New gaskets? How clean?

[alpinetiburon04]

I'm replacing my water pump and thermostat. I don't have a grinder or anything extra handy, so I'm trying to remove the old gaskets from the engine and components with a file. How clean do the surfaces have to be before I put the new gaskets on and seal everything back up? I don't want to have to do this all again six months from now because I didn't do it right the first time. Also? Do i really need to replace my belt? I'm not sure when it was replaced, but it sounds and looks great. When I had it inspected the tech told me everything looked cool.

[Wayne Sihler]

Clean enough to eat off of. KIDDING:angel: Scrape it with a razor blade or wire brush,3M cloth- get it as clean and dry as possible.I would not use a grinder for fear of cutting a groove.
Use some gasket sealer to hold it in place.The belt is up to you,if it has a bunch of hair line cracks(more than 7 per inch) Replace it.
Wayne

[anony91xj]

Clean off ALL of the old gasket material. If you don't have a die grinder with a proper wheel, use a razor blade or razor scraper. Any old gasket material could cause a leak.

Also, go to NAPA or AutoZone and get a can of brush-on High Tack. Brush it liberally on the water pump, place the gasket on the pump, and then brush it onto the other side of the gasket before installing the new pump. It'll help ensure a good seal, it's also easier to use and works better than silicone RTV.

If your belt looks OK, just reuse it.

[5-90]

Put the file down and walk away...

Get a scraper (if you don't have one) and a box of single-edge razor blades for it. If you can't find it at the local, check your hardware store - since painters use them all the time as well. Use that to remove the gasket.

While you're at the hardware store, pick up some Scotch-Brite pads, and use those for a "final" cleaning - not only do they do well removing the debris that the razor/scraper might miss, but they'll also leave a finish that works well for gasket adhesion. A file will remove too much material if you're not careful - Scotch-Brite won't.

Use a LIGHT coat of RTV black on both side of the gasket (NOT that blue crap - it don't work worth a damn!) and stick it all back down. Make sure you inspect the bolts before you put it all back together - replace them if they're corroded, pitted, or otherwise unsound. They should be 5/16"-18, as I recall. If you can get stainless or brass, do so - it will save you trouble later (if you can get stainless or brass and the old bolts are fine, get them and use them anyhow. It won't harm anything, and it's cheap insurance...)

While you're about it, you may want to check your hardware store for 3M Roloc backing pads and Scotch-Brite discs to fit them - you should find them either with the power drill accessories, or somewhere near belt/disc sander goodies. They do come in handy for this sort of work...

5-90

[AZ Jeff]

Another old mechanics trick is to use a 1 inch wide wood chisel as a gasket scraper. Of course, it needs to be knife sharp, and kept that way after each use, to be effective.

[5-90]

That's what I usually do - but I also keep an Arkansas Whetstone in the drawer with my chisels, and the ones I use on engines I've re-ground to about a 15* bevel (more efficient scraping action, less gouging.)

And yes, I do a quick pass on the stone BEFORE each use (to deburr) and I check and stone them AFTER each use (so I only have to deburr next time...)

5-90

[AZ Jeff]

That's what I usually do - but I also keep an Arkansas Whetstone in the drawer with my chisels, and the ones I use on engines I've re-ground to about a 15* bevel (more efficient scraping action, less gouging.)

And yes, I do a quick pass on the stone BEFORE each use (to deburr) and I check and stone them AFTER each use (so I only have to deburr next time...)

5-90
Sounds exactly like my approach.

[5-90]

One thing I learned early on - a man's just got to take care of his tools. If someone else uses them, they'd better take care of them as well.

I only had to dump tools used by my boys onto their beds about twice each before they figured out I was serious. Cleaning out my toolbox helped them get the idea as well - and, since I dumped the tools onto their sheets (and made sure the washing machine was in use for the evening, so they had to sleep on them...) they got the idea fairly quickly that "cleaning up is part and parcel of the job..."

I did have to teach them to use a stone properly, but I think they got the idea of what to expect when they saw me shave with a chisel... I gotta get another straight razor one of these days.

5-90

[Rick Anderson]

Avoid using the Razor Blade on the Aluminum Pieces. The steel razor blade is harder than the aluminum and will easily scratch the surface.

If your desperate, use the razor blade, but very very carefully. Try a plastic paint scraper first.

A scotch brite pad works wonders at cleaning up the surface, some sort of mild solvent helps to break up stubborn left behind gasket material. Simple Green, WD-40, scratch with a fingernail, just don't mare the surface.

DO NOT USE CHLORINE BASED CLEANING FLUID ON ALUMINUM Purple Stuff, Formula 409, etc. Read the bottle, if it has chlorine or says "DO NOT USE ON ALUMINUM" then don't use it on aluminum. It will cause Hydrogen embrittlement on the surface metal. Usually it will only make the aluminum surface look horrible, the structural integrity of the part will still be OK (Yes it effects the part structurally, but its not like the thing is going to fall apart), but if you use it on a milled sealing surface, the chemical reaction might be enough to prevent it from sealing well.

Don't go crazy with the schotch brite pad on aluminum either, it can take away aluminum and leave low spots in the metal. Its generally safe, you have to really go OCD on one spot to wear down aluminum with a scotch brite pad.