New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-08

a. Misunderstood, undcrvalued, despised
Hnd even called out Of its name,
The humble gasket is part of the car
very little appreciated by the average
novice driver. Probably most of them
do not so much as know that there is
gasket, so how can they give it due
respect?
Yet there is no more important part
Of the engine and its appurtenances
than this same gasket. Actually there
are several, and they all serve a like
purpose, that of preventing leak. All
need to be renewed frequently, and
each needs to be the particular kind
designed for the particular opening.
s great many enormously call gas
kets washers" and presume that
large numbers of drivers do not know
the difference. The usual form Of
,Sasket now is the one made of copper
and asbestos. 1t may be an asbestos
sheet wholly inclosed in copper, or it
may be the wire asbestos with a cop
per rim. The copper is soft, and when
the gasket is put in place and the
bolts are frightened up the copper
presses into every little crevice in the
PARTS united, making a tight seal.
r. Before this style of gasket was
made it was customary tc cut the gas
:ket from sheet asbestos, or from some
,Tacking material, and put 1t on with
.*hite lead or graphite, sometimes
Using white lead on one side of the
gasket and graphite on the other,
where it was desired to open the
parts frequently. This practice is
quite largely followed to-day with
marine engines particularly Of the two
cycle type; but in the automobile the
net is nearly universal. 1t may be had
'1lr. sizes to fit all openings, with
Especial designs for the cylinder blocks
Of most cars.
h., Must Seal Completely
unless it does thoroughly seal the
Opening, and one of the common
l.Foubles of the automobile comes from
the gasket which does not "gask."
Sometimes this is caused by failure to
tighten up the bolts sufficiently or to
50 over them after the engine has been
gun to see that they are set up prop
|erly. This and the failure to use the
improper kind Of gasket, are responsible
= i'oo. " Vic CIouDie IN tnlS respect.
lAt is, of course, possible for the bolts
Mp loosen from vibration just enough
Hto make a tiny leak--it doesn't take
'ery much of a leak to cause trouble
Pd In places which do not require to
We opened often it is the practice of
many to use shellac on both sides Of
the gasket to make sure of perfect
seal. This should not be necessary
but it is precaution.
= (yaSketS ,1cuo11x, copnot ~
very many times-that is, if the parts
are separated, it is usually advisable
to put in new gasket. However, in
practice most always they can be used
several times before they are so
pressed out of shape that they do not
junction. Occasionally a gasket will
blow out. One Of the chief places
Y, where this is likely to occur is with
the gasket between the cylinder block
ahd the cylinder head. which is subject
ftR the high pressure of the cylinders.
vi Recently. while driving in the sub
8bs. l had an experience of this kind
fthich was unique. The car had a con-
siderable deposit of carbon in the CYL
lnders. This probably raised the com
preston, slightly. and very evidently
the gasket had been used for some
at one of its narrow points-at cyl-
lnder. We had great deal of trouble
with overheating, because of the car
bon, and the engine had very little
power. We were troubled with the
water disappearing from the radiator.
Due to the overheating, it did boil and
steam considerably, but it hardly
seemed possible that it would boil
away as fast as it did. The radiator
had to be filled several times in the
mile drive,
Blown-Out Gasket
1t was not until we were on the wav
home that it was discovered what our
chief source of trouble was. We had |
stopped to refill the radiator and the