Base gasket

[StueyC]

Sorry about this guys but I have a question about my shovel. The rear base gasket is coming out from the left hand side. The part that has come out includes the whole length of the left side extending around the front corner. The is no oil leaking and appears to be no gas breathing. From memory there is a oil drain hole on that side and I'm thinking the gasket may walk out and block the hole. What has caused the gasket to move and can I leave it until it starts leaking oil? Cylinder stud nuts are tight and the motor has only 4500 miles since I rebuilt it.

StueyC

[Panacea]

Sooner or later you'll have to fix it, better to do it at home than wait for it to completely fail at the most inconvenient time...

[NightShift]

Dear StueyC,
Somebody added a goober to the base gasket. That lubes it up so it can walk right out. Happens all the time. Put it together dry and youll do fine.

Respectfully,

[StueyC]

Thanks Nightshift. That somebody would have been me! You live and learn.

StueyC

[1964 pan]

Sorry about this guys but I have a question about my shovel. The rear base gasket is coming out from the left hand side. The part that has come out includes the whole length of the left side extending around the front corner. The is no oil leaking and appears to be no gas breathing. From memory there is a oil drain hole on that side and I'm thinking the gasket may walk out and block the hole. What has caused the gasket to move and can I leave it until it starts leaking oil? Cylinder stud nuts are tight and the motor has only 4500 miles since I rebuilt it.

StueyC

My condolances. That has happened to me once a pon a time long ago. It was the front base gasket on my 1966 Shovel. Out of the front. Yours is the second time I have heard of it. Very rare.
Gasket sealer or dry. JMO.

[Cotten]

I don't consider it rare at all!
(So don't feel so bad StueyC!)

But then I used to fix them for a living, and they found me, I didn't find them.

Come to think of it, most of them were chubbles.
But that was back when most folks rode chubbles, and did their own service.

Indians suffer too.
That's how I learned to remove cylinders with the pistons still in them, making the chore a lot faster.

...Cotten

[steinauge]

You might want to check the surfaces for flat too. I have seen a lot of cylinders that have been repeatedly overtorqued and are high on all 4 corners as a result.I usually touch them up in the lathe but you can certainly do them with a file too.

[NightShift]

You might want to check the surfaces for flat too. I have seen a lot of cylinders that have been repeatedly overtorqued and are high on all 4 corners as a result.I usually touch them up in the lathe but you can certainly do them with a file too.

Dear Steinauge,
GOOD POINT!
Scrub some pool chalk on the file and it won't load up and make grooves. If you grind the end of a file real flat to make a scraper, it works even better.
The problem is how you know when its flat with the stud in the way. A Marksalot helps, but not enough. Any ideas?

Respectfully,

[PanPal]

I think he was talking about the cylinders not the decks. You only need chalk with Aluminum, no need to use it with Cast iron or Ductile.

[StueyC]

Thanks for the advise guys. I did make sure the crankases were flat during the rebuild and I dressed the cylinder flages but didn't clock them in the lathe. I will check the flange when I remove the cylinder to replace the gasket.

Am I right in saying the only problem I will have if the remainder of the gasket blows out is a mess from oil blowing through? I just want to do a bit more riding before having to pull the top end again so soon after getting it back together.

StueyC

[NightShift]

Dear All,
I cought the drift right away that Steinauge was talking cylinders but my edit didnt stick. Dam dial up. I even had to log back in twice.

Anyway StueyC,
a little mess never bothered anyone after dark. Remember spring is coming though.

Respectful,

[steve_wood]

Question: If the base gasket blows, wouldn't that affect the pressure or vacumm in the crank? If it does, any impact on oil circulation? Isn't oil flow to the primary driven by crank pressure?

Just askin....

steve

[Cotten]

Steve!

I doubt there would be any problem, except mess, until it was so big it whistled, or sucked in rainwater.

Primary oil is direct from the pump for '65 and newer models. The vacuum that sucks it out could be compromised a tiny bit.

...Cotten

[steve_wood]

Gotchya. Learn something new everyday.