re-use cylinder gasket?

[timmyg]

Can I re-use the cylinder gasket on my 50 special? Looks clean and has no nicks. Thanks in advance

Tim

 

[Bob95065]

Let's think about this: Is it worth jeopardizing a piston and cylinder for a gasket that you can get for $4? If your old gasket doesn't seal and you run lean you risk scoring your piston and/or your cylinder.

IMHO it doesn't make sense to use old gaskets if replacements are available. If you can't get them you can cut a new one out of gasket material using the old one as a pattern.

 

[Roanoker494]

I have done it before but it is kind of like gambling and it could come back to bite you in the rear. The 50 special was only built in 89-90 so that gasket could be as much as 23 years old, I believe it may be time for a new one......... If all else fails go down to a local auto parts stores, get a sheet of gasket material and make your own.

 

[SkippyKtm]

Set the squish to .020. A beer can gasket with a little moto seal works great...

 

[bplust]

I have done it before but it is kind of like gambling and it could come back to bite you in the rear. The 50 special was only built in 89-90 so that gasket could be as much as 23 years old, I believe it may be time for a new one......... If all else fails go down to a local auto parts stores, get a sheet of gasket material and make your own.

+1 on that.

If you've reused one before and recognize what is good for a second life, than go with it. Otherwise, spend the $1 and 10 minutes (tops) of your time and make a new one.

 

[lentil]

No, much cheaper to buy or make a new one, rather do that than have machine busted up and needing to pull apart and spend MORE money on it.

 

[timmyg]

Reusing gasket

No, much cheaper to buy or make a new one, rather do that than have machine busted up and needing to pull apart and spend MORE money on it.

Thanks for all of your replies. Before I received any replies, I went ahead and used the old one. The saw had not been starting, so I decided to pull it apart. Never done this before. It was interesting and fun. The top of the piston was pretty loaded up. I cleaned all the black off and also polished the top of the compression chamber too. Polished up the exhaust port. Then carefully and evenly tightened the cylinder screws. All back together, I was not optimistic about it starting. Surprise, 4 pulls (always normal) and it started right up and runs great.

Now, you guys have me wondering if I should go back in and replace gasket anyway. Is there a way to check for leaks? Wouldn't soapy water get sucked into a leak? I'm really new to 2 cycle repair. If you couldn't tell.

The way the saw ran leads me to believe that all is ok. Next time I'll certainly use a new gasket. Thanks again to all. Great forum. Won't be long and I'll be doing muffler mods lol.

tim

 

[Jacob J.]

If the saw is running fine, there's no sense in tearing it apart again just to swap out
base gaskets. In the time I was working in dealerships, we'd have saws come through
with more wear and tear on them from guys tinkering with them rather than using them.

A cylinder base gasket really doesn't see much pressure. People think that because their
saw is blowing 165 psi on a compression tester, the base gasket has to withstand that
much pressure. The reality is, all that compression is at the top of the cylinder and the
base gasket sees relatively little pressure. In most modern saws, the case gasket actually
sees more stress than the base gasket. The case is usually narrower by comparison and
has to deal with the case halves warming and cooling at different rates, along with the
longitudinal forces of the machine in operation.

 

[timmyg]

reusing cyl gasket

​

If the saw is running fine, there's no sense in tearing it apart again just to swap out
base gaskets. In the time I was working in dealerships, we'd have saws come through
with more wear and tear on them from guys tinkering with them rather than using them.

A cylinder base gasket really doesn't see much pressure. People think that because their
saw is blowing 165 psi on a compression tester, the base gasket has to withstand that
much pressure. The reality is, all that compression is at the top of the cylinder and the
base gasket sees relatively little pressure. In most modern saws, the case gasket actually
sees more stress than the base gasket. The case is usually narrower by comparison and
has to deal with the case halves warming and cooling at different rates, along with the
longitudinal forces of the machine in operation.

Thanks for the valuable info Jacob