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Valve cover gasket leak

Posted By: 696pack

Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 05:19 PM

I have recently installed the Mopar Performance black and aluminum valve covers on my 440 and they are leaking oil. The shop has asked me to provide the metal reinforced rubber gaskets but I have been reading many contridictory things about what gaskets work and which don't for these covers. What is YOUR real hands on experience for no leaks with these covers?
Posted By: HotRod20

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 05:44 PM

What has worked for me consistently is removing the valve covers, clean the mating surfaces on the engine and covers with lacquer thinner and let dry.

Clean them again with lacquer thinner and wipe with a clean paper towel,let dry.

Purchase new cork valve cover gaskets (not rubber)
and apply hi temp silicone on the valve covers in a small bead line in the center of the gasket area.

Place the new gaskets in the cover & make sure the gasket "tabs" lay in the valve cover tabs as well.(If you have covers that do not have locating tabs in the cover,then trim off the gasket to match).

After you lay the gasket into the bead of hi temp, Carefully turn the cover over and lay down on a table or work bench. I add some weight to the top of the covers so the gasket is compressed in the hi temp and let dry overnight.

After the covers and gaskets have set over night, apply hi temp silicone or Permatex soft set to the engine cylinder head mating surface. Take the valve covers and install on each side of the engine one at a time cross torquing the bolts for each side. Let them dry overnight.

The next day, start your engine up and enjoy leak proof valve covers. Works for me every time.
HR 20
Posted By: radar

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 06:28 PM

That's fine if you have a non adjustable valvetrain. I go in my V/Cs a handful of times a year to check my lash.

I like to use rtv to glue the gaskets to the V/C only. Then they come off the motor clean and when they need replacement (I also like the rubber ones) the cleanup happens only on the bench- no rubber crumbs fall into the motor.

Side note- I had a set of cast covers on a smallblock that would leak but only when I drove- not at idle. Turns out my air-gap's raised runners were barely hitting the inside edges of the covers and looking good but not quite compressing the gasket. I had to relieve (grind!) them a little to clear the runners so they would sit all the way down.
Posted By: 68KillerBee

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 06:52 PM

I thought I always heard those valve covers sucked and leaked pretty bad??
Posted By: lewtot184

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 07:04 PM

the fel-pro 1610 blue stripe cork gasket is my favorite. silicone it to the valve cover and lightly lube it where it mates to the head for easy removal.
Posted By: 1968 Charger B5

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 07:43 PM

1. If you are running an edie rpm intake or other tall intake, check the intake side of the valve cover and make sure it is not contacting the intake, I had to 'tickle' the mp black valve cover on my 360 to fit with a tall intake I was running.

2. I have run both the felpro cork gasket and the rubberized metal gasket. I prefer the latter. Although, honestly I have both work fine.

3. Clean the surfaces well, do not over rtv, and check to make sure there is no other interferences with the valve cover, or also a tiny pcv leak that runs down and looks like a vc leak...

Good luck
Posted By: Shawnb

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/01/13 09:40 PM

I had these black wrinkle Mopar valve covers on my 68 Bee. They always leakes. Most at the rear of the left head. THe best success I had was clean all off with brake clean and use the "right stuff" rtv on both sides of new rubber gaskets. Still was not 100% gone so I went to the aluminum 440 Source ones. They work great. I would ditch the Mopar ones.
Posted By: 340727dart

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 12:05 AM

I've got MP black wrinkle aluminum valve covers on my 340 and am using the MP steel reinforced rubber gaskets with no sealant.
They've been on the engine for three years and haven't even tried to leak.
Posted By: 78asprin

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 07:45 AM

I run my black mp cast vc's with 2 gaskets, one siliconed to the vc and one to the heads, I run studs with nuts, since I have to adjust my rockers with the roller rockers, there's no changing gaskets all the time, havent changed a gasket for the last 6 times ive had the vc off.
Posted By: 78asprin

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 07:47 AM

Oh and no silicone between the 2 gaskets
Posted By: therocks

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 11:36 AM

I had them on my 440 and now they are on my kids 413.We use Mr Gasket Ultra seals.I even had them off a few times to check my lash.Never a leak.I always install dry.RTV and cork dosent mix.It will turn cork to mush sooner or later.Rocky
Posted By: lewtot184

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 03:40 PM

Quote:

I had them on my 440 and now they are on my kids 413.We use Mr Gasket Ultra seals.I even had them off a few times to check my lash.Never a leak.I always install dry.RTV and cork dosent mix.It will turn cork to mush sooner or later.Rocky

rtv and cork don't mix?.....
Posted By: therocks

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 06:35 PM

Ive seen too many cork gaskets turn to mush with RTV.Most people want to use it as a gob.Had one car come in with new FelPro gaskets.Pour oil in and it came out as fast as it went in.Pulled the covers and the RTV had made them almost like a liquid gasket.New set and dry and all was good.Never could understand why people pay good $$$$ for gaskets then goob them up with RTV.Mine all go on dry.No leaks.Only thing I will use on some is 3M adhesive to glue them to the part.Lots of new stuff you arent going to get the gasket in place unless its stuck to the part you are installing.Only time I use gasket sealer is on stat housings and some water pumps.then I use Permatix brown.Been doing that everyday for 30 years as a tech.Rocky
Posted By: challengermike

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 07:43 PM

Quote:

Ive seen too many cork gaskets turn to mush with RTV.Most people want to use it as a gob.Had one car come in with new FelPro gaskets.Pour oil in and it came out as fast as it went in.Pulled the covers and the RTV had made them almost like a liquid gasket.New set and dry and all was good.Never could understand why people pay good $$$$ for gaskets then goob them up with RTV.Mine all go on dry.No leaks.Only thing I will use on some is 3M adhesive to glue them to the part.Lots of new stuff you arent going to get the gasket in place unless its stuck to the part you are installing.Only time I use gasket sealer is on stat housings and some water pumps.then I use Permatix brown.Been doing that everyday for 30 years as a tech.Rocky



I agree, i see alot of people trying to seal cork or rubber trans pan gaskets with rtv and 90 percent of the time there leaking. I always use cork gaskets dry and have not had a problem with them leaking.
Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 07:47 PM

Quote:

I have recently installed the Mopar Performance black and aluminum valve covers on my 440 and they are leaking oil. The shop has asked me to provide the metal reinforced rubber gaskets but I have been reading many contridictory things about what gaskets work and which don't for these covers. What is YOUR real hands on experience for no leaks with these covers?

Which heads are you running, stock or after market aluminum ones? If stock heads use the cork and rubber thick ones, don't over tighten them If your using aluminum haeds that have a machined flat surface for the gaskets to seal against, look real closely at the valve covers and the head sealing surfaces for small imperfections that the gaskets aren't sealing agianst IHTHs
Posted By: Supercuda

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 08:13 PM

Chrysler made how many millions of engines without RTV on the VC gaskets? Hmm, all of them I think.

I prefer the metal reinforced rubber gaskets myself. If they don't seal your problem isn't the gasket, it's something else. Others have mentioned that the MP cast aluminum VC's sometimes need fitting to seal properly. Sheetmtal VC's can get tweaked, especially when you are prying them off because some PO(S) RTV'd them on to "cure" a leak.
Posted By: RSNOMO

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/02/13 09:18 PM

'Hi-Temp' gasket between an 'as cast' cover, and a cast iron head...

Been in there over 10 years...

Dry...

No leaks...
Posted By: 69 mayflower

Re: Valve cover gasket leak - 02/03/13 11:07 AM

I agree, never understood why you need to glob some kind of sealant on a gasket. . I use some gasket tack to hold it to the part while installing, then just be careful not to overtighten. Get em good and snug but not enough to deform the gasket. Works on both rubber and cork. I'm still a fan of good ole' cork.
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