Where can I buy a carb gasket without spending a fortune?

[1337]

When I took apart the carb on my '86 Elite CH250, I must have gotten some carb cleaner on the float bowl gasket. I think the carb cleaner dried the gasket up. Now, a little gas leaks out of the seal between the carb body and the bowl.

I looked on bikebandit.com, and they charge about $30 for a "gasket set." All I need is a little rubber gasket that goes between the body and the bowl of the carb. Would a hardware store have a gasket like this? Can anyone recommend where to find a replacement gasket?

[luvpnkflyd]

Do a search on ebay if you haven't already. I've found a lot of parts there and usually cheaper than retail

[Frankenscoot]

BB won't sell JUST the ONE gasket?

[Hyazuma]

http://www.treatland.tv

Hyazuma

[joelscootdude]

yes because carb cleaner and starting fluid and octane boosters all of those thigns contain organic compounds and they will eat rubber. See, gasoline and Rubber go along, they are both petroleum products, and propyethilene (something like that) and plastics go great with alcohol, methanol and such

butane, propane, benzene, hectane, gasoline, diesel= rubber

anythign else: alcohol, methanol, E85, starting fluid, carb cleaner, acetone=/= rubber

you can do one temporarly, apply silicone gas friendly type to both the bottom can and the carb, evenly, the place the bottom can part where it goes and put the screws in place, but donot tighten, only squeze, let dry for like 6 hours then tighten. I did this hundreds of thousands of times for my 4 cycle engines and everythign when I was a kid and have to deal with what i had.

[Skullet]

just use high-temp rtv sealant/gasket maker. if ya dont feel comfortable doin that, you should be able to get a sheet of actual gasket material at any hardware store that you can then cut out to make the gasket you need. on my last car i paid like 5.99 for one of those sheets i think and made my exhaust manifold gasket out of it.

you can see it in this pic, i never even bothered trimmin it after i put on the header.

[1337]

Thanks for the help! Based on this advice, I think I will just make my own gasket. I wonder if I could just find an O-ring the right size and shove it in the bowl's notch for the gasket.

[Skullet]

if thatll make it seal up, it should work.. just remember, for an o-ring, it needs to be the right diameter, but it actually has to be thick enuf to stick a little bit above the part, so when ya tighten it, itll make a seal.

[1337]

I brought my carb bowl to the hardware store and found an o-ring that fits the gasket slot. I bought the o-ring and some sealant, which is designed for engine applications (gasoline-resistant). The o-ring isn't an exact fit, so I'm using the sealant to hold the o-ring in place.

[joelscootdude]

Thats the right thing to do! use the O-ring, and apply seal both to the carb side and bowl side, then push the o-ring in place. just be careful not to put so much it goes inside the carb. For safety, put the bowl in place when the sealant is wet, and put all the screws just enough it squeezes. Then wait 4 hrs to tighten. then wait another 20hrs ( total of 24) so the silicone has time to set. this way, if some squeezed inside, it will be dry and will stick to the bowl or carb, instead of float arround and get stuck. Also if it doesnt work or somethign hapens, you can take out the gasket slowly and re-use it.

[1337]

Thats the right thing to do! use the O-ring, and apply seal both to the carb side and bowl side, then push the o-ring in place. just be careful not to put so much it goes inside the carb. For safety, put the bowl in place when the sealant is wet, and put all the screws just enough it squeezes. Then wait 4 hrs to tighten. then wait another 20hrs ( total of 24) so the silicone has time to set. this way, if some squeezed inside, it will be dry and will stick to the bowl or carb, instead of float arround and get stuck. Also if it doesnt work or somethign hapens, you can take out the gasket slowly and re-use it.

My carb bowl is oddly shaped, and the o-ring just wouldn't stay seated in the groove in the bowl. So, I'm keeping my eyes open for a better gasket but, for now, I've used Permatex Form-A-Gasket gasoline-resistant sealant with no o-ring. It's not leaking so far, but I'll keep a careful eye on it. Thanks for the advice!

[Skullet]

glad the thing runs man, its always badass to bring one back to life.