head gasket grease

[steve c]

may have to change my head gasket again, notice on here that some recommend a thin smeare of grease on both surfaces, what type of grease is best to use, many thanks steve

[katy]

Plain chassis grease works fine, just about any grease will work but I'd stay away from silicone grease, probably could use vaseline in a pinch.

[bmcecosse]

Yes - just a wipe over with any clean grease. I'm not sure exactly what it does - but I was taught to do it, and have always done so - and not had any problems!

[les]

I'm not too sure myself, I've though it's to let it 'spread' when tightening.

[bmcecosse]

Probably - yes, but also maybe it just stops it sticking down and making the head difficult to remove next time. And maybe it helps to avoid small water seepage across the faces. I can't see any reason to NOT do it!

[ferret76]

Yes - just a wipe over with any clean grease. I'm not sure exactly what it does - but I was taught to do it, and have always done so - and not had any problems!

Agreed. Never seems to do any harm.

[dalebrignall]

when i split my tractor to put in a new pto shaft i used grease to hold the the gasket in place works fine on the tractor gearbox .

[katy]

Another thing that works well on head gaskets is a couple of coats of aluminum spray paint.

[bmcecosse]

Not heard of that one.......

[katy]

You have now

[les]

How does it work?

[katy]

Spray one thin coat to both sides of the gasket, let dry, spray a second coat, let dry, install gasket and head.
Works good for sealing and easy removal and clean up.
Of course usual precautions need to be taken to ensure both the head and the block are meticulously clean and flat, etc, etc.