22 replies to this topic

[minimissionary]

Never had a problem getting gasket sealant off with a stanley blade and some sandpaper. It's pretty rotten stuff, but it's not the end of the world.

[Island Mini]

Well I used the washers from the old cover plus the new washers to get it to sit right

[Island Mini]

Cried a little bit today when i did an oil change and filled the car back up and watched oil pour out the gap... guess I didn't use enough of the crap? ehhhh

[klivins]

You will never do without a gasket on a joint like that.

I propose a different solution. Do not make your own gasket and do not buy the cork gasket. Buy a silicone gasket. I have switched to silicone and am pleased with the results. To get the most from them you need to install them a bit differently than you are perhaps used to. The method below also works well for "normal" gaskets and "normal" valve covers.

Clean the top of the cylinder head and the bottom of the valve cover. Make sure there is no residual gasket material or sealant on either surface. Degrease the valve cover sealing surface with carb or brake cleaner on a clean paper towel.
Apply a thin film of light grease all the way around the top of the cylinder head where the gasket will seat.
Press the gasket into the thin layer of grease. Push down along its length making sure all of the gasket is in contact with the head. The grease will hold it in place.
Apply a thin bead of RTV to the bottom of the valve cover where the seal will seat, then lower the valve cover onto the head so the seal seats against the cover.
Tighten the valve cover fasteners a tight "finger-tight" and allow the assembly to sit at least half a day if not overnight.
After 12 hours or overnight, tighten the valve cover fasteners as you normally would.

The grease on the head will make sure the gasket is held securely and flatly against the sealing surface on the head.
The RTV will hold the gasket to the cover AND fill any voids between the top of the gasket and bottom of the valve cover.
In the end you will have a leak free seal and the valve cover can be removed from the head multiple times without loss of sealing.

seems too complicated. I put cover in the vice, degrease, apply bead of glue, put heavy flat surface (wizards book + some garage garbage worked!) against the gasket and leave for couple of hours. Job done.

[dklawson]

I list a lot of steps to make the process clear but in reality your method and mine only differ in what we used for a flat surface.

I use the head itself for the flat surface with the pressure applied by the valve cover hardware. The RTV (your glue) fills the gaps between the valve cover and gasket to compensate for damage and/or warpage to the cover. If your book isn't flat you will still have gaps to the head.

EDIT: It is also worth mentioning that with an alloy cover there isn't always a track to retain the seal. With that combination of parts you can have a seal slip out of place while the glue/RTV sets unless you place the seal on the head first and place the cover (with RTV/glue) on top of it with minimal pressure.

To each his own.

Edited by dklawson, 09 May 2012 - 04:22 PM.

[MrElliott]

Hey
I’m fairly new to taking minis apart and putting them back together. Which is why this may sound like a novice question...
But is it necessary to use joining compound as well as the solid gaskets to create a good seal?
So far I have just used the gasket on its own to replace the heater take off on top of the cylinder head...

[Island Mini]

Hi Elliott, the big boys will tell you it never hurts to use some silicone gasket maker on a gasket. Personally I've never had issues just using a gasket or just gasket maker. However for ease of disassembly I would put a little grease on both of the surfaces and then apply the gasket, it stops the gasket sticking in places and ripping the next time you have to take your rocker cover off.

[MrElliott]

Hi Elliott, the big boys will tell you it never hurts to use some silicone gasket maker on a gasket. Personally I've never had issues just using a gasket or just gasket maker. However for ease of disassembly I would put a little grease on both of the surfaces and then apply the gasket, it stops the gasket sticking in places and ripping the next time you have to take your rocker cover off.

Thank you :) Hopefully this will make my life just that bit easier when putting the thing back together :)