carb gasket material

Hi all,

I am in the process of cleaning my carbs. They were stripped down, made shiny and now I'm reassembling them. Not wanting to dump $100 on a set of carb rebuild kits, I am taking the do-it yourselfer way out and making new gaskets.

Under the carb covers I used treated paper.

But the gaskets for my float bowls were so fubar I cannot tell... were they paper, rubber, or something else all together? It looks like it could be paper but it surprises me that paper gaskets held up so well for 25000 miles.

If they weren't paper... would paper gaskets work for float bowls?

The last time i replaced the carb gaskets in my bike, i took the old ones and traced out the pattern on a peice of a ceral box. It has worked well for me for about 3000 non leaking miles. It takes a bit of concentration but it can be done.

I believe they are a type of cork. You can purchase just the bowl gaskets.

I've used plain old gasket paper in the past, you can get it at most auto parts stores.

Most KZ550 A, C and D models use TK-22 carbs. The gasket is just paper. I put a super-thin layer of silver anti-sieze on the gaskets and they can be reused dozens of times. They are easy to make too. Make sure the float levels are right, after you re-build them. That also helps prevent leaks.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts. Gasket paper it is!

loudhvx wrote:

Most KZ550 A, C and D models use TK-22 carbs. The gasket is just paper. I put a super-thin layer of silver anti-sieze on the gaskets and they can be reused dozens of times. They are easy to make too. Make sure the float levels are right, after you re-build them. That also helps prevent leaks.

Would the anti-seize work on valve cover gaskets? I seem to get two removals of a gasket before it tears...:huh:

OKC_Kent wrote:

loudhvx wrote:

Most KZ550 A, C and D models use TK-22 carbs. The gasket is just paper. I put a super-thin layer of silver anti-sieze on the gaskets and they can be reused dozens of times. They are easy to make too. Make sure the float levels are right, after you re-build them. That also helps prevent leaks.

Would the anti-seize work on valve cover gaskets? I seem to get two removals of a gasket before it tears...:huh:

I use it on valve cover gaskets too. It prevents tears, but it's really because I hate scraping gaskets! I usually only use a gasket once or twice on the valve cover. I find after a few re-torques it's hard to get it to line up just right to seal. The surfaces have to be perfectly clean or it won't seal. I usually finish the surfaces to a polish with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper. I haven't had one leak yet, but I may just be lucky. The only place I may use a tiny amount of RTV is right at the cam-end plugs. The most important thing is to make sure and dig out all of the old sealant from the bolt holes. That debris build up and makes it real easy to strip a bolt.

oldkaws4ever wrote:

The last time i replaced the carb gaskets in my bike, i took the old ones and traced out the pattern on a peice of a ceral box. It has worked well for me for about 3000 non leaking miles. It takes a bit of concentration but it can be done.

this is the same thing i did about 3 years ago...so far, no problems.