Author Topic: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.  (Read 12942 times)

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Offline Duanob

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Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« on: July 16, 2011, 04:44:58 PM »
Found a decent trick that worked for me. My bowl gasket o-rings were getting stretched beyond use. All the glue in the world won't hold them in place anymore.

Install the o-ring gasket in the groove all the way around the bowl. When you get to the point of the extra that won't lay smooth, cut it. LAy one end in the groove, lay the other over it and cut to fit. Do this in a straight stretch of the bowl. Then take some Permatex Type 2 gasket sealer (it's pliable and fuel resistant) and dab it in the cut area and install it on the carb body. Let it set for an hour before letting gas into the bowl. I haven't seen on of these fixes leak yet. Eventually you will buy new ones but this fix will get you on the road while waiting for the new one to come in and the fix will last you until you absolutely nessecarily need to open the bowls up again.



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Offline lucky

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Re: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2012, 09:23:07 AM »
Found a decent trick that worked for me. My bowl gasket o-rings were getting stretched beyond use. All the glue in the world won't hold them in place anymore.

Install the o-ring gasket in the groove all the way around the bowl. When you get to the point of the extra that won't lay smooth, cut it. LAy one end in the groove, lay the other over it and cut to fit. Do this in a straight stretch of the bowl. Then take some Permatex Type 2 gasket sealer (it's pliable and fuel resistant) and dab it in the cut area and install it on the carb body. Let it set for an hour before letting gas into the bowl. I haven't seen on of these fixes leak yet. Eventually you will buy new ones but this fix will get you on the road while waiting for the new one to come in and the fix will last you until you absolutely nessecarily need to open the bowls up again.

DO NOT DO THIS people!!!
It can lead to a fire. Very bad advice!!

Do not remove the float bowl O ring in the first place unless you know it is leaking.
If you spray the O ring with carb spray (trichlorethyelene), the O ring will swell up and never fit right again.
Float bowl O rings almost NEVER go bad.
Just smear a little Vasoline on the float bowl with O ring when you put the float bowl on.

You do not need to replace the float bowl O ring just because you took the float bowl off.

Offline jezland

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Re: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2016, 02:30:32 PM »
I'll second the DO NOT CUT sentiment.

If the O-ring gaskets are stretched out and do not fit, check out this thread: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=32651.0

I can vouch personally that I has success with the boiling water (helps remove the soaked-in gas; you'll smell it) and then pop them in the toaster oven on low for 10 minutes. Fit like new after that.
'76 CB550K

Offline alienlifeform

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Re: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2020, 12:30:00 PM »
I can ALSO vouch personally that the "soak in boiling water and then pop them in the toaster oven on low for 10 minutes" technique works. Amazing.

Offline madmtnmotors

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Re: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2020, 04:01:42 AM »
Wow, this is one slow motion zombie thread. Took six months for the second post, four years for the third post, and another four years for the fourth post.

I'll be sure to check back in another four or five years...  ::)  ;D
TAMTF...


Wilbur



Projects:
"Evolution": http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=100352.0
"P.O. Debacle": http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,126692.msg1441661.html#msg1441661
F2/F3 O-rings: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=113672.msg1300721#msg1300721
Cam Tower Studs: https://www.mcmaster.com/#93210a017/=t19sgp
Clean up that nasty harness: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=137351.msg1549191#msg1549191
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,148188.msg1688494.html#msg1688494
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,139544.msg1579364.html#msg1579364
                                          
Charging system diagnosis: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=1012.msg8345#msg8345
Get the manuals: http://manuals.sohc4.net/cb750k/
The Dragon: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=45183.msg1571675#msg1571675
Headlight Switch: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=113986.msg1283236#msg1283236
Branden's leak free top end thread: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=107040.0
Engine Lifting Made Easy: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,58210.msg1684742.html#msg1684742
                                      http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,100352.msg1675840.html#msg1675840
Static and Dynamic Timing: http://www.hondachopper.com/garage/carb_info/timing/timing1.html
Airbox Gasket Replacement: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,114485.msg1290000.html#msg1290000
"Café" : http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,84697.msg953814.html#msg953814
PD Carb Choke Linkage: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,100352.msg1669248.html#msg1669248
                                    http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,110931.msg1248354.html#msg1248354
                                    http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,48858.msg515204.html#msg515204
Follow up on your damn posts: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,144305.msg1791605.html#msg1791605
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Tank Latch: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,165975.msg1919495.html#msg1919495
Shorten your forks: http://vintage-and-classic-honda-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/How-to-shorten-forks-td4042465.html DO NOT CUT THE SPRINGS!
Clutch How To: http://vintage-and-classic-honda-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/How-to-change-and-adjust-a-clutch-SOHC-td4040391.html
Late model K7/K8/F2/F3 front sprocket cover removal: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,178428.msg2072279.html#msg2072279
630 to 530 conversion: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180710.msg2094423.html#msg2094423

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Offline newday777

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Re: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2020, 04:24:55 AM »
Wow, this is one slow motion zombie thread. Took six months for the second post, four years for the third post, and another four years for the fourth post.

I'll be sure to check back in another four or five years...  ::)  ;D

It happens because people do not read the post dates. I've seen it lots on multiple forums. They don't read through the replies before posting a reply.....
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 2 K4, 2 K6, 1 K8
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A

Offline Redline it

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Re: Dealing with stretched carb bowl gaskets.
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2020, 01:43:45 PM »
i found a pretty good solution couple weeks ago and still holding out. well the holding out will be known in under 5 mins after application. i have orings that have been running for a year now. i had to take bowls off because of gas leaks the whole year, i thought the inlet needles were all bad but the gas leak would form around all bowl joints where the orings go into. my bowl joints are all slighty bowed from over tightening oversized orings in the past, you can't bend them back either, bodies and bowls will have a gap. but onto the fix of reinstalling the "expanded" oring into the groves:
Place as much oring into a straight leg of the groove, clean and dry groves and orings are important, now take a piece of straight masking tap and only cover the oring to its edge with the clean straight edge of the tape, then feed the oring into the next straight leg, and with another straight cut of tape cover the oring just to it's inner edge, the last 2 legs start to push or cram more oring in and tape. once it's in, hold with your palm, and push the screws through and without scratching the bowl mating surface on inner side of the screw you'll want a tear in the tape for easier extraction. all around the bowl you should have tape extending out, you don't want to tape it to the sides of the bowl. mount the bowl and snug it flat to the body, when they are all in, turn the gas on, you shouldn't have any leaks, when the bowls are full shut the gas off and loosen the bowl evenly only enough so the tape will then slip out and not the oring.  the tape, it'll come right out unless you didn't cut the tape or tear it. then youll have to wiggle it back and forth to get the tape to come out around the corners.  it takes only a slight bit of a second to do the taping. it wont work for shrunken orings because there's no lip on the inside of the bowl groove. don't use any types of hardening glue like crazy glue in the corners, it'll work but then you'l be more prone to "cleaning the groove," that's when you'll possibly scratch the groove. you don't want to use anything harder than the metal it's made out of to clean it, and if it's dirty even plastic can scratch it. no scratches in the groove. don't use oversized diameter orings, unless everything is trashed. that sealing joint is designed to compress the oring so the groove will just be filled with the oring at the point the 2 "flat" mating surfaces come together. there's not alot room for errors nor scratches. slightly over sized diameter orings will bend the corners on the bodies and the bowls. if you tried to bend them back they'd break.