Exhaust Gaskets

[emschwar]

When I took my '82 GS750T into the mechanic to make it live again (see my GS Stories thread), I had put some exhaust gaskets (part #14181-01D00, at least that's what Temecula Motorsports says) in behind the pipes before I put them in. My mechanic said I needed to put some gasket maker (he recommended The Right Stuff) in between the gaskets and the pipes. Does that make sense? The only thing I'm worried about is the instructions say to tighten everything down within a minute of applying the stuff, and there's no way I can get the exhaust on properly in less than 10, and that's being wildly optimistic.

And while I'm at it, I'm not clear on what the specs are for torquing down the exhaust clamps onto the engine. If I'm reading my Clymer correctly, it looks like it might be 1.5m/kg, but that seems kinda light, so I suspect I'm confusing something.

[Glen]

Are these the crush-type gaskets? If so, I've removed the exhaust on my '83 1100E about 4 times and I've replaced the gaskets every time. I've never used any sealant and I haven't had a leak. I can't find the torque specs for the bolts so I crank on them pretty good. Hope this helps

[bwringer]

Stop going to that mechanic -- I'm not going to say he's a complete idiot, but that's a pretty idiotic statement, and he should know better.

You don't need any sealer on crush gaskets -- that's sort of the whole idea of crush gaskets. They deform during installation, forming a tight seal. You can usually get away with re-using them once or twice, but it's best to replace them each time. I always keep a couple extra sets around.

There may be two sleeve gaskets under the engine where the pieces of the exhaust clamp together (not entirely sure about your bike, but that's the way the shafties work). These do not get any sealer goop either, although it is common to find that they need to be replaced after 25 years of removal and replacing.

Excessive and unnecessary sealer goop is one of my pet psychotic hatreds...

[emschwar]

Glen, turns out I put one of them in wrong, and it got bent, so maybe that's what the noise we were hearing was. Unfortunately, I have to wait now for the replacement gaskets, because I didn't plan ahead and have them ready when I took off the pipes.

[emschwar]

bwringer: in all fairness, I'm a pretty novice mechanic myself, so I might well be misrepresenting him. But we were hearing some pretty significant noise from the exhaust that shouldn't have been there; I suspect he probably assumed I knew what I was doing (not a fair assumption most of the time), and therefore something was wrong that needed the sealant.

[Glen]

Glen, turns out I put one of them in wrong, and it got bent, so maybe that's what the noise we were hearing was. Unfortunately, I have to wait now for the replacement gaskets, because I didn't plan ahead and have them ready when I took off the pipes.

I bought a 3-pack on ebay a while ago, I'm dying for that to come around again. It was definitely worth it.

[Kitten Tooth]

I've had to swap exhaust systems on my GS300Ls multiple times. I never used a torque wrench. I tighten the exhaust manifold down as much as a fell necessary and i start the bike. If any exhaust gets out from around the manifold, i tighten it down further with a regular socket wrench. Just tighten as much as you think you can without stripping the block. It works great for me. Also I don't know about bigger bikes but i don't think my exhaust system even has gaskets(I don't see any in the holes on the motor). So i don't know if you even need gaskets. Also, a good way to put your exhaust on quickly is to bolt up the exhaust in the back first (usually theres mounting hardware that the passenger foot peg bolts to as well) and then do everything else after that.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I've had to swap exhaust systems on my GS300Ls multiple times. I never used a torque wrench. I tighten the exhaust manifold down as much as a fell necessary and i start the bike. If any exhaust gets out from around the manifold, i tighten it down further with a regular socket wrench. Just tighten as much as you think you can without stripping the block. It works great for me. Also I don't know about bigger bikes but i don't think my exhaust system even has gaskets(I don't see any in the holes on the motor). So i don't know if you even need gaskets. Also, a good way to put your exhaust on quickly is to bolt up the exhaust in the back first (usually theres mounting hardware that the passenger foot peg bolts to as well) and then do everything else after that.

IT has a gasket, usually they are crushed pretty good and it is hard to tell that it is not part of the head. You actually need to dig the old gasket out to replace it

[Kitten Tooth]

Yea, i kinda figured i was wrong about that
I need new gaskets.

[bwringer]

bwringer: in all fairness, I'm a pretty novice mechanic myself, so I might well be misrepresenting him. But we were hearing some pretty significant noise from the exhaust that shouldn't have been there; I suspect he probably assumed I knew what I was doing (not a fair assumption most of the time), and therefore something was wrong that needed the sealant.

To be even more fair, some aftermarket exhaust systems for modern bikes require sealer in between the pipe sections, usually where the slip-on mounts. That's probably what your mechanic was thinking of.

But there's no sealer that can or should be used at the cylinder head -- there's nothing you can squirt in there that will withstand the exhaust heat and stay flexible enough to do its job. NASA might have something they use on rocket engines, but they probably won't give you any...

I have found that a lot of people will swear that there are no exhaust gaskets in their bike until you reach in there with a small screwdriver and dig them out. If they've been in there a while, they're very hard to see.

[67fire]

As my exhaust is a one piece welded system, I have taken it off more times than I can count and have reused the factory crush gaskets each time. (nine bolts in all) Still no leaks. I did lightly coat them with Ultra-Copper when I initially installed them so that they would not move... and they haven't yet! I also use anti-seize on the threads of the bolts each and every time. Torque them to roughly 15 Ft.Lbs. and you are golden.

Eric