gluing the value cover gaskets

Any type of good RTV gasket sealer (found at any auto parts store). And use cork gaskets and you shouldn't have problems. I had more problems witht he bolts-on covers than with stock bail types (that arent bent up in anyway). Mark Detro Englewood, FL

You can glue the gaskets to the valve covers if you like, but never glue them to the heads.

I have found that there are only 3 reasons why valve covers leak:

1) Wrong gaskets. Get the ones that look like chopped up cork in BLACK rubber. 2) Dirty sealing surface. Run your finger over the surfaces, both head and cover, before you put the gasket on. Scrape off anything that you can feel. Obviously, you need to work carefully so as not to gouge the sealing surface. 3) Bent bails. If someone tried to remove the valve covers by pushing the bails UPWARDs, they bent the bails. If you have a nice vice and some good tools you can bend them back, but they're quite stiff, and most people don't have appropriate tools to do this kind of stuff.

BTW, OEM bails and covers, in good condition, are more trouble free than any bolt-on covers.

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----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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Bought 2 new covers....2 new gaskets..."cleaned surfaces" and fitted...never leaked a drop...all for under £6 here (UK)...must be something else wrong?...make sure surfaces are flat and clean!!!!!!!!!! I have removed them twice for valve adjustment...put back..still no leaks.

Neil

My leaks stopped to three things:

• I cleaned the surfaces that the gasket meets (heads and covers)

• I installed new cover bails, the old ones were quite loose

• Before installing, I apply some grease to the both sides of the=20 gasket (this was a tip I once got here, if I recall right). This also helps the gasket to stay in right place in the cover when installing.

I have not needed any glue to make them seal.

I use stock bails and valve covers and also use rtv to adhere the gaskets to the valve covers. After I snap the bail into place, I pull up on the cover to have the bottom edge of the cover touching the head. If I dont do this, the cover and gasket will leak a small bit of oil in the lower corners (Usually leaks on the flywheel end of the head).

The cover can be moved around on the head a little when in place, even with the bail in place, so I recommend trying to push or pull the cover to the highest point on the head, so the bottom of the bottom lip of the valve cover is seated closest to the bottom edge of the head.

Does this make sense?

Hope it helps

Andy

My leaks stopped to three things:

• I cleaned the surfaces that the gasket meets (heads and covers)

• I installed new cover bails, the old ones were quite loose

• Before installing, I apply some grease to the both sides of the gasket (this was a tip I once got here, if I recall right). This also helps the gasket to stay in right place in the cover when installing.

I have not needed any glue to make them seal.

Where do I find the cork gaskets? The ones I've been using appear to be half cork half rubber. Are these just as good? If I us RTV gasket sealer should I apply it on the head and the value cover?

Thanks to all who reply!

Ben

ONLY the valve cover side...

J.

But you can use a thin layer of grease on the other side to help seal that half.

Are the half rubber half cork gaskets ok?

If not were do i find the all cork one?

Never used the half rubber half cork ones before, so, that could be your problem. Most online VW sellers will have the stock cork ones. Also, Your local Napa auto parts or equivelant, may also carry them.

IMHO, I would toss the rubber ones and get the cork gaskets.

the ones I got from aircooled.net a couple months back were the rubber ones with little chunks of cork in them.

I glued them to the cover with RTV silicone, and used some generic wheel grease on the head side. Been on there a month now and no leakage, so far no complaints.

The old ones I peeled off were the same type (half and half), had been on there for at least three years and weren't leaking either. This was after several valve jobs as well.

I'd think having a clean surface and a good mating is more important than the material of the gasket.

.................Those are the good ones. I've also been using them without seeing any leaks. I don't bother with sealant but I do smear some heavy grease on the valve cover seats to keep the gaskets in place while I'm installing them.

Another thing that can be done, and is almost a necessity in high performance applications, is to weld a little tab at the top and bottom of the valve cover itself, thereby holding the gasket in place. With the crankcase pressures involved in a bigger than stock engine, turning at an rpm that VW never intended, even the good valve cover gaskets can suck away from the valve cover, towards the rocker arm assembly. Until I welded the tabs in my valvers, I was almost assured of a leak every time I ran the engine past about 6,500 rpm or so. Now, the gaskets stay right where they need to be.

.................It's nice to see you posting here again Dave.

.........I've never had my '77 over 5500 rpms but I think that those tabs are a great idea, maybe I'll try to weld them on this winter when I pull my engine for some head work.

Thanks, Tim. I still check in from time to time, and will post when I feel I can be of help to anyone. It appears that a lot of my tormentors on this ng have disappeared, but there are still some that I would not lift a finger to help out. Another thing about leaky valve cover gaskets- in my experience, the chrome valve cover bails do not have the strength, nor the springiness, of the old, black, stockers. I take the stock bails, tweek the you-know-what out of them, until I have to literally fight them back onto the head. It makes it a little more difficult to remove and replace them on the valve cover, but the extra push in towards the head seems to help the covers and gaskets seal without any glue or grease.The chrome ones, in my experience, lose the chrome as soon as you attempt to bend them, and don't seem to hold the springiness as well as the stockers. Perhaps a different metal composition on the chrome ones vs. the old ones has something to do with it, I dunno. I also weld-in bungs on the valve covers, up towards the front, near the top of the cover, that attach via rubber lines to a dedicated breather box, with the foam element removed. It's probably not neccessary on a low compression, low revving engine, but before I added the breather lines to my engine, after a hard run spanking a Honda or Acura or whatever, I could actually find my dipstick protruding out of the hole by about

1/4 ", and making an oily mess out of my rear breastplate tin, and ceramic-coated exhaust. And getting burned-on oil off a ceramic coated exhaust can be done, but it's very labor-intensive, and time-consuming, and I'd rather not have the problem to begin with.

Oi, that's what I do :)

No fancy aluminum covers for me :P

Jan

Another thing I have found is that the new, chrome, bails that hold the valve cover to the head, don't seem to have the same strength or "springiness" to them that the old ones do. I take the old bails, bend the **** out of them until they are a pain to put back on the head, and that seems to actually hold the valve cover tighter to the head. You can do that with the chome ones too, of course, but I have never had any luck with them holding their shape or springiness for very long. It may be the metal composition of the old ones vs.the newer chrome ones is different; I dunno. Also, if you try and bend the new chrome ones, it seems like the chrome either comes right off, or soon after. I weld-in outlets at the front of the valve cover, up near the top, and route rubber or braided stainless (if you can afford it) breather lines, up to a dedicated breather box, that has had the foam element taken out of it. Before I made these little modifications, I could expect, after spanking a Honduh or Acura or whatever, for my dipstick to be pushed out of it's hole about 1/4", and the valve cover on the 1-2 side to be sucked in (never the 3-4 side, just the 1-2 side, I guess that has to do with the arrangement of the crankcase pressure within the case). That always made a mess of my ceramic-coated exhaust, and, while burned-on oil can be cleaned off a ceramic-coated exhaust, it is labor-intensive, and time-consuming, and rather than spend the time cleaning it, I'd rather not have the problem in the first place. BTW, thanks, Tim, I still check in from time to time, and if I have the time, and think I have something worthwhile to contribute, I will. It appears that a lot of my detractors on this ng have faded away, but there are still a few on here that I would not lift a finger to help.If my posting again turns into another flame-fest, I'll do the same thing I did last time. I'll help if I can, but don't need the aggravation of having to deflect pot-shots and character assassination threads, or threats of violence towards my family.

......................We've got this new thing going on where Jan has re-taken his crown and started 'moderating' this ng. He's been a little slow to respond on a few occassions but the fear of censorship has probably had some effect. I'm confident that he'd delete the kind of thing that you're referring to in a heart beat unless he was busy at his job or in a drunken stupor at home or actually working on his 'vert or if he had a date or...........uh..............never mind.............lol