Exhaust Manifold Gaskets

1982 XJ750j Maxim

This there suppose exhaust gasket for the pipes...it seems to me my stock pipes bolt direct to the cylinder head with their holders & it appears that no gasket O-Ring is needed.....

Doesn't appear that there is any room for them....

I have seen sites where they sell them

Am I correct that they are neccessary...

Thanks in advance....

5ofakind

 

Yes, it uses gaskets. Copper colored rings. Sometimes they get so nasty they look like part of the head.

 

Agreed, on both points. They usually get "pounded" into the head and you don't even realize they're there. Use something with a small sharp point and "pick" them out.

 

I'm about to drop my complete exhaust to change the Oil Level Sensor Oring. Do you guys think the copper head gaskets should be replaced?

 

I didnt see any when I dropped my exhaust on my '82 XJ750J......I looked real hard to find them......they are not there......

5ofakind

 

Just did mine. They are actually weird. Like some kind of high temp wrap inside a pressed ring, not solid metal like I had thought. The old ones were so hard to distinguish from the engine ports, it wasn't until I took a small screwdriver to them I was able to pry them out.

These are the ones I replaced them with.(If you enlarge the image you can kinda make out the inner "wrapping" I'm talking about)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0226471077

I put em in, then put a couple hundred miles on it, then re-tightened and they seem to be working well. No leaks.

 

I would. That's the last place you want an exhaust leak.

 

Can I just ask a quick question here? I noticed yesterday that there is a little bit of white (very pale) smoke coming from cylinder 1 exhaust manifold.
1 - can it still be ridden until I get new washers?
2 - is it normal / dangerous or what?

 

Where the pipe/collar meets the head?

1- I wouldn't.
2- Not normal (unless a trace of oil dribbled in there and was burning off)/probably not dangerous but certainly worth investigating further.

You might want to just check the snugness of the collar nuts. Be careful, they're not supposed to be super tight and the exhaust studs tend to be brittle.

 

I looked again & my original exhaust manifold gaskets are there....I had to look real hard & scrape a little bit to actually see them......

Now my question is how do you get them out......pry them out ??? Tried that but they are being stubborn... I dont want to damage the the walls of the exhaust ports......

Any suggestions ???

 

They will come loose very easily. Don't be scared. Haha. Just work them out with some needlenose or a flathead. They'll come out. If they are really jammed and baked on in there, it might take some extra scraping, but thats it. Oh and it'll be kinda hard to damage the ports unless you are using a hammer and chisle or something insane like that. You'll be fine.

 

Use your favorite lube goop to help them slip out.
Then be sure to clean the surfaces with carb or brake
cleaner so the new gaskets have a nice smooth and clean
surface to seal with.
The closer to brand new you can make any surface that needs
sealing the less chance of having to take it apart again because
of some little bit of crap causing a leak.

 

They're soft. An awl with a sharp point, a small flat screwdriver, I use a 'springhook' from my adding machine repair days. You won't dig into the head, you should be able to dig right into the old gasket. Once you get them broken loose they pop right out.

 

mine were actually still a little soft, so I kept them in there. My new ones are on standby if needed/for sale

 

You know, when I finally find the ones on mine, they were of a kind that was papery on the inside with a thin layer of aluminium closing around it - like a "C".
Also, they were so baked that I didn't notice them before actually prying blindly with a flathead
They're replaced with a copper ring type from Wemoto now.