What did you you guys use to get the graphite/lead/stool off of the block and head? and how did you guys keep the crap from going into coolant and head bolt holes? I bought another graphite **** gasket is there anything like copper spray to use with it? Anyways this is for my beater Dx I`ll be happy if I get another 50,000 miles out of it, I only paid 1400 for it so I am not going to do everything by the book. TIA for any help -kyle

 

bump

 

it just took me an hour to scrape it off with a razor brade scraper, i let it fall into the block and just drained the coolant out and flushed with water before putting the head back on. i sprayed it with copper just to be safe and incase i nicked the head or block with the razor and made a small gouge

 

heat gun+razor.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crx Jimmy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it just took me an hour to scrape it off with a razor brade scraper, i let it fall into the block and just drained the coolant out and flushed with water before putting the head back on. i sprayed it with copper just to be safe and incase i nicked the head or block with the razor and made a small gouge</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thats what I had to do as well, use a razor. And like he said you can easily cut the block itself so be careful. I tried one of those spray on "gasket removers" but they dont work for ****. And yes use copper spray, 3-5 coats is good esp if you get careless with the blade.

 

i think a z6 hg would fit and its metal so no more. crap like that. or you could use a y8 and bump compresion, which is also metal

 

As far as I am concerned, this is the worst job imaginable when working on a car. Trying to get every trace of old gasket off the block without nicking the soft aluminum is next to impossible. When I have done it, I sprayed on gasket remover, waited for it to soak in, and scraped the gasket off as best as I could. I used a broad wood chisel to do the job. This is a better tool to use than a razor blade since it is not flexible, and, therefore, able to retain its flatness (which reduces the chances of gouging the surface). I should also note that it took several tries before everything came off. As for the head, you can save yourself ALOT of trouble here and just have it resurfaced. And yes, DO get a metal head gasket when you put everything together (provided you don't damage the block surface). Metal gaskets make the job MUCH easier, and I thank God that all B-series motors use them.

 

I already bought another graphite one, It was only $27. I already scraped everything off the head, I must admit I did get a little wreckless ha ha. I need to go and get the oil jet o-ring tomorrow so I guess I will get copper spray. I am not sure if the head is flat or not, but I am not going to take it in to get resurfaced, because I don`t care enough to. Thanks for the help though I still have a little on the block left to do. I have changed the metal one on my B18B1 and I would have rather had to take the cams out and had to deal with timing in 2 cams rather than scrape gasket all day.

p.s. If this headgasket blows I will probably not use this motor anymore. I really don`t like having Throttle body injection with an anemic head

 

Get a plastic wheel for a drill or grinder. NAPA sells them, and I think even Wal-Mart does. It's like the harsh side of the sponge. If you get the head resurfaced (or even cleaned right) and clean the block right, you don't need copper spray, especially with that headgasket. It compresses a bit to fill all the imperfections. I used the plastic pad without resurfacing on a friend's V6 Mazda and it was fine, even with a metal headgasket. When you're done, blast the bolt holes and stuff with compressed air, and be sure to flush the coolant when you get it all back together. If you don't have air, carb cleaner works pretty well, it comes out of the can really fast.