Best Head Gasket?

fhpe77

Active Member
#41
Are you using studs or stock bolts or something else? I had this problem when I first built my engine using side cover studs from Burris. Initially I torqued them to stock specs that I cannot remember right now. Shortly into my first ride and I noticed a trail of oil behind me. The cover was loose and the gasket had shredded. It's the same thing as the head studs, I had to torque them a bit more for proper stretch. Dunno why I didn't initially think of this for the side cover, but I didn't. Also, on the second go-around I used a genuine Honda gasket that somehow fit my Predator Hemi correctly. It has not been a problem since. If you are using stock bolts, toss that junk. They apparently hit their elastic limit when installed in the factory. Perhaps they are torque-to-yield fasteners and no one told us?

-Ray
 
#42
Are you using studs or stock bolts or something else? I had this problem when I first built my engine using side cover studs from Burris. Initially I torqued them to stock specs that I cannot remember right now. Shortly into my first ride and I noticed a trail of oil behind me. The cover was loose and the gasket had shredded. It's the same thing as the head studs, I had to torque them a bit more for proper stretch. Dunno why I didn't initially think of this for the side cover, but I didn't. Also, on the second go-around I used a genuine Honda gasket that somehow fit my Predator Hemi correctly. It has not been a problem since. If you are using stock bolts, toss that junk. They apparently hit their elastic limit when installed in the factory. Perhaps they are torque-to-yield fasteners and no one told us?

-Ray
I have burris head studs that I torque to 20ft-lb. Stock head bolt torque is something like 13-16ft-lb.

I am still using the original side cover bolts torqued to 17ft-lb as per Honda spec.

I just ordered 4 side cover gaskets, 4 stock head gaskets, and a copper head gasket. I might try stacking 2 head gaskets for a poor man's MLS and see how that works.
 
#46
theres only a few things that cause gasket failure too much cylinder pressure ,too much heat ,not enough clamping force , try a yellow gaskets a few guys fixed there issue using one
 
#47
theres only a few things that cause gasket failure too much cylinder pressure ,too much heat ,not enough clamping force , try a yellow gaskets a few guys fixed there issue using one
Is this the gasket you're referring to? If I go with this I might have to deck the block anyway because squish band would be out the window.
 
#48
i think your over analyzing it i would just try the gasket as is see if it holds up better if it blows this one i think you got some bigger issues
 
#50
i think your over analyzing it i would just try the gasket as is see if it holds up better if it blows this one i think you got some bigger issues
But I gotsta have compression. Also I ordered 5 more 0.009" gaskets before this talk happened and they come tomorrow. I was gonna try stacking two and see how long it lasts.

Also I can't find that specific gasket anywhere. Where do you get them?
 
#51
i got mine on ebay if you look on arc racing they say the fiber gasket seals the best , i seen how your head looks like the distorted from the torque another thing could be you have a soft head im waiting on your progress i got 3 motors that i need to put together
 
#52
Now this might throw a wrench at the thread. The side cover gasket has most definitely left the building yet the head gasket is unscathed. I mean, it is perfect! Still has every little bit of Viton, squished perfectly flat, no scars or black stains on the head, deck, or gasket... I expected much more damage to be able to blow the side cover within 10 minutes-considering it took a week to blow when there was clearly a problem with the old head gasket.

Starting to wonder if there is a problem with my rings or maybe a crankcase venting problem that I overlooked? I'm gonna hold off on the yellow/red gasket for now because I think I'm chasing the wrong issue. Not to mention the yellow/red gasket is a whole 0.039" thicker than the stock gasket and the head and deck would require irreversible milling to run it.
 
#53
how hard are you turning this motor and what do you have for a vent, since you have to change the side cover gasket you could drill it for a 3/8 tube and try it you could cap it if its something else also you can put a gauge to measure the pressure in the crankcase
 
#54
how hard are you turning this motor and what do you have for a vent, since you have to change the side cover gasket you could drill it for a 3/8 tube and try it you could cap it if its something else also you can put a gauge to measure the pressure in the crankcase
I have the stock valve cover breather and a 1/4" x 3/8" hose coming out the governor hole both going to a homemade catch can. I only turn about 5500rpm max right now but when this gets sorted out I want to spin to about 6200rpm. I'm wondering if the catch can itself isn't vented enough. All it has is a plastic cap with about 20 1/8" holes drilled in it. I bought a true breather filter with the gaskets I ordered and I have another nipple for it.

This whole thing is throwing me for a loop. My first suspicion when this first happened was the catch can, but then I found the blown head gasket so I thought that was the problem. Now this. Maybe both problems exist. Not sure.
 
#55
i cant tell you whats right cause i havent run mine long enough to know ,from what i hear they build up alot of pressure its about area the stock air box pulls a vacum and it has a large area ,i know on a car if you dont vent the crankcase it will push it past the seals try putting a guage on the hose and rev it up on a stand see how much pressure builds up you might be suprized
 
#56
i do track side tuning on cars if its a new build it ussually has up to 10 issues you gotta knock it down to none , the common thing is but my friend dont have that problem i always say it dont matter you need to fix this one
 

noseoil

Active Member
#57
Just curious about the side cover gasket problem. What is the end play on your crank? If it's too tight, it will push the gasket every time, no matter what torque you have on the bolts or studs. HF has a cheap dial gauge you can use to check things. I made an easy setup (quick & dirty) for the check with some scrap metal which worked well enough. Here's what it looks like. Crnk-Setup.jpg Move.jpg
 
#58
Just curious about the side cover gasket problem. What is the end play on your crank? If it's too tight, it will push the gasket every time, no matter what torque you have on the bolts or studs. HF has a cheap dial gauge you can use to check things. I made an easy setup (quick & dirty) for the check with some scrap metal which worked well enough. Here's what it looks like. View attachment 243052 View attachment 243053
The problem is fixed now. I never officially measured the crank end play, but it shouldn't have changed since it was stock. You can "feel" and acceptable amount of play by hand so I'm not worried about it.

It was caused by two problems:

1: The deck surface on the block was slightly warped, causing the head gasket to blow into the oil passage.

2: The way my catch can was vented was causing pressure to randomly build and blow the side cover gasket. I originally just drilled some 3/32" holes in a plastic reservoir cap for temporary ventilation to get it running. Well..."temporary" became "forget about it until it causes problems," and cause problems it has. There was a rubber disk with two holes inside the cap to act as a baffle for venting and to provide sealing for the cap to the reservoir. The hot oil would soften and grow that rubber disk and the airflow through the disk would cause it to bend upward and seal off the 3/32" holes in the plastic cap, building pressure and blowing the next weakest link, the side cover gasket.

After adding another barb to the reservoir and using a real vent filter, the problem it gone and the engine has 10 hours and counting.
 
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