Permatex Gasket Maker

[ezrider]

Anyone ever use the Permatex Ultra Copper Gasket Maker as a substitute for the muffler flange gasket ? Seems you apply the substance, screw on the muffler, and let it cure overnight.

 

[Steve Best]

Yes, I have many years of experience with all sorts of RTV sealants.
It is no substitute for a muffler gasket. It will stand the heat of a 2 stroke but not a 4 stroke.
It is not gas or oil resistant. Will swell and weaken with continued contact.
If applied to heavy it squirts out in the inside to create "salamanders" that block flow.

For the most part I use and reuse the factory gaskets dry, trimmed a bit to fit where needed.
Headsmess taught me the teflon tape headgasket trick which works marvelously.

Get the exhaust flange flat and smooth. Use a factory gasket dry. Drill the pipe and gasket out to 3/4" or 19mm.
You might use the Permatex Ultra Copper Gasket Maker to hold the gasket on one surface or the other if you want. Gluing to both surfaces is redundant and prevents gasket reuse.

Steve

 

[ezrider]

Interesting. Wonder if you can coat a Fel-Pro material with Permatex ?

 

[butre]

for the head, lap the head and jug until no gasket is necessary. any machinists in the crowd? they'll be familiar with jo blocks, and how they're lapped so fine that they stick together. you don't have to go that far, gotta preserve your sanity a bit, but the closer the better.

for the exhaust, don't even worry about it. all the exhaust gasket is there for is keeping your motor clean. as long as its port matched and won't shrink (ie not leather) or melt it's gonna work. I've been reusing the same aluminum gasket for years with no trouble

 

[ezrider]

I've been reusing the same aluminum gasket for years with no trouble

Somebody sez this can be made with stacked aluminum foil tape. Fel-ramic or Pro-ramic might be another option:

 

[Steve Best]

QUOTE="ezrider, post: 423356, member: 26100"]
Interesting. Wonder if you can coat a Fel-Pro material with Permatex ?[/QUOTE]

Why would you want to? What is the purpose?

I don't like RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) Silicone sealers.
Too slippery when wet, too thick when dry. Not resistant to fuel or oil.
Extrudes wads that block ports and pumps. Doesn't stick particularly well.
It will fill gaps and flexes to a small degree.

I use ThreeBond or Yamabond non-hardening sealer on very smooth gasketless surfaces.
I use contact cement or spray on adhesive to hold gaskets in place during assembly.
I use high temperature grease or nickle anti-seize to keep some gaskets (like exhaust) from sticking.
Normally I don't use any sealer at all when I have working gaskets.

A gasket is a seal between two surfaces, to seal in fluids or gasses, at different temperatures and pressures.
The higher the pressures, the tougher the gasket has to be. Light clamping and low pressure can use a soft gasket.
If the gasket works, there is no need for a sealer. Sealer makes up for gasket or surface imperfections.
The wrong sealer can mess up a perfectly good gasket. Sealer usually destroys otherwise re-usable gaskets.
Sealer on teflon coated or graphite gaskets is bad. Un-needed sealer makes rebuild more difficult.

Cardboard works well for low temperatures and pressures. Thin aluminum sheet for higher temps and pressures.
One of my favourites is cardboard sandwiched between 2 thin aluminum sheets.
Butre's advice works too. Headsmess uses teflon tape as a headgasket. It is my new favourite.

Steve

 

[Frankenstein]

Can't say of that tube version, never used it. I did use the spray version however, works great and smells plain awful in a closed garage. I think it works best on Reed valve assemblies with multiple small gaskets. My intake and Reed gaskets are hanging folder cut outs and copper spray gasket. I would like to try it as a head gasket material. Along with that Teflon tape idea that one guy has. Or some copper foil I have laying around, just as thin as aluminum foil and I think it would work.

 

[ezrider]

I stacked some cut strips of aluminum foil tape to an eight inch thick, then scroll sawed the gasket pattern out. Works great.

_

 

[Frankenstein]

That stuff is also great for kids costumes.