> From: michael lunsford [mailto:mblunsfordsr@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 7:24 AM
>
> I am looking for help in regard to an incurable valve cover
> leak on my car.
Here is a note I saved from a post by Brian Schlorff of Power British <
http://www.powerbritish.com/~britcars>. Hope it helps...
<<< start of Brian's note >>>
Here's a nifty trick I use on concours engines that makes for a nice looking
installation and provides excellent sealing:
Be sure to clean all the old sealer from around the valve cover lip. Wipe
with
degreaser. Place the cover upside down and apply a THIN bead of gasket
sealer (I
prefer Permatex Ultra Black for valve cover gaskets) to the inside edge of
the flange
that holds the gasket - the idea is to keep sealer from oozing out toward
the outside
of the gasket. Lay 6 drinking straws across the top of the cover and gently
place the
gasket on those. (If you've ever laminated a countertop, you get the idea
how this
works.) Now starting at the back end of the cover, carefully tape the
gasket in place
to the valve cover - use loops of 3M blue masking tape that peels off easily
or you
might tear some of the cork later. Continue taping equally on both sides
until you
get to the front, removing the straws as you go. You should now have a good
seal
between the thin bead of sealer and the cover. Turn the valve cover
right-side up and
place it on a nice, flat, clean surface. Put a medium weight on the top of
the cover
(I usually balance a gallon paint can or similar on top). Let dry
overnight. Next
day remove the tape. Your gasket is now glued to the valve cover and should
now have
a good flat surface on the bottom of the cork. Take more sealer and run a
generous
bead on the INSIDE VERTICAL surface of the gasket - not the bottom sealing
surface,
but the inner edge. Spread the bead with your finger so that you've got
solid sealer
filling the seam between gasket and cover. Hold your finger off the cork at
the
bottom to leave a ribbon of sealer hanging over the edge slightly. With
practice, you
should also be able to get a thin lip of sealer that sort of rolls over on
the bottom
of the cork - i.e. the sealing surface. If not, apply a very thin bead only
around
the inner bottom edge next to where you spread the sealer on the inside
face.
Wipe the top of the head with degreaser as well as the threads on the studs.
Run a
generous loop of sealer around the lower 1/3 of the threaded portion of the
studs
until you have a donut about 5/8" diameter sticking to the stud - this will
stick to
the underside of the valve cover. Don't skimp here - you need a good bead
for best
adhesion to the cover as you don't want the sealer to fall off down into the
engine.
Put the cover on, press it down with only moderate hand pressure, and
tighten the nuts
until they just touch the cover and NO FURTHER! Let the sealer do the work
for you.
If done successfully, you should now have a continuous wall of sealer
bridging the
cork from head to cover providing a thorough seal while giving the
appearance on the
outside that there's just cork with no sealer oozing out the edges.
Not the easiest of procedures, but sure is a slick appearance and is very
leakproof as
well!
<<< end of Brian's note >>>
Peter Zaborski CF58310UO
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