Are rubber valve cover gaskets JUNK? Pic inside

[AuroraGirl]

I’ll be the guy that will chime in and say that I really like the Fel Pro steel core rubber gaskets.

The biggest change for me though was getting away from using stamped tin/steel covers and going with more rigid cast aluminum covers- it is all I’ll use these days.

yes. the stamped steel will deform over too strong of a gasket. hell, torque the cork gasket enough on one corner and you basically guarantee a leak there too

 

[AuroraGirl]

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I proactively went back and put larger spreaders on to help mine. I just used stock cork which i had on my shelf for about as long as ive been alive lol... I think I cleaned it up real well and IIRC i used a gasket sealant to retain the cork in position on the head. But I could have just carefully staked it with the bolts and made sure it was positioned right too. The diffuiculty I have reaching makes me lean toward using gasket sealant.

 

[SirRobyn0]

im just saying because of its use and properties, i wouldnt want that getting in my oil (like RTV in that sense) and if your gluing a rubber gasket to metal.. i feel at that point covers with strong construction and spreaders with a cork gasket will just work better lol

It's just a thin line of 3M weather strip adhesive, and like with RTV you don't want to slop it all over the place, but it's fine if used correctly and it does a VERY good job of holding gaskets in place and keeping them sealed on that side. The biggest down fall to me is it's a PITA to get it all off. What I like is having an air pump on my truck and all the associated lines it can be quite a trick to snake the valve covers in and out. So I can put a thin line of RTV (I like the right stuff in the caulking gun) right on the head. I can glue the cork gasket to the valve cover and if I bump or pressure the gasket against something snaking the cover back into place the gasket will stay in place no matter what. So for me it's a must do. But I think the main take away is we all have a different technique that works for us.

 

[AuroraGirl]

It's just a thin line of 3M weather strip adhesive, and like with RTV you don't want to slop it all over the place, but it's fine if used correctly and it does a VERY good job of holding gaskets in place and keeping them sealed on that side. The biggest down fall to me is it's a PITA to get it all off. What I like is having an air pump on my truck and all the associated lines it can be quite a trick to snake the valve covers in and out. So I can put a thin line of RTV (I like the right stuff in the caulking gun) right on the head. I can glue the cork gasket to the valve cover and if I bump or pressure the gasket against something snaking the cover back into place the gasket will stay in place no matter what. So for me it's a must do. But I think the main take away is we all have a different technique that works for us.

but they make gasket sealants for that purpose

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[bucket]

I've seen a lot of guys use a lot of weatherstrip adhesive on gaskets, in all sorts of applications. It doesn't hurt anything at all if it's not used in excess.

I only use it to hold a stubborn gasket in place while I install it. Like the '87-up rubber valve cover gaskets that usually have to be stretched into the groove.

 

[SirRobyn0]

but they make gasket sealants for that purpose

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Yes they do and what's the other one..... Gasgacinch... All great products I just can't tell much a difference between any of them other than 3M comes a in squeeze tube and those gasket sealants have a brush. I have used both and they all seem to work fine.

 

[Nasty-LSX]

Ok, found the culprit after feeling DUMB for 2 days. After taking them off about 10
times and using silicone and no silicone I found the problem. My cheap $80.00
CHINA valve covers had to much material on the intake runner area. I took my
4in grinder and shaved off material just where the runners are touching the valve cover.
reinstalled and BINGO. Rubber gaskets with steel inserts or liners dont suck.
All is good now. I did not even use RTV Take a look. I used grinder on
Valve cover not the intake. Took off lots of material. products just dont fit
correctly anymore. Pretty much just left a hair line lip. click on pic to blow it up BIGGER
up.

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[Nasty-LSX]

Thanks everyone!!

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I did something I told myself I was not going to do. Put Chrome valve covers on. I put a weiand stealth intake
on the truck and then said to hell with it and bought Chrome valve covers on it. I went to COMPETiTiON SALES
I bought all the rubbers and breather and gaskets. When I got home and opened the box, they were rubber. I
cannot get this crap to seal and stop leaking. Is the rubber junk? Do I need the thick cork type? I will say
engine looks ten times better and runs even better than before with this intake compared to stock.

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Competition Sales, didn't know they were still around! My dad used to buy stuff from them in the 60s and 70s. Still on the North Freeway?

 

[Nasty-LSX]

Competition Sales, didn't know they were still around! My dad used to buy stuff from them in the 60s and 70s. Still on the North Freeway?

yes sir, also in Pasadena. Super shops is making a come back also

 

[AuroraGirl]

Ok, found the culprit after feeling DUMB for 2 days. After taking them off about 10
times and using silicone and no silicone I found the problem. My cheap $80.00
CHINA valve covers had to much material on the intake runner area. I took my
4in grinder and shaved off material just where the runners are touching the valve cover.
reinstalled and BINGO. Rubber gaskets with steel inserts or liners dont suck.
All is good now. I did not even use RTV Take a look. I used grinder on
Valve cover not the intake. Took off lots of material. products just dont fit
correctly anymore. Pretty much just left a hair line lip. click on pic to blow it
up.

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that chinesium is gonna corrode out and die now

 

[ChuckN]

Ok, found the culprit after feeling DUMB for 2 days. After taking them off about 10
times and using silicone and no silicone I found the problem. My cheap $80.00
CHINA valve covers had to much material on the intake runner area. I took my
4in grinder and shaved off material just where the runners are touching the valve cover.
reinstalled and BINGO. Rubber gaskets with steel inserts or liners dont suck.
All is good now. I did not even use RTV Take a look. I used grinder on
Valve cover not the intake. Took off lots of material. products just dont fit
correctly anymore. Pretty much just left a hair line lip. click on pic to blow it up BIGGER
up.

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Nice work!

After you mentioned that, I got to thinking of my own and maybe I should check that out!

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After looking at mine with cast thicker valve covers, there’s lots of space in there- methinks perhaps your intake manifold has a lot of overlapping material in that area? No matter though- glad you found a solution!

 

[Nasty-LSX]

Nice work!

After you mentioned that, I got to thinking of my own and maybe I should check that out!

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After looking at mine with cast thicker valve covers, there’s lots of space in there- methinks perhaps your intake manifold has a lot of overlapping material in that area? No matter though- glad you found a solution!

Yes the material on the intake runner area is pretty thick. I even tried the factory covers and they would
have needed to be modified also. Thats how I found out about to much material in the same area when the
factory covers were leaking also. Crazy!. You have plenty of clearance. Im glad I figured it out. I started
to believe the oil was coming from the intake bolt area or gaskets, but I knew it was all correct. Im glad I
tried to put the factory valves cover back on and when they leaked the same way I knew exactly what the
problem was at that point.

 

[stroker2]

As a former NASCAR engine builder doing 450 plus engines a year , 3M weather strip adhesive was the preferred method to glue FelPro double cork metal reinforced gaskets to the covers . Never use RTV . Using the mention method you can remove covers ,set valves if needed and reinstall without leaking .Let the gasket do the sealing as designed . FYI our engine shop did R&D with FelPro to test new gasket designs. Thanks

 

[Nasty-LSX]

As a former NASCAR engine builder doing 450 plus engines a year , 3M weather strip adhesive was the preferred method to glue FelPro double cork metal reinforced gaskets to the covers . Never use RTV . Using the mention method you can remove covers ,set valves if needed and reinstall without leaking .Let the gasket do the sealing as designed . FYI our engine shop did R&D with FelPro to test new gasket designs. Thanks

Ill look into that double cork gasket from FelPro. I do need a thicker gasket. Do you have a part #? Thanks