head gasket questions

[mechanickid]

Hey guys, so i figured out i had an air leak after i peddled up a hill with the engine off and the clutch engaged trying to start it.

when i took the head off i found a metal spacer where the gasket should be, but no gasket.
im thinking i could just replace the spacer with a gasket and that would improve compression greatly, has anyone tried this?

[Bikeguy Joe]

That is the gasket.

[Dave31]

Head Gasket Pic from...ThatsDax

ENGINE_KIT_PARTS_PAGE_2

[mechanickid]

how is that supposed to seal well?

[Bikeguy Joe]

It's a soft aluminum...it works very well, and in fact most engines have a similar type of gasket...or sometimes annealed copper. The only head gaskets I've ever seen with "gasket material" have an aluminum ring where each cylinder is.

Some guys (Norman) have use a heavy aluminum pigmented paint as a "gasket".

[mechanickid]

ah, well i replaced it with some cardboard and grease. dumb, i know, but it was worth a try. it did improve compression a bit. but i still have an air leak somewhere between the air filter and the engine.

[Bikeguy Joe]

A leaking head gasket will manifest itself as an air leak too.

What did you do with the old gasket?

[Bikeguy Joe]

You could always use to "hillbilly chrome" paint or Rustoleum aluminum paint if the cardboard and grease don't hold up.....I think the correct gaskets are cheap though.

[Bikeguy Joe]

Thebest thing to do for the air leak is to just remove the carb and intake, make a new gasket out of some gasket paper, or carboard and SILICONE like RTV sealer, and put it back together.

In a pinch, just remove it and goober up the old gasket with silicone....any kind will work, even 100% silicone caulking.

[mechanickid]

i left it out but kept it. sounds good! thanks Joe