Hi guys,
What do you guys recommend for cleaning the mating surfaces of an engine before installing a gasket?
I've seen things from scrapers to 3M scotch-brite pads to 'bristle discs', but I didn't want to just throw money at an item unless I was confident it worked. What have you found successful & what have you had issues with?
Also, has anyone had success with budget torque wrenches, like Mechpro, Toolpro, other (sub $100), what's your experiences?
Thanks for the feedback :). Surface area would be for a head gasket and possibly water pump &/or exhaust manifold surface for gasket if need.
Re: Mechanical discs, what about those Roloc discs? Apparently they're made of a plastic/rubber substance?
I'll have a look for some plastic razors/scrapers.
I missed out on the ALDI torque wrench :/. Have you torqued anything on the engine? Any issues with the cheaper wrenches you have?
I just use a scraper blade and then wipe down with a solvent.
I have the old superworks gold mechanical wrench and a current mechpro digital wrench ($69 on special) and both seem fine. A friend tested the SWG when I got it and it was within spec, but I haven’t had it tested in many years. The digital wrench reads pretty much the same as the SWG and in a “highly accurate” test I have tried tightening untouched factory bolts and it reads correctly.
Thanks for the feedback :). scraper blade like a specific gasket scraper? What solvent do you use? IPA, Acetone, wax & grease remover?
Superworks were a SCA brand, no? Doesn't look like they sell them anymore. How would ToolPro compare to Superworks? What mechpro digital wrench was it? I'm only seeing the digital torque adapter. I found a Digital torque adapter on Amazon ( ThreeH 1/2''(1.5 to 147.6 ft-lbs.) though not sure how 'accurate' it is,
Single sided razor blade, changed frequently to make sure there are no burs. Wurth sealant remover when I have it, and just brake clean when I don’t.
Mechpro torque wrench adapter is what I was referring to.
I use a razor blade for gaskets. I have the toolpro torque wrench but next time would go for a digital one.
You don't like the ToolPro wrench?
Are the razor blades those plastic kind or metal like the ones in a stanley knife?
Yeah just a standard safety razor or Stanley knife blade. The torque wrench works ok, but I find it a bit hard to read the settings and always second guess myself. Also it's pretty hard to feel the clicks on some settings.
If you're talking about an engine and not exhaust components, crc gasket stripper with a scraper or plastic razor depending on alloy.
Engine (head gasket mating surface). Cylinder head appears to be alloy, not sure about the block. Would likely need to do the exhaust manifold gasket too if I remove it.
Thanks for the suggestion on 'crc gasket stripper'. Chemical removal didn't even occur to me. How effective is this compared to mechanical removal? I'm assuming it would be a lot safer on the surface. I'll have a look for some plastic razors as suggested. :)
Very safe. The most effective substance for cleaning I've used.
I used it with plastic scrapers to clean piston crowns and block (heads went to machine shop)
Block and heads alloy.
Torque wrenches you get what you pay for. If you aren’t going to be using it daily a cheaper one will likely suffice, might pay to check the reading (calibrate) occasionally.
True. I'm a DIYer & have never needed to use one before, even for wheel nuts. But looks like I may need one for possibly fixing a head-gasket issue. I didn't want to drop $$$ on one (though would be quality) just to use it once then put it away and may rarely use it again. Was hoping to get a budget one that still does what it's designed for, where I can safely use it, but not have to worry about breaking the bank.
How would one go checking the reading (calibrate)? Are there companies that do calibration work?
There are places that do calibration, but it costs a lot and not likely worth it for DIY. However, I’m sure there are methods available online that would allow you to check the torque settings.
If it’s DIY you don’t really need to calibrate it, just to be aware what the actual torque is when you apply it to XXNm. For example, o got bogged on the beach because my tyre pressure gauge wasn’t reading accurately. I compared it with another gauge and was able to see it was reading a lot lower than it should be. Thought I’d let tyre down to 18, but it was more like 25. Now I know what my gauge reads I can set the pressure to around 10 to get that actual pressure to 18.
Plastic card is sufficient
Like an old credit card?
Yeap, or gift card or myki. Use brake cleaner as a lubricant to clean
Plastic razor blade handles, they are cheap to buy online with 100 blades.
Best torque wrenches are digital. But I'd just get this as it works with a ratchet handle or breaker bar.
And you don't have to buy and store three different sizes of torque wrench either!
https://www.amazon.com.au/Coopack-Digital-Adapter-Electronic…
With cheap torque wrenches (all all for that matter) make sure you click them against a lugnut or something else tight before you use them. From new or after a long time sitting they can bind up and they need to be used a couple of times before they are accurate.
Nearly got caught out on my spark plugs like this.
Depends what surfaces you're talking about - if you're putting in a 3" exhaust gasket for your catback or something similar, hell a bit of steel wool will do the trick. But if you're fitting up an oil pan, water pump etc then be very careful cleaning the surfaces to avoid any scratching, or to have any debris falling into an engine cavity. Wouldn't use any mechanical discs/brushes that fit onto a drill for a surface like that - sometimes I end up using a plastic scraper (like an interior pry trim tool but sturdier) to avoid damaging the fitting surface.
As for torque wrenches, have gone through a few, currently using a cheapo aldi 1/2" torque wrench for bigger jobs and another cheapo mechpro 3/8 for smaller jobs. Haven't got anything to calibrate them with but my cars haven't fallen apart (much) lately.