Tips to remove stubborn Gasket

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Hendo

Hendo

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Hi All ,

Have had my 1974 850 for a couple of years now and after returning it from a long slumber have had many great miles enjoying the bike.
At the moment in between being very busy on the farm ( lambing season ) and some fine weather, I've removed the timing case cover so I can check the cam chain tension ( I seem to have a very blurry timing when strobed ) .
The timing cover was Very hard to remove,and the gasket left behind prodominantly on the engine case is VERY hard to remove, so does anyone have any tips to easily remove the gasket remains ? short of scraping off with a fine blade and putting bits and pieces all over the timing area, any thoughts appreciated !

cheers Hendo
 
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Regards Mike
 
Brake cleaner on a rag and an old credit card. Takes ages though.
 
Hendo said:
Hi All ,

Have had my 1974 850 for a couple of years now and after returning it from a long slumber have had many great miles enjoying the bike.
At the moment in between being very busy on the farm ( lambing season ) and some fine weather, I've removed the timing case cover so I can check the cam chain tension ( I seem to have a very blurry timing when strobed ) .
The timing cover was Very hard to remove,and the gasket left behind prodominantly on the engine case is VERY hard to remove, so does anyone have any tips to easily remove the gasket remains ? short of scraping off with a fine blade and putting bits and pieces all over the timing area, any thoughts appreciated !

cheers Hendo
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, thee is no one answer as best I can tell unless you can go back in time and tell the previous guy to not use whatever crap he used!

These sometimes help: denatured alcohol, acetone, lacquer thinner, WD40, methylene chloride, naphtha, and so on.

I usually just cut to the chase and use a new single-edged razor blade very carefully along with a good bit of foul language. If you get the angle right you won't hurt the aluminum and you will get the gasket/sealer off. A blade can easily cut the aluminum so I'm really careful.

IMHO, the vast majority good quality gaskets require nothing other than maybe a little grease to hold them in place during installation.
 
I agree with Greg 100% regarding gasket goop, particularly on the timing cover.

I use two 1.25" putty knives. One is thin and very sharp for easier to remove gaskets and getting parts separated, the other is a little thicker and very sharp for harder to remove gaskets. Point is the putty knives are flexible and very unlikely to scrap off any metal while removing the gasket. Still need to be careful though. Cover the timing chain and any other gears, pump, and so on with a rag.

I have a gasket removal tool similar to a wood chisel for cast iron engine blocks. I don't use it on aluminum though. It would work, but require too much take it easy.

The sharpened plexiglass idea is a good one. That's the kind of thing I think of after I do the job, and then forget I thought of it next time I start the same job. ;)
 
Not the best for 'stubborn', but if I am needing to clean a joint face with protruding studs et al, I'll grind the handle end of a toothbrush to a sharp edge. Use the business end to work any solvent in, then scrape away t'other end.... Handy for de-coke, too.
Can be done with brass suede brushes as well, but beware of fallout...
 
I use loctite 518 on one side of the gasket and grease on the other, when the timing cover comes off the 518 keeps it on one side and the grease releases from the other. You can then use the gasket multiple times.
 
Many thanks for all your replies,
They are all very good options as I may have to try them all ! the bike was a low milage bike and the timing case looks like I'm the first to go in there.
The old gasket in most places has gone very hard and seems almost cemented to the engine case,so is going to take a while to remove .
On a side note, the cam chain doesn't seem overly loose,( I haven't measured as yet ) so what would cause my timing when strobing to be very bouncy and not clear and accurate on the timing marks in the primary case ? could a faulty strobe light ? I use a separate battery when strobing

Many thanks Hendo
 
Say what kind of ignition - different possible causes for points, RITA. modern EI, etc. All would be affected if the cam bushing were bad. Of course if you suspect your timing light, try it on your car or another bike.
 
Hendo said:
Pazon altair
Click to expand...
Electronic ignitions are usually steady as long as you have the revs high enough and you keep them stable. If the magnet rotor is loose, it usually moves way too much for the bike to run. If the magnets are weak or too far away I suppose it could cause erratic timing. So, I would verify that my strobe it working correctly before doing anything else (I checked mine on my car). Unless very loose I would not expect the timing chain - it has quite a bit if force keeping it tight between the idler and cam. With a good strobe and the chain checked, I would look at the distance between the magnets and pickups and find out what it is supposed to be - check both pushing the cam inward and pulling outward.

I just rebuilt an engine were the previous dummy left out the beveled thrust washer -- the cam could move a LOT.
 
Hendo said:
Many thanks for all your replies,
They are all very good options as I may have to try them all ! the bike was a low milage bike and the timing case looks like I'm the first to go in there.
The old gasket in most places has gone very hard and seems almost cemented to the engine case,so is going to take a while to remove .
On a side note, the cam chain doesn't seem overly loose,( I haven't measured as yet ) so what would cause my timing when strobing to be very bouncy and not clear and accurate on the timing marks in the primary case ? could a faulty strobe light ? I use a separate battery when strobing

Many thanks Hendo
Click to expand...
Be sure to use a support to hold the intermediate sprocket when tensioning the chain as you will find there to be enough slop in the spindle to throw off the chain tension measurement. There is a plate (previously from OldBritts...but now RGM/AN/CNW(?)) to fit into timing case bolt points or even old/damaged timing covers with areas cut as a sacrafice to hold things in place for this and when torquing the cam sprocket nut. Without using support tension will not be right and you can damaged the casing recess for the spindle, esp when torquing that nut.
 
Thanks Greg , will check cam and strobe working correctly,Tornado thanks , I do have the plate to support the intermediate sprocket.
Do any of you Kiwi norton riders out there know if there are many norton club memebers in Southland ? I'd be keen to try catch up with some for the odd ride, feel free to pm me if there are any out there !
Also I'm going to try to get to the NZ norton rally and meet some of you guys there if possible
 
Hendo said:
Thanks Greg , will check cam and strobe working correctly,Tornado thanks , I do have the plate to support the intermediate sprocket.
Do any of you Kiwi norton riders out there know if there are many norton club memebers in Southland ? I'd be keen to try catch up with some for the odd ride, feel free to pm me if there are any out there !
Also I'm going to try to get to the NZ norton rally and meet some of you guys there if possible
Click to expand...
I don't know how many, I do know we are needing a Dunedin area rep. You might try Brian Jopp or Pres. Murray, they would likely be able to hook you up.

https://www.nocnz.org.nz/contact-us/
 
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