Whats the point of a head gasket really? If you can't make

Gaskets are made of multiple layers of softer materials such as copper or soft steels that form into the correctly-sealing shape when torqued correctly.

Take an industrial materials engineering course to learn more! I did, and it was fascinating.

>>16912052
Engines flex, bend, and move during operation(like hundred thousandths of an inch max). Without something else in between the head and block gaps would form, as well as cause wear on the mating surface creating bigger leaks.

>>16912120
So why not make an engine cast out of a solid head and block instead?

>>16912087

Ahh that makes sense. I've only just got into cars after getting my first. Had loads of problems i've had to fix and now i've just got a slightly high rev on a cold idle. Once warmed up it sits at manufacturers ideal. Small amount of oil in one of the coils.

I've been looking through some videos on youtube on warped cylinder heads and gasket leaks, seen a couple where the guy said he wouldn't be putting a new gasket on.

>>16912146
not sure how you plan on servicing the valves or the valve seats.

File: SEM.jpg (47KB, 400x300px) Image search: [Google]

47KB, 400x300px

>>16912052

Have you ever seen the surface of a piece of metal even after being machined flat at high magnification? It looks like the fucking Himalayas. Two flat plates of metal in contact even if they had perfect flatness would have bugger all contact area. A gasket just fills the peaks and gives a decent amount of surface area to seal.

>>16912146

Also thought this myself - how would you get the cylinder in if its all one piece? Also there would be no way to make all the necessary holes.

>>16912146
>what is maintenance

>>16912052

I'll take "what is heat's effect on disparate metals" for $100, Alex.

>>16912154
from underneath through the oil pan

>>16912146
Far, far more expensive to manufacture. You still have to bore out the oil, coolant, and air flow. Having to bore these out while curving is very expensive for anything but the absolute upper echelon of cars. Think about it, you have a square and you need to make a U though the block with a drill, how do you acomplish this, while keeping the outside a block with only two entry marks at the bottom for the U.

File: engine.png (2MB, 1371x949px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1371x949px

While i'm here - any recommendations on cleaning up surfaces on the engine block?

>>16912169
>Over head valve
>over head cam

>>16912173
Hot soapy water.

>>16912173
blast it with piss

>>16912154
through the cylinder bores. I mean it wouldn't be practical, but i think it would be possible.

>>16912173
Wash with engine degreaser then wipe with disinfecting wipes.

>>16912173

Brake parts cleaner.

>>16912181
no, ice cold water but only when the engine is hot.

>>16912185
Actually not a bad idea

>>16912177
>what is a valve cover
You missed the point, valves and cams can still be accessed.

>>16912536
From the oil pan? On the other side of the cylinder?

>>16912558
Sorry, my brain made a fuck-up. I get it now.

>>16912155
That does not look like a polished surface of aluminum or steel as polished but after some sort of fucked up chemical testing followed by partial melting.

>>16913065
That's a scanning electron microscope image, it doesn't look like anything you've ever seen

>>16912146
>what is an offy?

>>16914284
There's what, like 1000 atoms in that picture or whatever?

>>16912146
They used to do this. It's called a monobloc engine. They used it in early ices because head gaskets weren't very reliable yet. Most went away after WWI

File: AD_silver.jpg (36KB, 499x305px) Image search: [Google]

36KB, 499x305px

>>16912052
if you can get by without coolant, you can do just fine without a head gasket

>>16913065
Are you retarded?

Did you finish high school?

This triggers licensed mechanics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCpAe2-GwQY

File: 170px-Air-cooled_monobloc_cylinder,_section_(Manual_of_Driving_and_Maintenance).jpg (9KB, 170x182px) Image search: [Google]

9KB, 170x182px

>>16912146
>>16912154
flat head of T head is the only choice
>>16912156
from the bottom though the crank case

>>16913065
I just did the math and there could be as much as 166,666 atoms lined up in a straight line across just one tick of the scale in that image. Since that image is 3D as well there are probably hundreds of millions of atoms in there.

Think about that for a while.

This triggers licensed mechanics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCpAe2-GwQY

>>16917058
meant to reference
>>16914735

Also "as much as" should be "as many as." And there wouldn't be that many because some atoms are 10x bigger than the smallest and there is "space" between atoms but the scaling is still conveyed appropriately.

>>16917058
A trillion atoms is a very small amount of atoms

>>16912150
>slightly high rev on a cold idle. Once warmed up it sits at manufacturers ideal.

this sounds like expected behavior for a modern car to me.