Don't blow a gasket!

I was wondering if it is advisable, or not, to use a gasket sealer on a head gasket?

Thanks!

RandyN

Most gaskets these days don't use a sealer. Just make sure both surfaces are clean and dry. Also, some manufacturers require the head bolts to be re-torqued after running a certain number of hours. Some also say lubricate the bolts with oil and some say don't. A lot of the Perkins and Deutz engines I work on use a torque angle in degrees in addition to a torque figure. As the others have said, get a manual!

Tommy

Another method is simply to spray a light coat of aluminium spray paint on the gasket, and wait til its nearly dried before assembling the head to the block and torquing down the head bolts or nuts.

Some makes of head gaskets had a plastic material applied to serve as a sealant, and the gasket set boxes for those will be marked "do not use a sealant".

cheers

Carla

If you use a gasket that requires sealer and you decide to use aluminum paint, be very careful. There are two types of aluminum paint, one contains real aluminum, the other little plastic balls that look like aluminum.