Copper head gaskets.......

[Dirtcrasher]

I tore down the 200X because it revs so high, that it blew the OEM gasket.

I put in the .039 or 1mm head gasket and ended up torqued to spec at 22lbs, raise that to 26lbs and still had barely a 100PSI compression.

The valves are not leaking. This gasket seems so thick that it cannot "crush". Tomorrow I put a new OEM head gasket in but does anyone else agree that .039 or 1mm is to much to crush?? Not a mark on this thing when I removed it.

Piston/rings and cylinder specs are right on, barely any wear at all.

Am I correct that this head gasket is mostly to blame??

THANKS, DC

[6speedthumper]

Seeing as how it was running before you swapped out the head gasket, I'd have to lean towards the new head gasket being the possible issue. For copper, it may very well be too thick to crush in this application. I had a .010" thick copper head gasket made from cometic, and it worked fine for over a year until it started leaking oil. But, that's a damn thin gasket.

To test the head gasket, spray it with soap and water, then do a cylinder leak down test to see if it's leaking. May want to look into a custom MLS head gasket for that high comp engine (it is high comp right?)

[jays375]

A guy I know had head gasket issues on his high compression engine.Gaskets he was using cost over $60.Was real crap shoot how long they would last.Somebody refered him to Alba.They had experienced these issues.So they have custom copper ones made.It measured the same thickness.So far it has held up longer.My only personal experience with copper gaskets is my vintage bikes.Only time they leaked was warped heads.Didn't matter if they were cheap repop,or quality ones.You can re-anneal them.Iv'e done that without any issues.Granted these are old bikes.Only make 40 hp,out of 650cc twin cylinder engine.

[Dirtcrasher]

Yeah guys, .038 is just too thick to crush especially when the head studs are 7"s long and all the way to the bottom ends surface.

I tried to torque them a bit more but no dice. Today I will put it all back together with the OEM head gasket.

Stay Tuned!! : )

[shortline10]

Wiseco Piston ?
Might be in spec but do the rings still have spring tension ?
I see this way to often with wiseco's
They loose their spring tension and wont seal to the cylinder walls , very sad that a great piston company has such crappy rings .

[6speedthumper]

Yeah guys, .038 is just too thick to crush especially when the head studs are 7"s long and all the way to the bottom ends surface.

I tried to torque them a bit more but no dice. Today I will put it all back together with the OEM head gasket.

Stay Tuned!! : )

That's likely your problem. Especially when this engine has 4 head studs, and two bolts to for added clamping of the head to the cylinder (Honda's usual for older engines, so I assume this is no different?). If it were on an automotive application, it'd probably fine. What with the increased number of head fasteners, and higher torque specs.

[fabiodriven]

After seeing this gasket in person I can confirm it is indeed far too thick. Whoever made these did not make them right. I'm no expert on copper, but it was hard too. I don't know if that was due to the thickness or if there are different kinds of copper or something. I could tell before I picked it up it wouldn't work.

[Dirtcrasher]

Yeah, it's junk. Purrs like a kitten again....