leaky head gasket

[rocketfrog]

If after locking the two nuts together to the point of stripping the threads, and the stud will still not budge, try striking the top of the stud a nice blow with a hammer. This usually shocks the stud sufficiently to make it easy to wind out. the YZ's and IT's are notorious for stuffing the threads in the barrel, heli- coils are the way to go for a nice repair.

[monaro308]

Sometimes you need to tighten the stud slightly and then loosen the stud in aluminium as the thread grabs on aluminium.
Aluminium heads and barrels go soft over time and with heat.Yours maybe soft and stretching.
Also if your head has a recess where the gasket sits in,make sure its crushing on the gasket and not head to barrel.

[Lozza]

Because it feels fantastic when you stop mainline. Try it, it's S.O.P in all those expensive health retreats

[mainline]

thanks to all for the info and tips. I had actually got the cylinder off early in the piece and re-surfaced the top, after doing the same to the head only at first. The head and cylinder surfaces now seem to be spot on when I sit a straight edge on them.

As far as the annealing is concerned, I held the gasket over the gas stovetop burner till it was dull red and then quenched it in the kitchen sink. All done rather quickly while the better half was in the shower of course.

After reading Nathan's comment about the raised ridge in the gasket, I had a better look at it last night, and it has seen better days so a new one has been ordered. Hopefully it'll all hold together this time.

[CamP]

As far as the annealing is concerned, I held the gasket over the gas stovetop burner till it was dull red and then quenched it in the kitchen sink. All done rather quickly while the better half was in the shower of course.

I'm no metalugist, but I'm pretty sure when you anneal metal to make it more ductile, the metal needs to cool of slowly. Quenching it makes the metal hard again. 

[crs-and-rms]

camP is right you let it cool down slowly

[yamaico]

Quenching doesn't adversley affect the annealing of copper. Cooling slowly causes oxidisation, but either way works. Quenching in oil works well.

[evo550]

How are you tensioning the head down? I had the same prolem with an elsinore, found out it had nothing to do with the gasket or Head/Cylinder surfaces.
It was a simple case of using a tension wrench  and the correct tightening pattern. Problem solved.

[mainline]

The annealing thing has been discussed on here before, with a bit of to and fro between whether to quench or not, and apparently copper is different to other metals and the water quenching method is the way to go to anneal it.

http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=4358.0


From looking at the condition of the gasket, I'm thinking it's definately part of the problem. It's been used too many times on uneven/pitted surfaces by the looks of it. I'll see how I go with the new one.

Cheers again



suz125, any tech tips you'd like to add??