civic_driver

Here is how to make your own gaskets.

Choose material

The material of choice is up to you. For an intake manifold gasket or exhaust gasket I would use something more sturdy that will hold up to heat or even go to Lee's or Honda dealer and get the gasket material from there and then cut your own gasket. For less important places such as throttle body or TPS sensor or what have you, I use a single layer cardboard which I'm sure most have laying around the house.


Stamping the gasket for cutout

First clean the surface for which you'll be creating a gasket. To make a blue print on the gasket material, smear some oil on top of the surface--such as the throttle body surface--and then place the part with the surface toward the gasket material. That in effect "stamps" the surface on the gasket material.


Cut it

Now all you gotta do is cut the gasket out. You can use scisscors, precision knives, and so on. Make sure they're sharp so that'd be easier to cut through the gasket material. Smaller knives come in handy as well for cutting out tiny holes.


When placing the gasket, it's a good idea to put some oil (possibly sillicone) in there to make it wet so that it seals tiny uneven areas better. Not the sillicone that hardens but the one that stays as a rubber and is used for sealing.

I just made a gasket for my TPS sensor since I removed it for adjustment. I used a cardboard from an old speaker box. It's a single layer cardboard and is pretty tough for the purpose. I added oil so the gasket seals better.

And I didn't pay anything for the materials.

This could be used as a permanent solution to less important places or a temporary fix till you get the right stuff. For the TPS sensor, I'm leaving my homemade gasket permanently in there.

Good luck, hope someone finds this useful.

fizeks

nice writeup.. imma use your how to next week gj

Luserkid

No offense or anything but i have seen bad problems with DIY gaskets. They actually have a kit at autozone. Its better just to get the OEM gasket.

Now that thats out of the way, you should really add pics of how you did all this. And how they looked and held up.

civic_driver

What type of problems have you seen?

I wouldn't use cardboard on a turbo between the turbo and exhaust if that's what you're refering to. Otherwise cutting your own gasket of appropriate material for the application wouldn't cause any problems.

The material depends on a few factors such as the type of fluid in the system (i.e. water, gas, etc.), whether it's under high pressure, heat resistance, etc.

Cardboard is great for TPS sensor, though. It's holding up great. I'll get pictures next time I make a gasket but the process is simple. I'll show pictures of the stamping process soon.

Different gasket materials and adhesives can be bought for different applications: http://tinyurl.com/7snj9

Luserkid

Yea i could see the cardboard in the TPS. But then again the TPS doesnt even need a gasket. I still dont understand why there is one in the first place. I highly doubt air gets in it. Maybe just to keep dirt out? Anyway. I had cars with vac. leaks with cut out gasket kits from autozone on TB and Intake manifold. Just from them i believe they dont hold. And if they do not for long.

civic_driver

If I buy a gasket for the intake manifold, I'd buy one that doesn't transfer heat from the head to the intake manifold and keeps it cool.

I'd probably roll up my own throttle body gasket if I had to replace for whatever reasons

I don't know what materials/adhesives the autozone ones use but that might have something to do with it.

Also, you have to cut it in a way that will hold, and it has to be thick enough so that when you tighten all the bolts/nuts the gasket has been pressed everywhere around the surface... if it's too thin, it won't work well...

as far as TPS gasket, it could develop leaks if the choke gets worn out and air starts leaking from there into the TPS chamber...