air compressor head gasket help

[Karl Card]

I have an old harbor freight air compressor and it needed a new gasket, the reed valve is in wonderful condition and I tried to order one from HF but the slow boat from china just got slower and slower. It is an easy design to cut and i was wondering if anyone could recommend a material to make that with. I know advance auto parts carries some rolls of material but not sure what I need. A friend of mine his air compressor went out so I gave him this one and if it were mine id probaby just use indian head shelac and a piece of cardboard but I need it to work for awhile for him. The compressor is the one they used to sell for around 140 bucks 26 gallon and used oil, the new ones they have now are oiless...
As always any and all help much appreciated.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

I'd go with the auto parts store gasket material & skip the shellac

Good Luck,

Ruperto

[mickey cassiba]

I've used gasket material before, and it does work. make sure you match the thickness of the gasket your replacement(multiple layers work. If it is an oiless you may have problems as the gasket material is subject to intense heat. As to 'treating your gasket' when I layer, I paint on motor oil in a light coat between layers more to aid the sealing of the layers. It'll burn off rather quickly.(o flames, I promise).
HTH

[Myk Rian]

Karl, I had the head gaskets go south on my HF compressor. Apparently HF uses some cheap material. It shredded and melted. I went to AutoZone and bought a roll of blue gasket material
Fel-Pro gaskets from Federal Mogul.
Part no. 3075
Rubber Cellulose. 3/64" thick.

It says for water and coolant uses, but it's been working for the last year with no problems.
I used a ball-peen hammer to cut it out against the head flanges. I didn't use anything to use as a sealer.

[Bruce Page]

I replaced the head gasket on my old SpeedAir compressor several years ago with some generic gasket material from Auto Zone. My SIL has the compressor now and it’s still going strong.

[Karl Card]

awesome.. thanks a bunch folks.

[Ted Baca]

I would make a gasket from just about any gasket material, as the heat resistance isn't a real issue. But my first concern is why did it fail? It most likely failed because the mating surfaces are not flat. Check the cylinder with a known flat edge and if you find a high or low spot you can either take it to a machine shop or try a nice wide flat file. Then check the head for the same. Then once you are sure it flat or at least flatter use a thin gasket material with light coatings of RTV on each side of the gasket. And most likely you will be doing it again, but maybe not as often.

[Myk Rian]

I would make a gasket from just about any gasket material, as the heat resistance isn't a real issue. But my first concern is why did it fail? It most likely failed because the mating surfaces are not flat. Check the cylinder with a known flat edge and if you find a high or low spot you can either take it to a machine shop or try a nice wide flat file. Then check the head for the same. Then once you are sure it flat or at least flatter use a thin gasket material with light coatings of RTV on each side of the gasket. And most likely you will be doing it again, but maybe not as often.
Read my post again. HF uses a cheap gasket material.

[Karl Card]

Read my post again. HF uses a cheap gasket material.


Yep, what he said. You can get these a/c's for about 20 bucks apiece down around Nashville, TN. I bought 2 of them for 20 bucks apiece. Then I went and bought a 60 gallon ac from home depot and like it pretty good. The two ac's I bought both had nothing wrong with them except for blown head gasket.