Head gasket residue removal

If I end up fixing the head gasket on on e30, what is the best way to get head gasket residue off of the block side before reassembly? The short block will most likely stay in the car for this and the head will be surfaced at a machine shop

How do Hermes do this without damaging the block surface or leaving residue?

With a scraper, carefully.

For careful scraping, I've used an edge of a credit/membership card. I can't comment on how it will work for a head gasket.

If it's gooey stuff you're trying to clean, i've used brake cleaner in the past sprayed on a rag, NOT the block.

Or there's combustion chamber cleaner you could use that might be safer.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: With a scraper, carefully.

That is what I am afraid of! Carefully is much harder leaning over a fender!

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: If it's gooey stuff you're trying to clean, i've used brake cleaner in the past sprayed on a rag, NOT the block. Or there's combustion chamber cleaner you could use that might be safer.

I am thinking it is mostly going to be baked on oil and coolant residue with small bits of gasket material as a filler. But I haven't hootenannies that deep in the disassembly yet to know for certain

I just went through this on my Nissan truck a few weeks ago (iron block though) . I found a real live gasket scrapper (Lisle brand I think) to be the best thing. I was used a little solvent.

I take a razor blade, and scrape it away verrrrrry carefully. Instead of holding the blade at an angle like you normally would to cut things, I hold it straight up and down, perpendicular to the surface that you're scraping. always make sure that the width of the blade exceeds the width of the surface at all times, so that you don't accidentally dig in to the block surface with one sharp end or the other. It makes a HORRIBLE sound, but that means that you're doing it right. :-)

Oh, and don't forget the clean rags to catch your debris!

rag in each cyl. Fill water jackets with shaving cream, yes shaving cream cheaper the better this way the scrapings will float on top and not end up plugging you rad or heater core. When done use a shop vac to suck off the scrapings and if you want to pull out the foam but theres realy no need youll be doing a fill and flush after the head i'm sure.

I've used spray-on gasket removers with good success.

Probably not the answer you're looking for, but having done the razor blade thing to remove old gaskets too many times (and often in a parking lot) I finally ponied up and got some 3M Roloc wheels like most professional mechanics use. I use compressed air on a high speed rotary tool (think die grinder/cut off wheel) with these wheels and it cleans up a gasket surface extremely well in short order. There are different compounds depending on if you're doing soft metal (aluminum) or harder (cast iron), and different sizes depending on your needs. Razor blades are not only a PITA, but fairly dangerous and of course it's quite easy to damage the sealing surface on aluminum, in particular. The Roloc wheels are a joy to use, and if you've already got the high speed rotary tool it's only a few bucks for the attachments and the wheel.

For those of you who do the razor blade thing and hate it, try the Roloc wheels. It's like the internet, you'll wonder how you lived without it before.

As far as goo goes, typical brake/carb clean does the job fine. If there are particularly hard to remove silicone bits (such as Permatex Right Stuff), you can remove that with Permatex Gasket Remover, available at almost all part stores.

Bryce

Light emery or wet paper under flat* metal stock wider than the deck width, wet liberally w/ choice of solvent and lightly skim surface end to end till all gasket residue is removed and a uniform pattern appears. Paper may show where the deck surface has pulled up around the head bolt threads in block, a gasket scraper won't, maybe wanna file them down. Don't dwell in one spot too long. Stuff oil wetted (like WD) shop towels in bores to collect debris.

edit: * and I mean flat, flat flat

All of my heads and blocks are aluminum so YMMV. I use the rolocs along with gasket remover. First I fill passages with shaving cream. I also stuff those blue paper "rags" in the cylinders and spray the shaving cream on top of that. After that I just vacuum out the whole mess with the shop vac. Just remember to be patient and dont press down hard, hurry, or run the disc at top speed.

In reply to fasted58:

My grandpa used to do something similar with a large sheet of glass with wet/dry sandpaper on his work table and a liberal pour of wd40.

The finest "grit" fingered Roloc disc, and NOT the "cookies", available for the old stuck on fiber gaskets. For all the newer MLS gaskets, I have been told to use nothing sharper or harder then a block of wood. Leave the colored imprint, but get the flakes off and just wipe clean.

Goof Off Graffiti remover I have found to be the best gasket and gasket goo remover. Spray on let stand a minute or less and clean with your sraper of choice. Repeat as needed as the stuff flashes off fast.

Chemicals (goof off, carb/brake cleaners)

Scraper (putty knife, razor blade, or gasket scraper) very carefully

A honing stone works pretty well too. It also is a very flat surface for even scraping, but it clogs easily

Rolocs sometimes, but you're gambling with shooting fine grit throughout your engine.

This thing is better than a razor blade because you can keep the blade vertical and get some force onto it. Harder to push down and gouge the surface too. Hyde makes a nice one, look in the paint aisle of Lowes. (but not Home Depot because they suck)

before you do anything... I recommend putting the crank 90 degrees off TDC and then stuff the cylinders with highly absorbent cloth, or paper towels. The less crap you get into the engine, the happier it will be.

Being careful also means cleaning around cooling jackets... scrape away from the holes, not into them.

The wizzer wheels as I call them are NOT the best way, they can and DO remove metal, and you can cause minor imperfections in the blocks deck surface if the tool isn't used correctly.

Razor blade for the big stuff, emery paper soaked in carb cleaner to get everything clean, wipe with brake cleaner and paper towel to finish after you clean out all head bolt holes.

oldeskewltoy wrote: The wizzer wheels as I call them are NOT the best way, they can and DO remove metal, and you can cause minor imperfections in the blocks deck surface if the tool isn't used correctly.

I would recommend any tool be used correctly

I have also had decent luck with plastic razor blades meant for emblem removal.

Keith wrote:

oldeskewltoy wrote: The wizzer wheels as I call them are NOT the best way, they can and DO remove metal, and you can cause minor imperfections in the blocks deck surface if the tool isn't used correctly.

I would recommend any tool be used correctly

Egg_berkeleying_zachary. I spent an hour a night for a week with 8 million blades and "head gasket remover" solvent trying to get the schmang cleaned of the head on the old civic. I then spent a half hour with a "wizzer wheel," and knocked every last bit of that E36 M3 off, with no problems since. Imperfections shmimperfections, that's what the gasket's for. YMMV.

A plastic ice scraper can be used