What sealant do you suggest for the gearbox gaskets?

Fast Eddie · Nov 21, 2023

Time Warp said:
I still use WellSeal on hard joints, left to tack off for at least 25 minutes (Even the top cylinder head cover which also forms the upper journals for the cam shaft is sealed with WellSeal on my DR780)

Why don’t you use 518 ?

B+Bogus · Nov 21, 2023

I'm also a Wellseal fan, but it really depends on what oil I should be using.
Any thoughts?

I used to apply grease to one side of the gaskets, but they ended up tearing anyway...

baz · Nov 21, 2023

B+Bogus said:
I'm also a Wellseal fan, but it really depends on what oil I should be using.
Any thoughts?

I used to apply grease to one side of the gaskets, but they ended up tearing anyway...

Why don't you apply grease both sides?

Richard Tool · Nov 21, 2023

Time Warp said:
Dow introduced Saran wrap in 1949 but we did not see it until 1966 in the form of Glad Wrap (Made by The Glad Products Company in the USA founded in 1963)
These days it is also marketed as GLAD cling wrap.
Either way it makes it easy to apply 518 sparingly with minimal mess and disposal.

View attachment 111013

#
I never saw the point of applying grease to modern gaskets (It seemed to come from the days of cork usage) when the likes of 515 and 518 add an actual seal and make removal easy also.

I still use WellSeal on hard joints, left to tack off for at least 25 minutes (Even the top cylinder head cover which also forms the upper journals for the cam shaft is sealed with WellSeal on my DR780)

Other amazing products, Pledge (First sold in 1958)
Good on everything from engine cases to plastic (and furniture as intended for)

View attachment 111012

Vanson Leathers recommends original formula Pledge to treat their leather products. Don’t know about the current formula.

concours · Nov 21, 2023

Richard Tool said:
Vanson Leathers recommends original formula Pledge to treat their leather products. Don’t know about the current formula.

Who knew?

What sealant do you suggest for the gearbox gaskets?

I bought a bottle, probably the same as Pledge.

SteveA · Nov 21, 2023

Time Warp said:
Dow introduced Saran wrap in 1949 but we did not see it until 1966 in the form of Glad Wrap (Made by The Glad Products Company in the USA founded in 1963)
These days it is also marketed as GLAD cling wrap.
Either way it makes it easy to apply 518 sparingly with minimal mess and disposal.

View attachment 111013

#
I never saw the point of applying grease to modern gaskets (It seemed to come from the days of cork usage) when the likes of 515 and 518 add an actual seal and make removal easy also.

I still use WellSeal on hard joints, left to tack off for at least 25 minutes (Even the top cylinder head cover which also forms the upper journals for the cam shaft is sealed with WellSeal on my DR780)

Other amazing products, Pledge (First sold in 1958)
Good on everything from engine cases to plastic (and furniture as intended for)

View attachment 111012

In France, Pledge is Plis! But just as useful for stuff you never thought of when you bought it!

MexicoMike · Nov 21, 2023

"In France, Pledge is Plis! But just as useful for stuff you never thought of when you bought it!"

Just like each item in my universal toolkit - a wire coat hanger, WD40 and duck tape! Oddly Duck tape (original name), is now often called Duct Tape in the USA. It's great stuff but nearly useless for duct work. Go figure...

Re gaskets - On gaskets that will be sealing oilI I use a smear of Permatex Motoseal grey - essentially the same stuff as Honda/Yamabond. Who ever saw a Honda leaking oil?

franko · Nov 21, 2023

Pledge. I spray the outside of the glasses I use to ride in the rain. Polish the lenses. The glasses stay clear when riding in rain.

Time Warp · Nov 22, 2023

Fast Eddie said:
Why don’t you use 518 ?

I only use 518 on gaskets sparingly as a precaution (as on a hard to get back to Norton inner gearbox cover compared to the outer for one) but have never been one to substitute a gasket for goop unless the engine had a known oddity (Z1 base gaskets being

Oddly enough (or not) the factory compound for the DR650 head top cover and case joint is 1207 (iirc) which is like a sticky silicone type product but because that engine has been known to weep at the top cover joint I used the classic British product, 1207 on the engine case. (sparingly again)
Only long time will tell long term how that goes. (It had no leaks before getting the 110 mm big bore/big valve and Nova gearbox replacements hence the case split)

As far as WellSeal as a choice, some habits are hard to change and if left to tack off on good surfaces that old school product is hard to beat.
The grey mastic type Three Bond products would also be an option on engine case joints.

I used to use blue Hylomar long ago after it was recommended and given a tube by the diesel mechanics/fitters in the locomotive shop when I was an apprentice back in the 1970's (not a mechanic though)

Mart UK · Nov 22, 2023

MexicoMike said:
Re gaskets - On gaskets that will be sealing oilI I use a smear of Permatex Motoseal grey - essentially the same stuff as Honda/Yamabond. Who ever saw a Honda leaking oil?

I've just taken my '76 750 four apart, due to oil leaks. "Bloody Honda", I thought, until I found chisel gouges across the head gasket surfaces, loose head nuts and one sheared bolt. You may 'meet the nicest people on a Honda', but they're no more competent than other previous owners!

concours · Nov 22, 2023

50% of my our customers "try to fix it" themselves.....

And then I get to mop up the mess.

Some are smart enough to know their limits

SteveA · Nov 23, 2023

Mart UK said:
I've just taken my '76 750 four apart, due to oil leaks. "Bloody Honda", I thought, until I found chisel gouges across the head gasket surfaces, loose head nuts and one sheared bolt. You may 'meet the nicest people on a Honda', but they're no more competent than other previous owners!

There is a school of thought that says on average Honda owners will be less competent home mechanics than owners of most other brands of motorcycle.

Because they get less practice!

This ties in with suggestions that owners of brands like Norton develop competency in direct relationship to periods of ownership, but I think we have some significant evidence which disputes this!

Dan1950 · Nov 23, 2023

SteveA said:
There is a school of thought that says on average Honda owners will be less competent home mechanics than owners of most other brands of motorcycle.

Because they get less practice!

This ties in with suggestions that owners of brands like Norton develop competency in direct relationship to periods of ownership, but I think we have some significant evidence which disputes this!

And Old Harleys are so easy to work on that many hamfisted owners attempt to do repairs. The problem with most older Harleys from the '70s/'80s was the last guy that pulled wrenches on them.

olympus · Nov 23, 2023

If surfaces are sound, thin smear of grease is all that's required, any doubt then wellseal for me

Fast Eddie · Nov 23, 2023

I decant my Wellseal into a glass jar and then use a modelling paint brush to apply it to the surfaces. I can’t quite explain this, but I find it a strangely satisfying process !

Mart UK · Nov 23, 2023

I guess the skill in applying Wellseal is not over-doing it and then leaving it the right amount of time to tack off. I removed some which had dried and blocked the drain passage beside the tappets, I guess from incorrect method on the rocker cover gaskets. That might have been me...

BERT · Nov 23, 2023

Mart UK said:
I guess the skill in applying Wellseal is not over-doing it and then leaving it the right amount of time to tack off. I removed some which had dried and blocked the drain passage beside the tappets, I guess from incorrect method on the rocker cover gaskets. That might have been me...

According to the label it never hardens,. Was it easy to remove in the dried state? I use it myself but have not yet had the need to clean it.

Mart UK · Nov 23, 2023

BERT said:
According to the label it never hardens,. Was it easy to remove in the dried state? I use it myself but have not yet had the need to clean it.

Guitar string down the hole, residue on the string told me what it was. It wasn't totally solid, it was a rubbery texture. I picked some out of the sump strainer, next oil change. The head drains nicely ever since.

BERT · Nov 23, 2023

Mart UK said:
Guitar string down the hole, residue on the string told me what it was. It wasn't totally solid, it was a rubbery texture. I picked some out of the sump strainer, next oil change. The head drains nicely ever since.

I was wondering more about the contact surfaces, not sqeezeout

Mart UK · Nov 25, 2023

I've found it is rubbery, on the whole, but some stubborn staining of the alloy gasket face. Like most compounds, just make sure you catch any you're removing, to avoid it being transferred down into oilways.

What sealant do you suggest for the gearbox gaskets?

Fast Eddie

B+Bogus

baz

Richard Tool

concours

SteveA

MexicoMike

franko

Time Warp

.......back to the 70's.

Mart UK

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