head cover and head gasket question

[Navgunner]

I have a leak at the head gasket on my 115ESL73M Johnson. Compression is still good on all cylinders, so I decided to change all four gaskets for the peace of mind. Never done this before, but I pulled the first head cover off and scraped the gasket (really brittle) I have a couple of questions:<br /><br /> Is there anything I should use to scrub down those mating surfaces (rubbing alcohol maybe?)<br /><br /> There is alot of what would appear to be calcium build up in the head cover gasket. Is this normal and again something to use to ensure it is clean once I scrape it all out.<br /><br /> Can I just use a permatex gasket compound when I install new gaskets?<br /><br /> Thanks

 

[Solittle]

Re: head cover and head gasket question

Once you have the heads off clean out all the crud you can and yes crud is normal. You should also replace the deflectors in the block. They look like a rubber fuel line hose and are in the water passages. Very easy to replace.<br /><br />The calcium stuff is normal as some head gaskets will weep a bit even if torqued properly. I use the OMC sealer in a can with a brush as part of the top for the new gaskets. The brand is not important but the viscosity is, I think.