Sealant

So Richard was, like

Something like Hylomar Blue, I would guess. NOT bathroom sealant from B&Q.

Ta.

Funnily enough tho' bathroom sealant, if allowed min 24 hours to cure, does work on bike exhausts!

Richard

....... NOT bathroom sealant from B&Q.

That didnt stop the last owner of my new engine using it on the sump!!

Years ago there used to be a sealant called RTV. It looked very similar to silicone sealant & can be often mistaken for it. BL cars used it for sealing EVERYTHING. I seem to remember it was quite effective & probably was an adapted version of silicon sealer!

Nige

-- Subaru WRX (The Bitch)

Series 3 Landrover 88" (Albert)

"If you tolerate this then your children will be next"

You can get high temperature silicone sealants and when push to come to shove the ordinary stuff of decent quality will probably work and survive. The biggest problem may come from the Acetic Acid that is generated as it cures...

silicone sealant & can be

remember it was quite effective

The guy who recently did my timing belt and water pump used some kind of silicone type sealent instead of gaskets.

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

On the old BL cars they used it to replace gaskets. They leaked so bad it worked miles better. Just make sure the faces are very clean & oil free.

Nige

-- Subaru WRX (The Bitch)

Series 3 Landrover 88" (Albert)

"If you tolerate this then your children will be next"

silicone sealant & can be

That's because it is it!

RTV simply stands for Room Temperature Vulcanising, and is the form of silicone sealant generally used for automotive work.

OK, so do I pop into Buy + Queue and choose ANY bathroom sealant - giving proper consideration to which colour will look best with the overall undervehicle colour scheme - and slap it on the diff/axle mating surfaces and bolt it all up?

I do have the proper seals on order but I wan't to do this job only once!

Richard

The sump on our Discovery has no gasket but only RTV sealant. Its formed slightly differant to sump on our V8 90 in that its not flat on the mating surface so a cork gasket wont work. Ours is 1995, dunno if they are still the same Richard

There are proper automotie sealants which will do a better job. And I've made my own gaskets from gasket paper before now. If you have the proper seals on order, the only reason to mess about is that you need the vehicle _now_.

Any automotive silicone sealant should work fine. Make sure the faces are spotlessly clean, dry and free of oil/grease residue.

Pop into Halfords and get a tube or two of Hermatite Golden.

Alex

Had a Vauxhall HC Viva a long while ago that we got cheap because it wouldn't go. Turned out that the muppet who had overhauled the carb previously had resealed it with non-setting Mastic sealer whihc is apparently quite soluble in petrol.

Cue me sitting there with a can of Buffsol thinners blowing through the entire carb for days to get the damn thing clear of the gunk that had built up everywhere.

Went like a charm afterwards.

P.

Sealants have become quite sophisticated and specialised. It could be that a specific type is needed for specific uses. Loctite do a huge range and are recommended by many manufacturers. Be careful to choose the correct product. This may not be so critical on a rear diff but could well be for work that requires a lot of labour. I have seen many repairs spoilt because of oil leaks caused by incorrect choice and use of sealants. Used correctly they are superior to fibre gaskets.

Huw

That's why they also make neutral cure silicone sealants. I'd just use an ordinary automotive silicone sealant to seal a diff head.

Yet again we're getting ourselves all in a stew about nothing.

This particular joint is nothing special. No reason to change from what has worked for years - a gasket (07316) used with either grease or a non-setting sealant (Hylomar Blue has been suggested and does an excellent job). This combination is easily dismantled should the future need arise.

If you decide to do away with the gasket and rely on a sealant alone degreasing is important.

Hylomar Blue/Hylomar Aerograde will do the job.

Silicone (RTV) sealants, again, will do but an oil-tolerant example is required (this rules out most of the bathroom sealants). A neutral cure version is unnecessary - unless your diff. is full of electronic devices! Hermetite Instant Gasket meets this requirement as do several Loctite products.

There are some other gasket replacement products which will also do e.g. Loctite grades 518, 510, 574, 5203.

Avoid any hard setting 'sealant' unless you can be certain that that it will not be you that has to dismantle the joint in future!

Why make things difficult? K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple ......

Yet again we're getting ourselves all in a stew about nothing.

This particular joint is nothing special. No reason to change from what has worked for years - a gasket (07316) used with either grease or a non-setting sealant (Hylomar Blue has been suggested and does an excellent job). This combination is easily dismantled should the future need arise.

If you decide to do away with the gasket and rely on a sealant alone degreasing is important.

Hylomar Blue/Hylomar Aerograde will do the job.

Silicone (RTV) sealants, again, will do but an oil-tolerant example is required (this rules out most of the bathroom sealants). A neutral cure version is unnecessary - unless your diff. is full of electronic devices! Hermetite Instant Gasket meets this requirement as do several Loctite products.

There are some other gasket replacement products which will also do e.g. Loctite grades 518, 510, 574, 5203.

Avoid any hard setting 'sealant' unless you can be certain that that it will not be you that has to dismantle the joint in future!

Why make things difficult? K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple ......

Why not Hylomar? I thought that was the sealant of choice on a LR.