Ahah! Freeze the silicone gasket!
Why the heck didn't I think of that! (Uhm, probably for a million reasons I
and others with fragile egos prefer not to go into.)
I'll give it a try.
Thanks, Randall, and everyone else.
Terry
----- Original Message -----
From: "Randall" <tr3driver@comcast.net>
To: "'Terry Smith'" <terryrs@adelphia.net>; <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 7:39 PM
Subject: RE: [TR] TR3A Valve Cover Seal
>> Rebuilt the engine and it runs like a top. Only trouble, it
>> has a big seep
>> from the valve cover gasket. I tried Justin's silicone
>> gasket, but it seems
>> to be too long to fit the cover, and it seeps.
>
> Justin's silicone gaskets have to be installed cold (some racers throw
> them
> in the ice chest for rapid track-side changes). Even then, it takes some
> finesse to get them stuffed into place. But if you have the gasket
> properly
> in place (with the locater ridge visible all around the cover except where
> it's cut away to clear the head nuts), and still have seepage, I would
> suggest there is something else wrong.
>
> Have you checked your rocker cover gasket surface for flatness ? Also
> that
> it meets the surfaces on the head ? They sometimes bow out until they
> hang
> over the edge above the plugs ...
>
>> I tried the cork gasket
>> installed dry, and it seeps, but I've shrunk from the notion
>> of putting gasket
>> sealer down because pulling the cover to adjust the valves
>> could wind up with
>> bits of cork finding their way into the lifter holes.
>
> What I did before switching to Justin's gasket was to glue the cork gasket
> to the valve cover with gasket cement (Permatex or similar), then use a
> light coating of Hylomar between the gasket and the head. The Hylomar is
> much less aggressive than the Permatex and won't tear the cork. This
> scheme
> allowed me to reuse the same gasket for years, until it finally shrunk so
> much that it opened a gap at one corner.
>
> And then I could work on scraping away the Permatex and old gasket with
> the
> cover on the bench, away from the open motor.
>
> Randall
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