[Vwdiesel] Headgasket--Solvents

[Erik Lane]

One neat bodyman's trick is to bend the razor's blade edge
a bit. Take it to a piece of glass and flex the blade up
against it a few times on one side only. You won't be able
to see the difference on the blade but it will make a HUGE
difference with how it bites. It won't dig into the metal
on the one side, but if you have it where the very edge
curls downwards, then it will bite really hard. (I guess if
you use a microscope you might be able to see the
difference.)

If you do that and then use it carefully you can even
remove stuff from the top of a painted surface without
damaging the paint. It takes patience and a steady hand,
tho. And it HAS to be a new blade.

I guess it might not matter that much on the iron block,
but on the aluminum head I would be at least a bit careful.

Erik
--- SLATERSFB at aol.com wrote:

> I use one of those small stainless steel wire brushes
> with plastic handle & 
> brake cleaner or carb cleaner. Leaves sort of swirly
> finish which I figured 
> would crush microscopically to conform to gasket. Look
> under microscope at 
> brushed surface - looks like mountains & valleys. 
> 
> Bob in NY
> 
>                                          
> ***********************
> 
> > Use whatever you can find, and clean it well.
> > I actually CAREFULLY, shaved the head with a single
> edge razor blade in one
> > of those blade holders used to de-paint window glass.
> To get some of the
> > nasty gasket crap off.
> 
>     Some rebuilders are going for "ground" heads, which
> look like a 
>     heavy bead blasting.  This surface "bites" into the
> head
>     gasket, and prevents burnishing of the gasket
> surface.  The
>     burnishing is thought to contribute to head gasket
> failure,
>     by creating a smoother, sliding surface.  
> 
>     Check with the recommendations of the provider of
> your head
>     gasket.  THe manufacturers don't want to say that
> their gasket
>     won't work on a certain surface, but in seminars,
> some are
>     recommending head surfaces machined a certain way.
> 
>     Having said all that, every cylinder head gasket I've
> installed
>     on a VW cyl head, has been with the smooth surface,
> or a lightly
>     reground surface, with appears almost mirror smooth
> (if that's 
>     possible with Al).  The one I'm doing this spring
> will be done 
>     the "new" way.  
> 
>     Recent gasser cyl heads have been the "new" way, and
> without 
>     near-term failures.  The gasket manufacturers claim
> that the rough
>     surface prep is more critical in a diesel gasket. 
> One manufacturer
>     rep indicated that the majority of gasket "failure"
> complaints
>     they get are on diesels, which account for less than
> 6% of their
>     sales.
> 
> > BE SURE to vacuum the bolt holes after cleaning to
> remove crud and solvent
> > that fell in.
> > I Highly recommend 2 or 3 rinses of the bolt holes with
> solvent,  and
> > chasing the threads with an old bolt with a slot cut
> down the side like a
> > tap.
> 
>     Also consider cutting an "X" in the tip of the bolt,
> to help
>     loosen up stuff that collects in the bottom of bolt
> holes.
> 
>   Brake cleaner, and the straw that comes with the can,
> are
>     great things.  Compressed air is really pretty handy
> as well.
> 
> > 
> > I had crud in the bottom of a couple of the holes in
> mine that I had to
> > scrape loose with a screwdriver. Then more rinsing with
> solvent till clear.
> > 
> > As my wife the nurse would say, "enema until clear" 
> :^)
> 
>     Scary.
> 
>     Val
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > 
> > Sandy
> > -____
> > 
> > Much too much information...
> > LOL!
> > 
> > -James
> > 
> _______________________________________________
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> Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
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> 



		
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