I own a variety of small-engine outdoor power equipment (i.e. portable generator, snow blower, leaf blower, lawn mower, etc). To maintain maximum efficiency, I am constantly cleaning and disassembling engine parts.
One of the most annoying aspect of constant maintenance is that gaskets in small engines are the first thing to rip due to age/moisture/etc. In addition, these replacement gaskets are rather expensive (that is if you can find a standalone replacement gasket that is not part of a carburetor rebuilt kit).
PROBLEM
While troubleshooting my Briggs and Stratton Storm Responder 5500 portable generator, I needed to remove the air intake shroud to clean the carburetor.
Of course, the gasket was wet and sticky so half was stuck on the carburetor side and the (ripped) half stuck to the air shroud. A single replacement gasket was priced around $ 4-7 so I decided to splurge on a large sheet of gasket material & set of hole punchout tool to make my own going forward.
MATERIALS/TOOLS
- Fel-Pro 3157 Gasket Material – Rubber-Fiber sheet, 26″ x 10″ x 1/32 (0.03)” or 66.0 cm x 25.4 cm x 0.08 c)
- SE 791LP Heavy-Duty 12-Piece Hollow Punch Set with Zipper Pouch
OTHER TOOLS
- Printer – to print out this gasket template (click here) for the Wheelhouse 5550 / Storm Responder 5500
- Scissors
MAKE YOUR GASKET INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP # 1 – Print & cutout this template (make sure to grab a quarter and match the size to ensure that your printout is scaled properly);
- STEP # 2 – Cut 3″ x 2″ square from the gasket sheet;
- STEP # 3 – Using the template, cut the excess material around the new gasket;
- STEP # 4 – Using 7/32″ punch, punch out 2 mounting bracket holes;
- STEP # 5 – Temporarily mount the new gasket to check for fit and alignment;
- STEP # 6 – Using 3/4″ punch, make punch out a series of holes to follow the carburetor opening;
- STEP # 7 – To make sure that there are no obstructions to air flow, carefully trim off all excess materials;
- STEP # 8 – Mount the new gasket for final assembly;
CONCLUSION
granted it is bit cumbersome but I believe that having a set of punch out tools and some bulk gasket materials will allow me to save money and time.
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