Install Base Gasket

The metal gasket is the latest version from Kawasaki. The black coating should be a sealer of some sort so I'd just install it as is. A very thin smear of 3-Bond sealer in the area highlighted by the manual would hurt but honestly, I don't think it's necessary.

The original gasket was made from some special fibrous gasket material. It's quite hard so it doesn't squeeze out of place under the cylinder. Moving to a metal gasket makes sense and seems to be the direction a lot of engine makers are going in these days.

Nessism wrote: The metal gasket is the latest version from Kawasaki. The black coating should be a sealer of some sort so I'd just install it as is. A very thin smear of 3-Bond sealer in the area highlighted by the manual would hurt but honestly, I don't think it's necessary.

The original gasket was made from some special fibrous gasket material. It's quite hard so it doesn't squeeze out of place under the cylinder. Moving to a metal gasket makes sense and seems to be the direction a lot of engine makers are going in these days.

Thank you
I see the logic in these, because everybody who sell OEM of base gasket of these engine has these type of gasket.
The world keep moving forward ? or ? hehe

I will use it without any exstra sealer.

Have a good weekend all !

Zed can you Please elaborate on using grease on the base gasket? The reason i ask is that i did just that ,but am now second guessing myself. I used copper antiseize . Do i need to pull it all apart again and start over?
Thanks
Barney

zed1015 wrote: The one you have is a pressed metal gasket similar to the MLS ones Wiseco now supply for the head.
Usually they are fully coated with a sealer and don't need anything else.
I don't know about the one you have there though and have never used a metal one on the base.
Personally I prefer the paper base gasket as they are more forgiving to inperfections in the alloy surfaces and re-usable if you grease them both side on install.

There is no reason to grease a gasket unless it's for a race bike and you are trying to speed up rebuild time between events by eliminating sticking. Grease on a base gasket seems particularly risky to me, doubly so if you use an aftermarket gasket, since it can allow the gasket to slide and possibly compress and slide out of place. I had that issue with a (non greased) Athena base gasket (the green type). It couldn't take the normal clamp force of the application and the gasket extruded out of place between the cylinder and cases.

Maybe just me barney, but I'd replace that base gasket with an OEM gasket sans any sealer/grease/anti-seize other than what may show on the factory Kawasaki service manual.

barney wrote: Zed can you Please elaborate on using grease on the base gasket? The reason i ask is that i did just that ,but am now second guessing myself. I used copper antiseize . Do i need to pull it all apart again and start over?
Thanks
Barney

If it was a paper gasket then copper grease will do the same job.
I grease all my paper gaskets.
Been doing it for over 40 years and it's a habit I got from working on old brit bikes.
As well as aiding removal and possible re-use at a later date it helps the gasket settle evenly when bolted down.
Also some paper/card gasket materials are porous and can act as a wick allowing oil to weep through and the grease sort of blocks the pores .
Everybody has their own way of doing things and as long as it works then that's all that matters.
I grease all my paper gaskets regardless of whether they are OEM or pattern and have never had a problem, hardly ever have to scrape off any gaskets i have installed like that and have saved a fortune on replacements.