Base gasket leaking?

[EasyRider84]

Originally Posted by tich

This would be great with a caefully measured squish.
But as this would be not far off 16 thou below the manafactured squish it might be to tight

On mine it would of given me a squish of .024" which I would not be comftable with, on a road bike..

Easyrider has intermated he is not wanting to do the measuring this time.

Are you saying go with the .030 tich? I'm worried about piston slap

[poolbizz]

Originally Posted by tich

This would be great with a caefully measured squish.
But as this would be not far off 16 thou below the manafactured squish it might be to tight

On mine it would of given me a squish of .024" which I would not be comftable with, on a road bike..

Easyrider has intermated he is not wanting to do the measuring this time.

Then get james or HD gaskets , but i would still use three bond for base and you wont need to worry about that leaking again ... HD base gaskets are junk

[tich]

Originally Posted by EasyRider84

Are you saying go with the .030 tich? I'm worried about piston slap

Defnatly not!!

40 and at least 16 for the base.

You need to end up with .030 clearance as an ideal. Standard is often about ..040" the new HD gaskets would give you a clearance far in exess which will run fine but not quite as well as you could make it

If your not measuring the squish you have to go safe, and go bigger than maybe!!
Thats what HD do for the production line.
.040" with a .016 base gasket is the old standard size and has always done me fine.

Im running that now giving me a 30 thou squish but I think a previous owner has taken a few thou of the heads as they gave 40 odd thou on the last bike I did.

yamabond has a very good rep' but it will have a clamped down size of "not-a-lot" and I would not want to guess the clearance between head and piston.

On a teky point. Its not known as piston slap, thats something else, its piston clearance
were concerned with here, which stops the piston hitting the head if run to hard when cold.

Piston "slap" is when the skirts of the piston rattle up the side of the bore.

I prefer HD gaskets but I guess they all can fail for some one at some time.

Ive just gone HD base and cometick head. Far to early to say weather the cometick will serve me well.

If I have anouther base leek I may take Poolbizz's advice and get some yamabond to put on the base gasket.


I think you have gone in worrying loop. Get the book, tools and a set of gaskets and have a wk end listning to the radio geting intermet with your bike.
and dont forget to tell us how you got on. Enjoy it.

[EasyRider84]

Thanks Tich. I'm glad to know the difference. I hear ya, I will order the gaskets and hopefully get in to this next weekend if the gaskets come. Where's the best/fastest place to order these from?

[tich]

Originally Posted by EasyRider84

Thanks Tich. I'm glad to know the difference. I hear ya, I will order the gaskets and hopefully get in to this next weekend if the gaskets come. Where's the best/fastest place to order these from?

Google up your local Inderpendant dealer for james, cometick and the like. if you can go local. Im a bit in the sticks and get stuff posted quicker than I can get round to riding over.
HD dealer if you want. If you get lucky they may have the old type (16&40 thou) in stock!
My local one did not have a set VERNIERS to measure them. I had to take my own. But i did get there last old base gasket and I only wanted one.

Some one local to you might chip in with a bit of luck.
How many Charlotts are there?

Good luck.

[EasyRider84]

Dan is saying go with the .030 cometic kit, comes with .020 base gasket. I'll make the order asap, any last minute advice guys?

[tich]

Originally Posted by EasyRider84

Dan is saying go with the .030 cometic kit, comes with .020 base gasket. I'll make the order asap, any last minute advice guys?

On my engine that would give a squish of .024" which is a little tight for a road going engine by most oppinions.

On the previous one it would of been just right.

The only way you can know for shore is to measure it .

It realy is easy. put a half inch length of soft electrical solder (thicker than .050" or twist it to double it up.) on the top edge of your piston stuck with alittle grease, on both sides (above the pin)
put the head on with the old head gasket
Nip the bolts.
With it in gear wind the back wheal untill top dead center is passed.
Wash your hands.
take the head off and with your verniers measure the solder it will now be crushed
record the left and right.

Go by the smallest number. if it has the ideal of .030 and you have a a combined base& head gasket of the .20/.030 then get the same.
it will likely to be more but so will the gaskets that are on your bike.

look at this for abetter description and pics.
http://hammerperf.com/ttcheckingsqui...#measuresquish

In sumary. I would not go to a 50 thou gasket set without measuring first.



56 thou is the minnamum I would consider.
Just measure it Easyrider its pizz easy. then you can follow Dans advice with peace of mind.

If you have light in your work area.
1 evning taking cycle parts off.
2nd evning take of a head and spark plugs out. measure the squish.pull the barrell. and measure the old gaskets.

Order the G's with confidance.

3rd evning pull the other barrel & clean the surfaces.

Wk end Put it all together knowing everything is better than it left the production line.

[EasyRider84]

Being my first time with this stuff, I'd really rather not mess with squish. Not sure what I'm gonna do now, Dan has an impeccable reputation and can't imagine he'd steer me wrong.

[tich]

Originally Posted by EasyRider84

Being my first time with this stuff, I'd really rather not mess with squish. Not sure what I'm gonna do now, Dan has an impeccable reputation and can't imagine he'd steer me wrong.

Firstly you are messing with the squish your just refusing to measure it!

Dan is far more expeirianced than I. .
I can only tell you what the the measurments were on mine.
If its like mine your going to be as close as racing engines with .050 of gaskets.

Im reasnably confidant Dan would not aprove of that.

Dan if your there please jump in!!!!!

Your not going to do anything more by measuring than your doing any way.
Just putting solder in for 5 minits and putting a head back on. Not even torquing them down , just nipped.

Its one extra process, that is easier than the rest of the job.
and far less stresfull than riding off, every time, thinking "is my engine warm enough yet?"

50 thou will proberbly be bang on right but it will be close.
It is not wise to go close without checking.

Thats proberbly why HD have gone daft big with there new head gasket, unless its for so many difrant models its safe for there tightest and "will do" for the rest.

I dont know what else I can say. 3 options. Measure, go big & safe or guess.
Your call.

[EasyRider84]

I'm trying to avoid taking it all apart, measuring squish, and then waiting for parts to arrive. I'd like to do this all at the same time.