Trouble Removing Old Gasket From Aluminum Crankcase Cover

[Markus]

I've been at this off and on for a month, I can't seem to find any way to safely remove the gasket without dinging up the mating surface! I've been trying to find a way online, and I see two main suggestions, razor blade and brake cleaner, or using the plastic attachment on the end of the drill. Both ways have scratched my mating surface. I've had my best luck with a metal scraper and brake cleaner. . . with a ding here and there. . . The gasket seems to be extremely stuck to the mating surface, because even when I used the plastic attachment on the end of the drill it does not remove even nearly as easily as in all of the YouTube videos.

I have tried:
Plastic scrapers - no luck
metal scraper with brake cleaner - works the best, time consuming, can ding up the surface
Plastic attachment on the end of the drill - works the fastest, but horrible on the mating surface!
Razorblade - Faster than the metal scraper but I stopped using because I was worried I would gouge the surface!

I have not tried:
Soaking the gasket in diesel -regardless, I still couldn't soak the crankcase portion in diesel. . .
Gasket Remover Product, by Permatex. . . This is more than likely my next attempt. . .

Secondly, I am confused about the fact that no matter which method I choose, when I go to remove the gasket from the crankcase portion little pieces of gasket are bound to fall within the crankcase. . . ? How do I avoid this.

Thanks, appreciate any and all advice.

-Mark

P.S. I am almost done with the crankcase cover gasket removal now, with unsatisfactory results in my opinion, and roughly 5 hours of carefully scraping it away. I would not like to spend 5 hours in my garage in 10 Fahrenheit temperatures working on the crankcase portion of the gasket. . .

 

[Nessism]

Get the Permatex stuff and use a single edge razor blade. The new version of Permatex isn't as good as the old stuff with high VOC's, so hopefully you can get the better stuff.

 

[Guest]

i have found a sharp wood chisel is better than a razor blade, the length and flat back gives me more control. it is a pita, no matter how you do it.

 

[Steve]

For items like a valve cover, I also use a long flat file. Keep it flat to the cover, so it straddles two or three edges, assuring that it is flat and square. If your file is new and sharp, it won't take many strokes to remove the softer gasket material.

Good luck with the engine side.

When you re-assemble, do not use any sealer, that will just bring back the aggravation you are having right now. Wet your gasket with a light film of grease or oil (engine oil or WD-40), it will not stick to either surface and come off cleanly next time.

.

 

[tom203]

I've had good luck with the square end of small stainless ruler- conforms nicely to hand and rides on narrow surfaces without gouging. But you still need the single edge razor or equivalent for tough stuff.

 

[DimitriT]

wood chisel. Very very sharp. The sharper you can get it the better. Did I mention it should be sharp.

 

[blowerbike]

single sided razor and SWEAT....

 

[Markus]

Finished! Took me a really long time, as I'm a perfectionist. On the engine side, i applied permatex stuff, which allowed me to remove most of it, until the nozzle on my can snapped. I then resorted to carberator cleaner, after many hours I have a near unscratched engine side mating surface. Now hopefully the bit of damage I did on the crankcase cover itself doesn't cause it to have an oil leak. The scratches from my previous attempts were really really small, I believe it is just me being paranoid that it may not seal up properly!

 

[cl4yd0h]

I had the damnedest time removing the base gasket from both surfaces.. I understand what you went through. It put my project on hold for about 2 weeks.. Go out there, try something different, get frustrated, give up, repeat. I could not believe how friggen stuck it was. I've never seen any gasket this difficult before. It was practically fused together. Even razor blades wouldn't cut to the bottom of it.. The 3M rolok on a drill is about the only thing that would eventually burn through it and it definitely leaves its mark in the aluminium. But you can't really use on the top case or in between the sleeves.

That permatex stuff is JUNK, it literally does nothing.
I tried soaking it in 160 degree water for hours
I tried chem dip
Tried Carb cleaner
Tried various oils in an effort to soften it up
Final chemical I tried was Zip Strip (Methylene Chloride) Stuff is NASTY. Didn't help at ALL.

The final solution was just removing as much as possible with a roloc, then scotch brite pads and carb cleaner. 4-5 Beers, Music, and very sore fingers later, it was finally GONE.