DO NOT omit the gasket on reassembly and DO NOT fabricate another gasket
from thinner material. The gasket thickness appears to play a minor but
important role in the "timing" of the starter motor functions. One function is to drive the starter pinion forward into the flywheel teeth.
The second function is to spin the starter motor. You DO NOT want to get the starter spinning before the pinion teeth are engaged or you risk
some serious flywheel damage.
Patrick Hayes Fremont CA
Patrick -
Suppose, just suppose (now this is just a rhetorical question, I didn't REALLY destroy the old gasket and neglect to put another one in), that someone (some other guy, call him Clem since we're just pretending) DID tear up the old gasket and throw it away and forgot to put another one one. (What a dummy he'd be, supposing there was such a feller, eh?).
So where would Clem get another gasket, just speaking theoretically? Do the MG Cycle and Moto Internationals sell the right ones, or is this a do-it-yourself? (I mean do it HIMself, of course, since this is some other dude.)
And if the gasket can't be obtained, what sort of material would you suggest that the new one be made of? Maybe you got one you could measure and let us know? (Just in case there WAS such a guy).
Thanks for expounding your experience for us, and for this virtual guy who doesn't exist.....!