Good evening everyone.
Currently running a gasket from a kit bought from Draganfly, many years back, the gasket is leaking, and I would like to try one of those solid copper wonder.
Question is how thick should it be?
And, where can I purchase one? Or who can manufacture it?
Is it possible to self-produce it at home?
Thanks!
The gasket should be .040" [1mm] thick...You can produce them at home with few facilities but it's a tedious job and not really worth the effort...TT John from this forum still has some I believe at a very reasonable price...
Try a search on the subject and his details should come up in the previous threads...Ian
Hi John,
Can you please explain? I have no idea about this and never ever used a solid copper head gasket.
What is this spray? Where can it be purchased from?
I do have some copper paste/grease at home, though.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Can I use a thin layer of copper paste instead? This spray is very expensive, not to mention it will (probably) be used only once.
Another question: Why is it necessary to use such a spray while using a copper gasket?
I don't consider the use of spray or any other treatment to be necessary.. I've used untreated fully annealed gaskets for years without any problems..
However, check that both the cylinder and cylinder head gasket faces are flat before fitting...If not they can be lightly machined using a fly cutter mounted in a milling machine or surface ground to achieve the required result...
Take particular care if an aluminium head is being used to check its flatness. After fitting the gasket torque either type of head to 28-30 ft/lbs., following the tightening sequence shown in the manual. Only lubricate the bolts sparingly with a light machine oil...The application of 'copper slip' or other heavier greases will affect the accuracy of the torque settings.
Then run the engine sufficiently to attain its full working temperature and after it has gone completely cold re torque the head bolts.
Repeat this process again after the bike has covered about 50 miles, though it should be noted no further tightening will generally be required at this point...Ian
Look in the technical section for details. If the piston at TDC is flush with the top of the cylinder, you should use a 1mm thick gasket to get a squish height of 0.040".
Download the DXF file and send it to a company that does water jet cutting. Their cutting machine will be able to read a DXF (Date Exchange Format) file.
In South Africa, copper sheet is available in 0.9mm and 1.2mm thick. Either will do depending on the squish height you want, which should not be less than 0.040".I regularly get copper gaskets cut using this method at a cost of less than ZAR100 (or GBP6).
I fit them dry and have never had issues. Just make sure the copper is soft (annealed).
