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Appreciation post: The old timer at the shop in Boise who showed me the right way to seat a valve cover gasket
For years I just slapped them on dry, thinking the rubber would seal fine on its own. Last month, I had a persistent oil weep on a 6.7 Powerstroke that I chased for a week. The old head mechanic saw me about to do it again and said, 'You're making it fight itself. Put a thin film of clean oil on the gasket and the channel.' I did, torqued it in three steps as usual, and it sealed perfect. The oil lets it settle into the groove without binding or rolling. Has anyone else found a simple trick like that that just works every time?
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nancy328d ago
Just a thin film of oil, huh. I guess after all those years of fighting leaky covers, the real fix was basically using the stuff the gasket is meant to hold in. Makes you wonder what other jobs we're overcomplicating by following the 'no sealant' rule too literally. My old truck's valve covers are probably laughing at me right now.
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