blue_crush Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Just finishing up and engine rebuild and was putting oil in, and it starting coming out all along the intake side.... brand new fel pro gasket, should I of put sealant down? and the book calls for 4-5 ft lbs of torque.. that's not much for a whopping 2 bolts. Any tricks or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestFan Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Ive never had to put sealant on anything but the half circle at the front of the valve cover. But Ive never went by torque specs on a valve cover either. I just tightened it down untill I felt good about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 this is some thing if you ask'd 10 mechanics about you'd get 10 diff opnions on,, personaly i place a small bead of rtv along the entire gasket surface , use'd gaskets give more surface area to do this as they have been press'd down a little,, the manual don't mention this but it's some thingi have learn'd to do after installing 1000's of valve covers ,,the trick is to not use too much rtv and make sure there is NO oil on any mateing surface , removeing the old rtv is a simple matter of wipeing with a shop towel , do not use blk rtv , it sticks too well and is harder to remove later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiana Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) You used your fingers and mashed the gasket up into the groove in the valve cover so it wouldn't fall out then you flipped it over and put it on and it leaked right? When you mashed it into the groove some places mashed in further than the others and it has low spots in it. Take it back off, pull it back out of that groove and wipe everything back off. At the back in that upper curve put some sealant in that groove. Place the gasket into the groove and just barely push it in so it doesn't fall out. On the head, at the back across the top of that last cam tower cap put some sealant there and down in each corner where it meets the head. Put some across the plug in the front and at the crack where the timing cover meets the block. Put the valve cover on and while watching through the bolt holes, line them up before you mash down into the sealant. Oil the bolt shoulder and finger tighten both. Put your fingers down on the side where the valve cover meets the head along the crack. Start tightening down the bolts, go back and forth then you'll notice the gap no longer getting smaller as the bolts get tight. stop. FORGET that BS torque spec. its not nearly enough. The valve cover coming down will push the gasket up into the groove and mash the sealant out the back curve which the radius doesn't match the valve cover on any head ever made. If you mash the gasket all the way up into the groove they will always leak back there that's why you put some sealant into the groove then put the gasket in and put a little bit more over the top of the cap. If the gasket is still soft you shouldn't have to seal it to the head but if its been ran awhile and its slightly hardened and oily leave it in the valve cover the put a film all around it then next time you'll have to peel it off but by then you should be done taking the valve cover off unless you are adjusting the valves or something a year later and by then the gasket isn't soft and it won't seal unless you put some sealant around it everytime you put it back on or replace the gasket again. Edited September 25, 2011 by Indiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dred_85.5_TSI Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 I put a little RTV in the groove in the valve cover and a little on the head and it didn't leak a drop yesterday when I drove ~400 miles to Bloomington IL and back home for the MOD meet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyWadd Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Ive had grey silicon work on problem valve cover leaks. Its doesnt squish out as much and dries up more rigid. The cam towers break or the valve cover cracks when you crank then bolts too hard. It seems like those bolts would make the valve cover warp a little ever notice that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiana Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Yes you can crack a valve cover. (If you have one for a tubo 1.6 I'm still looking because I have one that someone broke and sealant there just doesn't work too well) That's why you put your finger down where the valve cover meets the head and when it stops moving you stop turning the bolt. That entire valve cover on the inside is wet with oil and oil pours out of the valve train when the engine is running and if there's any way for oil to leak out it will find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbrad511 Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 Lots of good tips here, but did you use ARP studs for the head? If so your valve cover needs a little underside trimming to clear a couple of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiplash Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Do exactly what Indiana said in his first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_crush Posted October 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 I just started over, cleaned everything and used sealant in the cover a bit, to hold the gasket half in, and put it on the head as well, sealed up nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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