Gaskit Sealer ?

[N5HNY]

I am putting my Big Red 250ES motor back together.

It is not a complete tear down. I am just going to put the rockerbox cover and the engine clutch cover back on.

I noticed the gasket material still on there doesn't look like it had any gasket sealer on it. Do these gaskets not require any sealer on them ? If so what kind does the factory use.

I don't think I want to use the old tried and true silicone.

[daputz]

I like to use hondabond..........hasn't let me down yet.

[N5HNY]

What is Hondabond ?

[trainingwheeler]

honda bond is just a high temp rtv silicone sealer . i really like "the right stuff" gasket maker for all sorts of stuff maybe not this application but i use it on auto thermostat housings & its immediate service & you dont have to wait overnight like RTV . the stuff is awesome & it comes in a cheez whiz like can

[MTS]

Get some yamabond, it will work good, itss not chunky like RTV and dont take as long to dry, i wouldnt use any as long as the gasket surface's are flat and not gouged up, but most are...

[jeswinehart]

Get some yamabond, it will work good, itss not chunky like RTV and dont take as long to dry, i wouldnt use any as long as the gasket surface's are flat and not gouged up, but most are...

Yamabond ,,,. (you don't use too much of anything on the top ends ).

john

[blue27]

I use Hondabond, its a semi drying sealer which is good anywhere a gasket is not used (rocker cover,center cases) because as the motor goes through its heat cycles the aluminum will shrink and expand and the Hondabond will not wear or break like RTV. I have tried the Yamabond and feel its to runny(sp). Do not use to much just a thin coat and try not to use so much that when the parts are thightened it does not squish into the motor.

[N5HNY]

Guys......

I know how to use different sealers.

There are the copper coat type, silicon, and others.

The main idea I was trying to get across is that I don't want to ruin this gasket right off. If I assemble something wrong and have to remove the cover again. If I ruin the gasket I don't want to have to get another complete gasket set. I had to that this time because I couldn't find the single gasket.

I don't mind making a gasket, but I haven't been able to find the material you used to get at parts stores to make one. I used to get that stuff all the time years ago. I almost never bought gaskets.

Guess I could use the silicone and just form a gasket.

I didn't take this thing apart, so I am not sure if it will go back the way it should. I have the factory manual, but there is always the chance I will dork it up.

Thanks for the input though. It is appreciated.

[thedeatons]

Please reference www.bikebandit.com for the gaskets. The valve cover does not have a gasket installed according to the fiche (I referenced a 1985 ATC250ES) and the crankcase cover gasket is ~$13. I personally would not use an additive where there is already a specific gasket in place. Regarding the valve cover, I would use a light coating of any of hte gasket makers mentioned above, the choice boils down to personal/brand preference. Silicone/RTV is not a cure-all, no matter how redneck you are. If Honda did not put it there from the factory, chances are it does not need it..... Good luck, James

[N5HNY]

Not sure how to take that James. Are you saying I am a redneck ? LOL !

I don't usually use sealers to make a gasket. I have on primary covers on old Harleys and Triumphs because they seem to work BETTER than a gasket.

I haven't looked at the breakdown on the parts. I ordered the cheap gasket set which was $35 for a complete engine set.

I was told I couldn't get one through my local supplier. So I guess $35 for a complete set ain't bad considering the one gasket is $12 or so at bikebandit.

I went out and looked at the mating surfaces carefully. I think I can get away without any sealer at all.

Your right about what the factory uses. And liberal doses of silicone can and will get to places in an engine that it's not supposed to be.

[thedeatons]

Glad to see you didn't take that the wrong way... "I mean you no harm" (Yoda)....

[Vealmonkey]

n5hny,
Often when I use gaskets, like rebuilding carbs, I put a little chapstick on them. It was a trick I learned from an old rebuilder of harleys. The gaskets usually come apart real nice in case you have to take them apart again. There is no substite for gaskets, but a little chapstick will help them come apart again real nice.

[BigWheel]

I build/rebuild gearboxes for a living including aluminum case units. Ive had very good results from Permatex #2 form-a-gasket sealant.

I just had to remove and weld up my clutch cover and used some with the old gasket. Just put some all around both surfaces and pushed a little in and around the the old stuck on gasket. No need to let dry.

Running great again with no leaks at all.

Cheap at any autoparts store.

[twoodward15]

permatex makes a gasket dressing. I used it yesterday to put my quad back together. it worked great. Chapstick huh? Sounds good. I'm in the military. I fix airplanes (airforce) for a living. I'm actually a fuel system mechanic. we use this stuff called petrolatum. It's almost the same as vaseline. When you need to get that pesky o-ring into the groove of the float bowl you can put a bunch of vaseline on it, get it into the groove as best you can, through it in the freezer for 5 minutes, take it out, seat the o-ring completely, and IMMEDIATELY install it onto the carb or refreeze to buy yourself some time.
Yes, I fix all my leaky fuel tanks. The one on the quad I just bought has about 50 hole in it. I scraped all the bondo and jb weld that the idiot before me put on there (I paid $200 for a project trx200sx with a bad tnak and a broken left side cover, gottem fixxed for free and back together in under a week. Just waiting on a new chain and sprockerts and I'll be riding) and wire brushed (and wheeled) the tank until it was bare metal. Then I sealed it up and leak checked it over night with fuel. I primed it and painted it and you'd never know it was fixxed!

[Unclediezel]

The Chapstick does work very well, Ive used it on ALL Holley4 barrels that Ive built--They dont leak--and they come apart like butter -even after 2or 3 years.

As Far as hondabond + Yamabond, I have another for ya----Fel-Co bond--
Thats right folks--Felpro gasket adhesive---THEY ARE ALL MADE BY PERMATEX--