New-York tribune., 1918-10-27
Gaskets, What They
Are and What )
They Do
By VIM. II. Stewart, Jr.

President Of the Stewart Automobile Schoot
The inexperienced motorist lit,ls
realizes what an important part gaskets
play in the proper functioning Of an
automobile. They are found in the
power plant in every place where there
is joint, and when they become dam
aged the engine suffers.
gasket may be defined as piece of
soft material placed between two sur
faces to prevent leakage. Usually
gasket is made of paper or asbestos
card, but the best are made of copper
asbestos, meaning two very thin sheets
of copper with asbestos between them
1t may be objected that copper is not
soft material, but it certainly is softer
than the two pieces of cast iron or
steel between which it is placed, and SO
the definition holds good. As the parts
are squeezed together the gasket fits
itself to the two surfaces and so makes
a tight joint. a.,
Paper gaskets are placed at the bot
tom of the cylinders to prevent the oil
the cylinders. Also at the water pump
and other places where .here is no
great heat. 1t must be evident that
asbestos or copper asbestos gaskets are
required around the cylinder head, the
exhaust manifold and the inlet mann
fold. These gaskets are stamped out
by special machinery and SO must be
purchased. But the motorst may cut
one himself from asbestos card. using
the old one as a guide When the
joint is set up securely by means of the
bolts such a gasket will be found to be
quite reliable, but it certainly cannot
be as satisfactory as one of copper
asbestos. Paper gaskets must be made
every time part is removed, as they
are torn in the process of removal. A.,
There are two ways of cutting gas
kets. One is by means of hammer
and the other by means of a knife or
scissors. A fairly heavy grade of wrap
ping paper is best. It is laid over
ger is run along the edge TO be cut
in order to mark the outline. Here
dirty finger is better than a clear
one, as it leaves mari. that is easy
to follow. The paper is now cut
along the line of the surface by a ham
mer delivering rapid blows very close
together This is a very satisfactory
method and the one usually employed.
II knife or scissors seems preferable.
either one may be used to follow the
outline marked by the finger. Bolt
holes may be cut very neatly by tap
ping with the rounded edge of a ma.
chinist's hammer ,st
Such gaskets must be shellacked in
order to hold properly. The shellac
is applied to one side of the gasket and
also TO the surface of the joint, and the
two are placed together before the
shellac is dry. Before the other par
Is replaced it also receives a coating
of shelac, as does the other side ~
the gasket The bolts are now set in
as tight as possible and the Joint VIII
De found to hold satisfactorily
LEAKAGE of oil through gasket NAV
readily be discovered, but leakage of
air into manifold is not so easy. IF
a gasket leaks at the inlet manifold 1t
Will give lea, mixture and conse
quent loss of power. When such leak
is suspected, run the engine and inc
Ject OIL around the joints to see if IL
is sucked In. If it is, you have located
the leak. in which event you should
tighten the bolts or replace the gasket
Another method is TO inject gasolene
around the joints. If the engine picks
up speed you know that you have found
the leak
80 look over your engine and locate
the gaskets. Keep supply of extrs
ones on hand so that one may be re-
placed readily, and practise on some
other machine or part so that when a
gasket Is needed you may be able to
make one expeditlously and well. 'r