reinstalling new gasket (prep work and \"glue\")

Hi All,

i'll have a handful of days waiting for my parts to come in, so i figured i would use my time effectively...

the old gasket is still on the "right" side of the engine...

i know i need to get that off (with a putty knife?) and, yes, be VERY careful not to crip/scratch anything...

once i get it off (from both sides, engine cove and engine) is there some other "prep" i should do???

i mean,

- cleaning the edges with some type of solvent?
- mild soap???

also, once i get all the parts in and am ready to reassemble, is there some kind of "glue" or adhesive i should use in addition to the gasket??

the reason i ask, is i noticed a reminent of some kind of "silicon" type material on the edge of the junction between the engine and the engine coevr when i was taking things apart the other day...

i just want to have everything in hand and ready to go once i get my parts...

i'm loosing TOO MANY good rides days as it is!

thanks...

- prime

A putty knife or similar will work just fine. As long as whatever you're using isn't extremely sharp edged, and you take it slow and steady with minimal pressure to avoid any "oops" situations.

You can always use the little 2" or 3" sanding discs made by 3M to remove whats left of the gaskets on the cover and engine. They fit right up to any standard drill, and a 3-pack (coarse, medium, and fine) can be found at just about any decently stocked auto parts store. The same applies to them as does a putty knife, slow and steady.

Kawi didn't use any when they assembled your bike, so you don't really need to use any type of sealer along with the gaskets. The gaskets themselves have an almost "clay" type of feel to them, and will compress slightly to fill in any small imperfections in the cover or engine.
But if you want to use a sealer for piece of mind, that's ok to do. Just make sure that it's heat and chemical resistant, and apply it very sparingly. Just enough to lightly coat the gasket surface is fine.

great!

thanks...

- prime

Kawi also didn't have to deal with 30 years of abuse on gasket mating surfaces. I seal all gasket mating surfaces with a NAPA gasket sealer. It helps the gasket stay in place and seals it from oil leaks. It also is easy to remove and clean up. It comes in both spray and small cans. The spray is quicker but tends to make a mess if you overspray but works fine in some applications. The spray is in a blue can that looks about like a WD40 can and the cans are about 3 or 4 ounces and white and have a brush in the cap. I don't use this stuff on valve cover gaskets except for around the cam plug area and then, not on the top of the gasket to ease removal of the valve cover. I have had some bikes with persistant leaks after installing gaskets without any sealer and this stuff fixes the problem well.

!

thanks