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I recently did a top end on my 220, and I used Namura gaskets, but after three heat cycles for break in I noticed that there was a wetness to the green gasket at the bottom.

I was wondering

Is this supposed to happen? Should I tighten down the bolts more? Could it be because of namura? Is this common?

This was my first time doing a top end rebuild, and I hadn't gone back a second time to tighten the bolts after break in

here are some pictures of what I'm trying to get at







Thanks

Did you re-torque the bolts after heat cycling? Might need to....

I just re tightened the bolts, I haven't started it up since then

They were already pretty tight

Pretty tight really doesn't tell what it is torqued to. They have a torque spec and that is what you should be checking for and, yes, it does matter. Too little or too much, both could cause a leak.

okay, but based on the pictures do you think that there is a leak?

Yes, I would say their is some sort of leak or seepage going on. Personally, I don't trust aftermarket gaskets for base gasket use. OEM only IMO. I'll use them anywhere else but not there due to material and compressed thickness differences from OEM. However, properly torqued, they should work fine. Did you not correctly torque them to begin with and after the first heat cycle?

I torqued them to what I could feel was about 20 pounds

I don't have the resources to use a torque wrench

Well, that could be your problem right there. You could easily be at 10ft-lb or 30ft-lb. Buy a torque wrench, buy the adapter, and get them torqued to spec. Even a cheap Harbor Freight one is better than no torque wrench. I bought one and compared it torque wise to a Snap-On and it was dead on.

Not sure if you have an auto zone anywhere close, but they LOAN tools. Free....no charge....nada. When my torque wrench started acting up (cheapo from northern tool) I borrowed one from auto zone. Other car parts places may do the same. Just a suggestion.... Those cylinder bolts need to be to spec.

That wet look is really common and does not mean you have problem. Most gaskets will eventually absorb fluids and continue to seal well due to the swelling that occurs - most are designed to absorb fluids. Some are light-colored material like yours (vs the dark stock gaskets) and show the fluid saturation more. Don't freak out and over-torque the base bolts because of the gasket appearance. I bet half my engine rebuilds (lots and lots of 'em) for two-strokes have gaskets that look like that, and nothing ever happens.

All you're after is a good seal so the cylinder/base junction doesn't suck air. I've been assembling smokers for 50 years and never used a torque wrench on base bolts.

And as you probably know, those cylinder bolts cannot be torqued with a regular torque wrench...you need an extender tool to do that. But, nobody I know uses a torque wrench on base bolts, they just use feel. LOL, I bought an extender tool and used it once...a PITA. The best method when you are not familiar with the "feel" of a certain torque, is to torque a bolt somehwhere where you can actually get a torque wrench on it, then practice using your box-end wrench to duplicate that tightness - then check the base bolts.

But I wouldn't sweat the issue unless you have a gasket failure causing air leaks, which this is not.

If I was to over torque the bolts, would I be safe to back them out a little or would I need a new gasket?

also I "held" objects around 20 pounds before I tighten the bolts to get it pretty close, and I ran my finder along the wet spot of the gasket and then smelled it and it was anti freeze, not gas

Reducing the torque would not necessarily cause a problem as you are reducing the amount of bolt stretch and enough tension should remain to hold the components tightly with the proper amount of torque... But... a coolant leak is usually caused by a problem with the surfaces mating, perhaps from a nick or old gasket material still present? Usually if you have antifreeze leaking you will need to replace the gasket.

If all you have is a slight seep, you might want to try and run it for a while and see if it actually becomes a problem before you take it apart again. I had a new clutch side gasket leak recently and after a week or so it self-fixed as the gasket swelled enough to seal.

okay thanks, I'll take it on a few rides and see what happens

when I ran my finger on it my finger wasn't wet, I was smelling it for gas and couldn't smell any

The right torque is good. Even torque is better. A cheap $10 torque wrench is better then you can "feel". Even if the torque is off by a pound or two, if it is even then you should be all set.

I agree, if you have access to a torque wrench you should use one whenever possible.

However,
Back when I was a young dufus in the 60's I used to hop-up my car and go drag racing. Needless to say, I was constantly tearing the engine down and replacing tranny's and rear-ends. The local wrecking yard was my second home.

The guys that ran the yard were old-timers who also built a lot of engines, successfully I might add.
One day, I was watching them install the heads on an engine and noticed they weren't using a torque wrench - I asked them why not? The answer was "experience". They could feel whether or not the threads were binding or not, compenstate when necessary, and know from experience how tight the bolts needed to be.

If you've been in the business for a while, you can do a good job sans torque wrenches... I always use them for the small connectors in engines and aluminum threads especially.