanks.

Any input?

Thx

[scumdog]

At the risk of a chorus of 'no' from others I would use a thin bead of silicone gasket sealer (RTV) and REALLY IMPORTANT: not too much and let it 'set' for at least 4 hours.

[Brian d marge]

1st off . all a gasket is, is a soft material between to roughly machine lumps of metal , ,,usually the thicker the gasket the less production tolerances you can hide,

Sometimes they can be used to shim surfaces apart , like the crankcase gasket in my Cr 250

Here I use a soft card, of the same thickness , I go to my local craft shop , and get some really good crd/paper ..

Then I use a SMALL ball pein hammer and cut the casket to shape withthe hammer,

If you have paitience , you will end up with a gasket that is the same as a bought one ,,,for a lot less

And installatio, I use that copper gasket spray that sort of glues the gasket to the surface so it doesnt move during instalation

I have just disassembled the last one ...and trust me it was doing its job well!!!

Stephen

ps ..Can I start the chorus...NOoO RTV does have its place , I use high temp rtv ,,sometimes ,,, but the better ones are the Loctite 510 series , they disolve in oil ..soo no big lump hiding in Engine ...( use a small paint brush to paint it on )

[degrom]

Thanks for input...

[degrom]

1st off . all a gasket is, is a soft material between to roughly machine lumps of metal , ,,usually the thicker the gasket the less production tolerances you can hide,

Sometimes they can be used to shim surfaces apart , like the crankcase gasket in my Cr 250

Here I use a soft card, of the same thickness , I go to my local craft shop , and get some really good crd/paper ..

Then I use a SMALL ball pein hammer and cut the casket to shape withthe hammer,

If you have paitience , you will end up with a gasket that is the same as a bought one ,,,for a lot less

And installatio, I use that copper gasket spray that sort of glues the gasket to the surface so it doesnt move during instalation

I have just disassembled the last one ...and trust me it was doing its job well!!!

Stephen

Sounds like you have done this more than once... Thanks.

[Motu]

At the risk of a chorus of 'no' from others I would use a thin bead of silicone gasket sealer (RTV) and REALLY IMPORTANT: not too much and let it 'set' for at least 4 hours.

You use the orange one,right? Lay a thick bead so when it squashes out of the joint you can see it has a good seal.And you use it on the exhaust too eh?.....I think I've seen your bike.....

[Kyle]

places like repco and other car parts shops sell gasket paper in rolls, personally though i would recomend going for a factory gasket. unless you have made gaskets before it is quite easy to make a mess when making them yourself. bike gaskets are often more detailed then car gaskets.

[scumdog]

You use the orange one,right? Lay a thick bead so when it squashes out of the joint you can see it has a good seal.And you use it on the exhaust too eh?.....I think I've seen your bike.....

Heh, heh, heh, no, never on my bike but I know the type you mean - best one was the Suzuki with a hole in the casing, had a flattened-out Coke can self-tappered over the hole with lotsa orange silicone to keep it oil-tight.

[frameless]

I use silicone in place of most thin paper type gaskets and never have any trouble. (I'ts not fuel proof though). This is fine for covers etc but be carefull in area's where the gasket thickness is critical to the assembled clearances. By the way i use neutral cure clear silicone, not the expensive red stuff in the small tube.Most silicones will handle around 200deg c.

[FROSTY:Me]

Id do as Motu/brian said--I have a feeling that the can chain tensioner gasket on the xv also spaces the tensioner back a bit.

[F5 Dave]

So it's probably a tuning secret to remove it & push further on the tensioner blade once it's run out of travel.

If you want proper material try a seals/hydralic/o-ring shop. They sell it in sheets & looks like genuine old Honda type, sort of grey marble, but many brands about. I've just about ran out of mine. Not much simpler than a cam chain gasket. I have a range of punches that make the bolt holes easy, but not necessary.