Any of you long time mechanics....

know of a way to soften baked on 25 year old gaskets? I have been trying to remove the old base gasket on my 82 1100 and it eats razor blades by the dozen. I have been wrenching a long time and I have never seen this before.....thanks....chris3

www.permatex.com/products/automotive/aut...x_Gasket_Remover.htm

Careful when using it around painted surfaces, it's tough on paint too.

I know what you mean :woohoo:

I don't know what Kawasaki uses for those gaskets, but if they made car bodies out of it they'd last forever

Anything abrasive enough to cut that stuff also cuts the aluminum. Tried the spray gasket remover and it causes instant rust on rods/etc.

Buying razor blades by the case is the only solution that I have found.

I buy something called Aircraft Stripper in the automotive section at wal-mart.
Spray it onto a piece of cardboard (foamy stuff) and take a brush and spread it on the gasket area.
In about 15 minutes (above 70 degrees) it should be a lot easier to remove.

Thanks guys......I will hit walmart on the way home tonight. The bike is ready to go back together except for this gasket removal......chris3

I have tried the off the shelf gasket removers.
They didn't seem to work all that great. I saw it in another thread that paint remover works just as well.
I had a few stubborn gaskets that I soaked with WD 40 and used a plastic scraper. The metal ones can damage the surface if not careful. For the finishing clean up those industrial fine scotch brites work good, 400 wet & dry sandpaper or 0000 steel wool. Also lots of patience.

Are you using the razors straight up? Use a scraper they use for removing inspection stickers, think it may be all about the leverage.

I have tried putting LPS2, a penetrant, and mineral spirits on the gasket. They work ok when all that is left is the gasket sealer Kawasaki used to glue the gasket down. The scraper is a long handled razor blade holder so I can reach the middle of the case around the studs. It works great when the gaskets are not hard or to remove silicone sealant. Less chance of nicking the block metal too. Good thing I picked up a 100 pack of razor blades from Harbor Freight, one is just down the street, because I am using alot of them. The paint remover might help too. chris3

acetone or oven cleaner;)

Brake fluid will work on some.

BTW, the base gasket was the worst part of my engine rebuild. It was sealed at the factory with a permanent adhesive, and took major force to separate. The bonding held on both surfaces, the gasket had to split in half to come apart.

Took me three hours with a straight edge blade and scraper to get it off.

coppertales wrote:

Thanks guys......I will hit walmart on the way home tonight. The bike is ready to go back together except for this gasket removal......chris3

Be VERY careful to keep the scrapings from falling down into the crankcase. pack clean rags against the edge you are working and stop to vacuum the edge about every couple of inches done. You really don't want that crap in the oil.

wire wheel on a dremel gets that stuff off fastr. And it all comes off too.