Use A Wire-Wheel To Clean Head Gasket

KCTractors

Member
Location
Central Wi
Is it ok to use a wire-wheel on a 4 1/2" hand grinder to clean the gasket material off on the engine block and head. I was told not to do that, I tried it on an old block and it seemed to work good!
 
Thats how i clean blocks and heads and other things. Would like to hear why people think you shouldnt use wirewheel.
 
The problem isn't the cleaning, it is the debris, where does the old gasket go, and more importantly, where do the little pieces of wire go.

Rich
 
It would be OK if you are cleaning a completely torn down engine. If just replacing a head gasket, don't use it on the block. There is a chance if just one wire breaks off it can get through the oil pump screen and lock it solid, possibly trashing the complete engine if not shut down right away.
 
I have done it many times. I stuff rags in the piston holes and then blow out the crap you wire wheel off.
 
This doesn't involve wire wheels, but when I was a Claims Adjuster working vehicle service contracts, we'd authorize a shop to replace the intake gaskets in one of GM's no-account 3.4 engines and a coupla thousand miles later we'd get a call on the same vehicle with the bearings out of the lower end.

First question we'd ask the shop was, "Did you use those little abrasive wheels to clean the gasket surfaces when you replaced the intake gaskets?" Invariable they had, and couldn't even put two and two together as to why we asked.

All the grit from the abrasive wheel was going straight into the oil pan. Their claim would then be treated as caused by an improper prior repair.
 
Well, technically if you really think about it, you have a nice flat machined surface on the head and the top of the block. Gasket will seal nicely. Take a wire brush and hold it on a piece of metal for a few seconds at a couple thousand rpm. Kind of has a tendancy to leave a slight depresson in the metal surface. Same way with those 3M discs. May not be noticible to your eye, but it is still there.
 
I have used a knotted wire wheel to clean blocks and heads as long as I knew they existed. Beats the heck out of scraping. Damage the surface? No more that scraping. Doing both is about like putting mustard on a hot dog when wearing a white shirt. If you get sloppy things don't turn out quite like you intended.
 
You can, if you're careful. You don't need it to look like a new penny, just take off gasket material. I would never use one on aluminum.
 
All wire wheels are not the same. The very stiff or knotted wheels will destroy parts as well as take off gaskets and goop. As ASEguy said. You can quickly screw up the surfaces of an aluminum part with any wire wheel or Scotchbright disks if used carelessly. Softer cast iron parts can be destroyed also if you work at it. Carefully watch for rounding and learn to work edges with the wheel working off the edges, not towards them. I have become a big fan of the scrapers that use single edge razor blades. Mine is a K-D.
 
They do sell spray cans of gasket remover.
I can"t say that I have used them very much.

On heads and blocks if you can get access. I scrape off all I can and then wrap 80 grit sandpaper around a file ( be careful and try to keep it flat to the surface ) and then use it to final clean up the surface. This also removes any burrs or high spots too.
 
While getting abrasion and foreign particles in the oil can very well take out the lower bearings, a lot of the GM 3.1 and 3.4 engines have their lower bearings taken out from the antifreeze that leaks into the oil. The silica in the old traditional green antifreeze can take out bearings in no time.
 
Hey G hoed you do last night in all those storms??? I here the Gov has said there is a state of emergency out your way due to the storms and lots of people out there do not have power and many other such problems
 
Hello KCTractors,

Just clean one spot by hand and expose the machining line in the metal. Those have to remain for a proper seal. As others have said, all wire is not created equal, the softer and the thickest is the best. Just don't over do it, or your will not make a good seal.

Guido.
 

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