Is there any easier way to remove old stuck gaskets ?

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

The block gasket on my 500 is well & truly bonded  to the engine casing - is there an easy way other than a scraper with the risk of digging into the soft alluminium?

Soak block in Paraffin for a couple of days?
Steam stripper?
Paint stripping heat gun?
Driveway Jet wash gun?

I don't have a Nurse Julie who I can deligate it to.


.500 block by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

[Nurse Julie]

Haha, my favourite job. Scrape the surface of the old gasket, soak with petrol, leave to soak in and scrape off what lifts. Repeat until done. Most of that gasket will come off it quite big chunks Ted by the looks of it.

[Bryanj]

If thats the spare casing, looks alot better than when i sent it you Ted, you are getting on quickly

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

If thats the spare casing, looks alot better than when i sent it you Ted, you are getting on quickly

This is the bottom case after it's first two cleans with petrol including bottle brushes through anywhere they will fit - my third stage is the outside paint strip - my fourth clean is another petrol wash then finally I wash out the oil ways with more petrol then after painting (outside cleaned with thinners) I pump oil through the galleries etc.

.bottom spare casing (2) by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

.bottom spare casing (1) by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

[Oddjob]

I found some long bottle brushes (with handles) that I could trim to go down the main gallery under the crank Ted, the amount of crap that came out was unreal.

[K2-K6]

Ted, you could make a specific metal scraper to help, out of an old wood chisel.

Grind the end completely flat and square with no shape or angles on it, then radius across the blade (as if you've got it flat on the bench and put a tea cup on top to mark the radius.

Now the flat side of the chisel can be put onto the casting face and you push it along to shear off the gasket without the sharp edge digging into the aluminium, if that makes visual sense.  It's how old fashioned engineering scrapers were made to make flat finishes by cutting the metal when the scraper is lifted up slightly to cut the base metal.

Sounds more awkward than reality, should allow you to clean gasket and leave surface alone.

[Oddjob]

I have a genuine Snap On gasket scraper and it's flat across the cutting surface, your idea of a curved surface though makes a lot of sense. A lot harder to sharpen though I'd imagine.

[Bryanj]

Somewhere i have an air powered snap on gasket scraper, unfortunately no compressor!

[Cappodimonte]

I have a compressor but no air powered gasket remover, that said I’d have thought one of those would be too harsh for Aluminium or Mazak  or whatever Honda use. Again I go for gun wash thinners and immerse the cases it will take a bit of time but will lift and weaken the gasket enough to safely remove it without having to use too much elbow grease. If anyone mentions blowtorch be prepared to lose the casing before the gasket is removed. Seen it done by a clever dick who wouldn’t be told then whinged after the fact.