Topic: Can I use Sealant on my carbourators?

[Newbie 550k]

Ok, so this feels like a stupid question, I just don't want to mess up my carburetor and new gaskets.

Problem: I finished cleaning the carburetor and am now ready to put on the "O" bowl gasket.  I've been reading horror stories of people putting on the gaskets then having them swell once gasoline touches them, which then made them leak.

Solution: I found a post that said to thinly coat the gasket in sealant which will make the gasket resistant to gasoline.

Here is what I bought. Permatex, Gasket Sealant.  a non-harding pliable sealant.  Resists: gasoline, oil, kerosene, glycol, grease, propane and butane.

Is this OK to use with out gunking up the carbs.?

[750goes]

A gasket as a product is meant to seal between two opposing faces....sometimes they are also under pressure, sometimes not.


Do you  mean the bowl gaskets or the drain plugs? either way you do not need to put any sealer on them IMO.

Gaskets are meant to seal between two surfaces,
sometimes they contain hot and sometimes cold, sometimes liquid, sometimes gas...

IF the matching mating surfaces are clean, dry and free from all other deposits, then when the gasket is tightened with the correct torque applied, then in the majority (99%) of cases they will never leak.

BUT if you want to make a perfect seal then you can sometimes assist your endeavours with gasket "goo" of all varieties for all purposes..

THEN when it fails or you need to repair/replace it - clean up the whole mess again, or if no sealant applied, just take the old one off and put on a new one.

[Green550F]

I've had good luck being cheap and using black RTV silicone. but be careful, remember it can ooze in and stick to other parts causing odd problems.

[Newbie 550k]

Well, do you think the sealant I have will work well without causing internal gunked up problems?

[750goes]

Yeah why not, it says what its for and it says it will not react with those other things,

just don't put too much on -- a thin even layer would be better than a thick messy one - good luck 

try not to leave any excess sealant inside the bowls - IMO.

[Newbie 550k]

Cool thanks, I'm off to try it....

[Honda CBer]

there is no reason to use that on your bowls... a new rubber and clean mating surfaces are the way it left honda--- with NO goop...

RTV folks need to be especially careful... that stuff has a definate positive thickness... i.e. as you moosh the parts together, RTV doesnt compress... it simply ooshes out... eventually, these little silly-cone boogers detach themselves and find their way into your oil system (or intake path, if you use it there), scooting around until they either get stuck in the pickup screen, or in one of the passages in your top end...

[cafehonda]

The gaskets leak at first because the gasket needs to soak up some gas to swell and make a perfect seal. Almost all rubber and plastic components shrink and harden because they leach plasticizing compounds into the air. The gas sort of replaces some of these lost components. If the gaskets are new and the surfaces are clean it should not leak. But, if they do, most times they will stop after a few days as the fuel softens and expands the gaskets. You may notice after the new gaskets are a couple of years old that, if you leave the bike for a couple of weeks with the fuel turned off, the float bowls will leak or at least weep for a bit when the fuel is turned on until the gaskets soak up some of that gassy goodness. A small price to pay for the simplicity of no fuel pump.

[cb650]

I've been using Hylomar made by permatex.



                    Terry

[Boomologist]

I have very few rules in my shop. One of them is NO SILICONE IN CARBS! Silicone will degrade when in gasoline, especially gas/alcohol mix. Many times I receive a bike or sled from someone who says it ran fine last season but won't run now. The second place I look is the carbs and a lot of the time there will be some type of gasket sealer used on the float bowl gasket that has turned to "goo" and got into the jetting. I have seen a couple of engines actually destroyed by the over use of silicone on head gaskets. Silicone is designed to be put on very thin. Not 1/2 inch thick and oozing out in big globs.
Don't misunderstand me, silicone does have it's place in the shop but it is probally one of the most over used and misused items.
Sometimes those "O" ring style float bowl gaskets will not stay in place when installing the bowl. I will use a very thin coating of 1011 in the grove of the bowl, wipe most of it out and install the gasket. In this case it is used as a glue and not a sealer. Also 1011, which was designed as a sealer for case halves on two stroke engines, is not effected in any way by gasoline or gas/alcohol mix.

[Green550F]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. If you use silicone make sure it is rated for GAS&OIL. (the blue stuff isn't) This is the most common failure when using silicone.  also the less you can get by with the better for the fore-mentioned reasons.

[RyanLilly]

Newbie 550k, Your talking about Prematex #2, right? It should be OK, but Ive got to go with the others on this one. Try It first without the sealer. But a light coat should not hurt anything. Also If your just having trouble keeping the gaskets in place during installation, a LIGHT coat of black grease will hold them in place, any extra will dissolve in the gas the first time you run it.

-Ryan

[Newbie 550k]

Thanks,

Yes its the number #2.

I used a very small amount on the gaskets, worked great. 

Well see how it goes when I start it on tomorrow.

I know what you guys are saying about using to much.  I just put a very thin coat on the gasket itself, then used a little WD-40 on my finger to wipe up any excess.

[mrbreeze]

Answer.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! HELL NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! and no again!!!!!(Unless you really like the chance of #$%* getting sucked into your jets.) Best bet is to buy quality float bowl gaskets!!!! I have heard Keysters are #$%*!!!! Got mine from Dennis Kirk.....no probs after at least 5 r&r's of float bowl...........Don't use gooo at that  part!!!!

[Ibsen]

Answer.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! HELL NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! and no again!!!!!(Unless you really like the chance of #$%* getting sucked into your jets.) Best bet is to buy quality float bowl gaskets!!!! I have heard Keysters are #$%*!!!! Got mine from Dennis Kirk.....no probs after at least 5 r&r's of float bowl...........Don't use gooo at that  part!!!!

I agree to that.

And the Keyster bowl gaskets I have tried leaked. And once they were soaked with fuel they stretched and got to large for the groove.