DIY Gaskets Honda C27 Engine "OIL LEAK"

[Laird_Scooby]

This came about because i needed some gaskets for my Sterling that are NLA and the coupe will be needing them soon too so i did a bit of research and decided on the following method. The OE gasket is a giant "O" ring that sits in a groove in the cylinder head side plate (sometimes called the tappet side plate, tappet side cover and similar) on the C27 engine. Now while this is specific for this gasket, the method can be used for almost any gasket you like, except perhaps a cylinder head gasket!

 

Anyway, first get your gasket material, in this case nitrile impregnated cork :

 

 

Place the part on the material and draw round it, clearly marking where the bolt holes will be then cut it out :

 

 

Using the right size wad punch (aka hollow hole punch) in this case 6mm and a hammer, punch out the bolt holes :

 

 

Because the rockers actually encroach into the space that would be occupied by the gasket if there wasn't a hole in the middle, it is necessary to make a hole in the middle of the gasket. The side plate has a recess to take the hole into account and to provide clearance for the end of the rockers. Turn the plate over and fit the gasket to it, using the screws that hold it onto the head so the gasket is located correctly :

 

 

The pen marks that can be seen on the gasket are made by feeling the end of the recess and the sides of the recess at the end to make 3 marks. As it happens on this one, the end is semi-circular so after making the marks, i was able to use a large wad punch to make a hole. Having done this each end, the holes are "joined" using a steel rule and a Stanley knife :

 

 

Once the holes are joined together and the piece of material between them is removed, you are left with a gasket. As two were needed for this job, i simply laid the first one (after checking the alignment of holes, edges etc) on the gasket material and using it as a template to make a second gasket - this was much quicker than the first one which is a slow process by necessity.

 

 

I only fitted the front one on the car today as "pain stopped play" but at least it doesn't leak anymore! I'm fairly sure it was only the front one leaking anyway so i'm ok for now but i'll use the second one as a template to make some more.

 

Hints & Tips

 

If you can get at the place where the gasket is going quite easily, you can just cut it out roughly as long as the holes are in the right place. Then when the part is fitted, a Stanley knife can be used to trim it to a perfect fit.

 

If you don't have wad punches (sets are available covering most sizes 3-10mm on ebay quite cheaply) but you do have a ball-pein hammer, you can lay the material on the part and using the ball end of the ball-pein hammer, tap round the edge of the holes. This will cut through the material just on the edge of the holes and gives a surprisingly neat finish. Also a useful tip for when you need to cut a larger hole such as for a thermostat.

 

Whenever possible, use the bolts that secure the part to locate the gasket material on the part when making extra holes such as those for a thermostat - this prevents the gasket material moving while you're making the hole preventing misalignment.

 

Any other hints and tips i remember later will be added as extra posts in the thread. It seems to me that DIY gasket making is becoming a lost and/or dying art these days, mainly due to the fact that engines are becoming sealed for life and newer cars are becoming more and more disposable. We could maybe learn a lesson from our Transatlantic cousins where they keep their cars going for decades, often with 500,000 miles or more on them. This goes for older cars as well as new ones unlike here. If it doesn't have the latest registration plate here most people don't give it a second glance.