When should I use gasket sealer (red hermetite)? I have always used it religiously on every paper gasket. But I have also been told to smear grease on paper gaskets. Or nothing at all.
What do you put on cork gaskets (for tappet covers)? What about the valley gasket on a V8? Do you put any compound on it at all?
All these questions are making me dizzy.
Thanks Paul
Er, I have bad news.The cork gaskets don't work. They haven't worked properly for over ten years, as the specified gasket sealer and the stick-prevention gunk aren't made any more. You can try the usual suspects to make it work, but it won't. I have found that the best solution is to use RRC rocker cover gaskets, which are made of rubber, and are a lot more expensive, but don't leak a drop, at all, anywhere :0)
`Mark
Oh and yes, I used a very thin smear of blue on the valley gasket faces, and a slightly thicker (.5mm) coating in some of the edge areas that look a bit suspect.
`Mark
On or around Tue, 15 Mar 2005 14:03:10 +0200, paul enlightened us thusly:
well, I make the paper kind out of cornflake boxes, and since me hands are usually oily, they get a bit oily, apart from that...
nothing, and moreso for sump gaskets. lube on the sump gaskets on V8s makes 'em likely to split.
modern ones are composite, and thus need nothing. if you're re-using a plain steel one, I'd go for a light smear of gasket sealer.
Ive found that putting nothing atall on cork rocker/cam cover gaskets works best. Make sure you get them perfectly aligned and tighten it down gently and gradually. Also don't overtighten them or the gasket squeezes out of where it should be and doesnt work.
Nowadays, hardly ever.
Bit of grease is the recommended method.
Clean rocker covers scrupulously and glue in cork gaskets with a few little blobs of silicon sealant in the corners and half way along, allow to go off for 1/2 hour or so then fit to engine. Torque evenly, and no leaks. They only leak if fitted wrongly.
Blue Hylomar around the water jackets only, regardless of gasket type. (Austin, don't re-use steel gaskets you skinflint! ;-) )
Go distributorless then you'll stop going round and round.
So did you guys manage to get the rocker covers oiltight with these methods? I'm buggered if I could, hence all the research into recommended sealants, and the decision to use rrc gaskets.
`Mark
Only ever had two or three rocker cover leaks in all the years I've been playing with V8's, in both cases because the cork gasket had moved along the long edges causing an incorrect seal. I use the method above, then remove after a couple of hours and you can see the compression witness marks. if any gasket movement leaves an uncompressed "gap", then you know it'll leak. If even, then it won't leak. Simple as that. You can indeed use the rubber gaskets, I use them quite a bit on customers engines if they're into that sort of thing , I source mine from Real Steel.
I use them quite a bit on customers engines if they're into that
Was trying to put it back the way it should have been when it came out of Lode Lane, I'va almost finished, having done suspension, chassis, brakes, fuel system and engine.It's been pointed out that I could have had a td5 for the amount of cash spent on it, but I wanted a 110 V8, in very ggod nick, so I had to build one :0)
`Mark
What, you want to build it so that it leaks oil everywhere and only half the bolts are torqued properly?
I know what you mean. My 110 has been rebuilt piecemeal fashion over the years:- new galvy chassis, wiring harnesses, engine (4.0), 'box (ZF4), front axle, bulkhead, wings, doors etc etc etc. We worked out that the only original bits left are the rear tub, upper side panels, roof, back axle complete, front axle casing and rear view mirror! Shortly it'll be getting converted to stn wagon, as I've now managed to source all the bits, so that'll get rid of the only remaining original body bits!!
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