Valve cover gasket

[old55pete]

I am almost ready to put my covers back on and I got the recommended gasket. Do I need to add a sealant to the gasket? I wasn’t sure for this gasket material. And if you do, do you add to cover side only or both sides?

Thanks

Jeremy

A thin film of a silicone sealant called" The Right Stuff" is not a bad thing. On the other hand I have the same set of gaskets on my 5.0 Bronco, I put them on in 08 and they still dont leak. It is up to you. Keep in mind that when I say thin film, I mean put a little on and spread it with your finger untill it stops spreading then add more and continue around the gasket. To much and it will squeeze out, then will get hard and brake off and end up in the oil pan. Then it will get sucked up to the oil pickup screen and reduce the oil flow to the oil pump and the engine, as we all know, that is NOT a good thing.

[Rusty_S85]

A thin film of a silicone sealant called" The Right Stuff" is not a bad thing. On the other hand I have the same set of gaskets on my 5.0 Bronco, I put them on in 08 and they still dont leak. It is up to you. Keep in mind that when I say thin film, I mean put a little on and spread it with your finger untill it stops spreading then add more and continue around the gasket. To much and it will squeeze out, then will get hard and brake off and end up in the oil pan. Then it will get sucked up to the oil pickup screen and reduce the oil flow to the oil pump and the engine, as we all know, that is NOT a good thing.

I havent heard of that one I will have to look that stuff up. I always use the Ultra Black since its formulated for use where exposed to oil. I have tried using clear rtv silicone at work like my boss wants on intake manifolds and even with dimpling the block the clear doesnt last as the oil eats it away till it starts to seep. On my truck I just plan on using the ultra black as Ive had great luck with it.

Thing to remember that most people forget is you put the silicone on lightly seat the part start the bolts then let cure over night then come back and tighten to spec. Ive seen too many people put a large bead on the block sit the intake down then torque it to spec squeezing all the silicone out on the inside and outside. Some Ive seen wipe the squeeze out off. Me I put a thick bead sit the intake down start the bolts then let cure over night then torque to spec. This allows it to stick to both parts but it cures in a thicker layer and when torqued to spec it squeezes down providing a tighter seal. It also helps to prevent squeeze out on the inside and outside of the block as well.

I think I used it on my Fairlane with the center bolt valve covers and they are supposed to be known for leaking but I never had a problem with leakage. I used it to affix the NOS Ford valve cover gaskets to the valve cover themselves since I have to remove covers for rocker arm adjustment at regular intervals. But mine are from at least 1966 and they arent really a cork they look more like a compressed rubber fiber type gasket more than cork.

[old55pete]

I havent heard of that one I will have to look that stuff up. I always use the Ultra Black since its formulated for use where exposed to oil. I have tried using clear rtv silicone at work like my boss wants on intake manifolds and even with dimpling the block the clear doesnt last as the oil eats it away till it starts to seep. On my truck I just plan on using the ultra black as Ive had great luck with it.

Thing to remember that most people forget is you put the silicone on lightly seat the part start the bolts then let cure over night then come back and tighten to spec. Ive seen too many people put a large bead on the block sit the intake down then torque it to spec squeezing all the silicone out on the inside and outside. Some Ive seen wipe the squeeze out off. Me I put a thick bead sit the intake down start the bolts then let cure over night then torque to spec. This allows it to stick to both parts but it cures in a thicker layer and when torqued to spec it squeezes down providing a tighter seal. It also helps to prevent squeeze out on the inside and outside of the block as well.

I think I used it on my Fairlane with the center bolt valve covers and they are supposed to be known for leaking but I never had a problem with leakage. I used it to affix the NOS Ford valve cover gaskets to the valve cover themselves since I have to remove covers for rocker arm adjustment at regular intervals. But mine are from at least 1966 and they arent really a cork they look more like a compressed rubber fiber type gasket more than cork.

I use the Right stuff on the big Cat and Cummins engine oil pans and timing covers along with the gasket. These are notirous leakers, same with the valve/ cam cover gaskets on Detroits. It supprises the owners when they dont leak any more.

Also the timing covers for the Cummins 5.9 and 6.7 in pickups. There is no gasket, just silicone. A few years back, Cummins came out with a tec bulliten to use the Right Stuff instead of the sealant that comes in the front seal kit.

[Rusty_S85]

I use the Right stuff on the big Cat and Cummins engine oil pans and timing covers along with the gasket. These are notirous leakers, same with the valve/ cam cover gaskets on Detroits. It supprises the owners when they dont leak any more.

Also the timing covers for the Cummins 5.9 and 6.7 in pickups. There is no gasket, just silicone. A few years back, Cummins came out with a tec bulliten to use the Right Stuff instead of the sealant that comes in the front seal kit.

I havent messed with dodge diesels much, boss tends to run them off cause the dodges have way too many problems that are a pita to diagnosis. We only do the ford diesels and I know ford has this gray silicone that is tacky as hell that is used on oil pans as ford doesnt use gaskets on the oil pan. I thought of using this for my truck but after I had to clean that stuff off I realized no I dont know if I want to that stuff is a pita to get off with a scraper. Its easier to get it off with a wire brush or a sanding cookie but that turns it into a fine powder that gets everywhere and if you are dealing with a block or head for example it gets all inside the motor and hard to avoid it.

[old55pete]

I havent messed with dodge diesels much, boss tends to run them off cause the dodges have way too many problems that are a pita to diagnosis. We only do the ford diesels and I know ford has this gray silicone that is tacky as hell that is used on oil pans as ford doesnt use gaskets on the oil pan. I thought of using this for my truck but after I had to clean that stuff off I realized no I dont know if I want to that stuff is a pita to get off with a scraper. Its easier to get it off with a wire brush or a sanding cookie but that turns it into a fine powder that gets everywhere and if you are dealing with a block or head for example it gets all inside the motor and hard to avoid it.

I finished an Inframe on an N14 Cummins that I did ten years ago. I built it with The Right Stuff on all of the normal leakers, It all came off with the fingered gasket removers on a die grinder. No mess, just chunks of silicone every where and swept up and trashed.

Just as a heads up, with the right scan tool like the Snap on Versis or the older MODIS, the Cummins are easy to figure out.

[Rusty_S85]

I finished an Inframe on an N14 Cummins that I did ten years ago. I built it with The Right Stuff on all of the normal leakers, It all came off with the fingered gasket removers on a die grinder. No mess, just chunks of silicone every where and swept up and trashed.

Just as a heads up, with the right scan tool like the Snap on Versis or the older MODIS, the Cummins are easy to figure out.

Well I will have to look into that. I like good silicone that actually comes off with a scraper over that ford stuff that is very sticky.

For us its not so much as scanning the systems, its just that all the dodge wreckers we work on they always have these weird electrical problems that when you follow identifix which is basically the same as somedata, it just makes you run down the list and then at the end it says replace the item and you are like ok but we didnt test enough to know if it really is the item.

We've been burned before doing like the test chart shows only for at the end to find out the replacement of the part wasnt what fixed it but there was a broken wire.

We even replaced a whole harness on a dodge wrecker as they are known for the plastic insulation coming off due to oil soak over time and we replaced the harness and not kidding not even 2 months later came in with an electrical problem and that new harness had a short some where and we had to run a bypass wire.

That is more of the reason why we just avoid the dodge stuff. I wouldnt mind working on them cause thats money, but boss doesnt want to get involved with it. Plus boss doesnt want to charge properly for jobs like this either. I mainly focus on the old vehicles cause no one else wants to work on them doing repairs or conversions and I like it and hate it at the same time. I like it cause I like the old stuff, but I hate it cause the pay just isnt proper as the labor is skewed on the old stuff in such a way the other guys just dont want to work on that stuff.

[old55pete]

Well I will have to look into that. I like good silicone that actually comes off with a scraper over that ford stuff that is very sticky.

For us its not so much as scanning the systems, its just that all the dodge wreckers we work on they always have these weird electrical problems that when you follow identifix which is basically the same as somedata, it just makes you run down the list and then at the end it says replace the item and you are like ok but we didnt test enough to know if it really is the item.

We've been burned before doing like the test chart shows only for at the end to find out the replacement of the part wasnt what fixed it but there was a broken wire.

We even replaced a whole harness on a dodge wrecker as they are known for the plastic insulation coming off due to oil soak over time and we replaced the harness and not kidding not even 2 months later came in with an electrical problem and that new harness had a short some where and we had to run a bypass wire.

That is more of the reason why we just avoid the dodge stuff. I wouldnt mind working on them cause thats money, but boss doesnt want to get involved with it. Plus boss doesnt want to charge properly for jobs like this either. I mainly focus on the old vehicles cause no one else wants to work on them doing repairs or conversions and I like it and hate it at the same time. I like it cause I like the old stuff, but I hate it cause the pay just isnt proper as the labor is skewed on the old stuff in such a way the other guys just dont want to work on that stuff.

That funny, I dont see many wiring problems. I do see alot of VVT controler, EGR coolers, manifold pressure sensors( normaly filled with soot from the EGR) and the always fun, it wouldent start yesterday morning so I gave it a little ether and it fired up with a miss that went away a few seconds later. The check engine light came on so I took it to O'Rillies and they hooked up to it and said it has a code for a bad crank possion sensor, so I changed it and this morning it did the same thing as yesterday. Thats code for you have a bad injector that leaks off over night and High pressure fuel pump has to re prime the fuel system.

[Rusty_S85]

That funny, I dont see many wiring problems. I do see alot of VVT controler, EGR coolers, manifold pressure sensors( normaly filled with soot from the EGR) and the always fun, it wouldent start yesterday morning so I gave it a little ether and it fired up with a miss that went away a few seconds later. The check engine light came on so I took it to O'Rillies and they hooked up to it and said it has a code for a bad crank possion sensor, so I changed it and this morning it did the same thing as yesterday. Thats code for you have a bad injector that leaks off over night and High pressure fuel pump has to re prime the fuel system.

Yep, we dont see those problems as all the wreckers are deleted emission wise from the dpf to def to egr. Even the fords get an egr cooler delete as well.

We mainly see electrical issues, like broken crank sensor wires due to a belt coming apart for example down to oil soaked wires that just broke down and is shorting out to one another.

These trucks they sit and idle all day cause the wrecker drivers cant be bothered to not have A/C so these trucks have like ten times the hours they should have for the miles on the engine.

[myrl883]

Yep, we dont see those problems as all the wreckers are deleted emission wise from the dpf to def to egr. Even the fords get an egr cooler delete as well.

We mainly see electrical issues, like broken crank sensor wires due to a belt coming apart for example down to oil soaked wires that just broke down and is shorting out to one another.

These trucks they sit and idle all day cause the wrecker drivers cant be bothered to not have A/C so these trucks have like ten times the hours they should have for the miles on the engine.

NO, NO, NO sealant on those gaskets! They are meant to be installed to a dry surface.

FelPro PermaDry are good, as are the Ford OE steel gaskets (which are made by Mahle...)

[Rusty_S85]

NO, NO, NO sealant on those gaskets! They are meant to be installed to a dry surface.

FelPro PermaDry are good, as are the Ford OE steel gaskets (which are made by Mahle...)

Except the permaDry one piece oil pan gaskets it clearly states to place oil safe silicone in the corners of the timing cover and rear main area of the oil pan.