Jammed exhaust gaskets (gs500 E -81)

[SuziGS_project]

Hello everybody,

Big problems with very tight gaskets. Engine is standard 492cc 4 cylinder.
Have anybody else found a good solution to this problem?
Pliers would not do (or are they of wrong type?).
I guess they have never been changed and mileage is about 62000.
Is there any safe way to remove them without ruining cylinder head ?
Burning did not work since they are made of unburnable material..

Is there a special tool made for this job ?

[DimitriT]

There is no special tool. I use a flat screwdriver and a hammer. I get screwdriver under the gasket and pull until the gasket folds in a bit. Eventually it does come out. I don't recommend this but in extreme cases I've taken a wood chisel and cut the gasket through in two places. Then I pry the halves out.

[mark]

The best way to get them out is with a small screw driver. Stick it into the gasket and twist until you can get enough of the gasket to begin splitting it apart, then pull it out. They are fairly thick so you shouldn't do any damage to the head if you are reasonably careful.

[Tom MLC]

You may be able to work an offset screwdriver between the crush gasket & the head surface. Then work it around.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00941315000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Screwdrivers&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

[onchiman]

One word of caution, Some of the gaskets i've removed were constructed with some sort of thin flat steel wound around several times. Once I pried it, the steel started to unwind so I reached in a pulled on it. MISTAKE! That stuff is sharp as a razor blade. Use pliers please.

[SuziGS_project]

Jammed exhaust gaskets - removed !

Many thanks to everybody for fast and good help !

It looked that my case was really of that 'extreme' type.

DimitriT - chisel was really needed engine must have been run very warm sometimes because they looked as
melt.. no way to manage just with screwdriver - and much more separate pieces of them came out :-D

Onchiman - you are right. My gasgets were just that
'thin flat steel' -type and I really did not want to touch the pieces with my bare hands.