Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

General Discussion => Tech Tips => Topic started by: Bullet Whisperer on October 03, 2017, 02:01:03 pm

Title: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: Bullet Whisperer on October 03, 2017, 02:01:03 pm

As seen in this video ...

https://youtu.be/SPvT4HAgokM

 B.W.

Title: Re: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: REpozer on October 03, 2017, 06:16:58 pm

That is a great tip...thanks.

Title: Re: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: Yamahawk on October 05, 2017, 02:41:12 am

Nice B.W.!
  nOw comes the question... what does a stock 1996 Enfield Bullet have for a head gasket, is it copper, or composite? I have a leak from my push rod tubes, and it is weeping oil gradually across the engine to the left side. Do I have a copper gasket that I can tippy tap with my Silver Hammer, or is it composite, necessitating the removal of the head and lapping the spigot and barrel while I am at it. I have a nice Simonds single cut flat bastard that would make short work of the .024" clearance needed to compress the composite gasket I would replace it with.
Charlie

Title: Re: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: Bullet Whisperer on October 05, 2017, 08:00:22 am

Hi Charlie,
 It should be possible to see what you have by peering into the gap occupied by the gasket, but I think if your engine is standard Indian fayre, it will probably have a composite gasket, which will be black in colour.
 B.W.

Title: Re: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: ace.cafe on October 05, 2017, 03:23:44 pm

Typically it will have a copper/fiber/copper sandwich gasket.
There really is no substitute for setting a proper spigot height to adequately crush the gasket.

Title: Re: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: Yamahawk on October 10, 2017, 03:28:15 pm

Quote from: ace.cafe on October 05, 2017, 03:23:44 pm

Typically it will have a copper/fiber/copper sandwich gasket.
There really is no substitute for setting a proper spigot height to adequately crush the gasket.

So... If it has 2 layers of copper, would it benefit from the technique B.W. is suggesting here to stop a leak until I can get the spigot height adjusted correctly? Would it expand with the use of a thin blade screwdriver, and a small hammer?
Charlie

Title: Re: Copper head gasket oil leak trick.
Post by: ace.cafe on October 10, 2017, 05:03:32 pm

Quote from: Yamahawk on October 10, 2017, 03:28:15 pm

So... If it has 2 layers of copper, would it benefit from the technique B.W. is suggesting here to stop a leak until I can get the spigot height adjusted correctly? Would it expand with the use of a thin blade screwdriver, and a small hammer?
Charlie

I don't think that would work on a sandwich gasket.
It's only an afternoon job to do a spigot job, and put a new gasket in. Just make the  spigot adjustment yield a gasket gap thinner than the gasket by about .007" with a sandwich gasket. That will do it.