Case breather cover gasket leak - will loctite 574 solve my problem

[wjdunham]

I have a small but annoying leak around the engine case breather cover. I have removed the cover and sanded it flat on a block of granite, torqued the nuts to spec and tried two new gaskets. Oil is seeping past the gasket and leaking down the left side of the case. Oil level is half way between the two lines on the dipstick, so I don't believe this is an overfill issue. I have so far installed the gaskets dry, but after further reading looks like Loctite 574 is the recommended solution. Before I go and try it out, and if it doesn't work wind up with a pain-in-rear cleanup effort, I thought I would check with the experts to see if this is really going to solve the problem, or perhaps another sealant/method.

Here's a pic of the breather cover and the gasket I will be using:


Here's a pic of the experiment I did with the Loctite 574, just a very thin coating on the test gasket and clamped to a piece of aluminum for 24 hours. The 574 did not harden up, seems to have remained somewhat tacky and I can peel the gasket off without tearing it up. Seems like it would be fairly easy to clean off with a mild solvent if this experiment doesn't work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Bill

[2svnhvn]

Hi Bill, Usually loctite 574 is not used with a gasket, so I’m not sure you will get a positive result. Just a question, you said the breather cover is sanded and flat, is the case flat or have any low spots in the area that is leaking? Good luck and keep us posted!
Pete

[wjdunham]

Unfortunately I have no good way to tell if the case side is flat. Case is an Aluminum 3.2 that has some work done by Ollies, but i did not check that area before assembling and installing tge motor in the car. Its a bit tight back there and I cant easily get a good view to check.

The ultimate sealant thread and a few others here recommend 574 on that gasket.

[manbridge 74]

I would not use 574. This application would be much better served with three bond or a THIN line of Loctite 5900.

I had to install one of these on a clients 911 recently and noticed that this gasket has been superseded a few times so best results might come from using the Porsche gasket. I used no sealant and had no leaks. Make sure the oil breather hose is in good shape as well.

[eastbay]

3bond worked for me (on everything)

[stownsen914]

Here's the post from the sealant thread where 574 is recommended along with the logic behind it.

@wjdunham sounds like the 574 didn't cure in your experiment. In my experience 574 when cured is quite hard. It does need an anaerobic environment to cure, perhaps in your case there was still some exposure to air, or the product has aged out?

[wjdunham]

Originally Posted by stownsen914

Here's the post from the sealant thread where 574 is recommended along with the logic behind it.

@wjdunham sounds like the 574 didn't cure in your experiment. In my experience 574 when cured is quite hard. It does need an anaerobic environment to cure, perhaps in your case there was still some exposure to air, or the product has aged out?

I have not tried the 574 yet on the engine, only as an experiment on my test sample.
Looks like the updated Porsche Part number is 93010779102/1 - according to the photos of the Porsche part ($10 vs. the $2 OEM part) looks the same as the one in my photo. I think I will try that new gasket dry and see how it does. I am able to get the breather cover off without removing too much of the intake (AFM and air filter only need to come off) unless anyone else has other options to try. I'll go to the 574 as a last resort.

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by wjdunham

Unfortunately I have no good way to tell if the case side is flat. Case is an Aluminum 3.2 that has some work done by Ollies, but i did not check that area before assembling and installing tge motor in the car. Its a bit tight back there and I cant easily get a good view to check.

The ultimate sealant thread and a few others here recommend 574 on that gasket.

Make sure your 574 is fresh, Use a quarter inch drive and don’t over torque the bolts. If that doesn’t work use threebond 1189 or whatever number they’re using now without a gasket.

[dannobee]

Clean both surfaces with alcohol or brake cleaner until spotlessly clean and omit the gasket. Use Threebond 1215, metal to metal. It simply will not leak, seep, or "sweat." Ever.

If you can't find Threebond 1215 locally, the gray GM Engine Sealant 88864346 will work just as well. Do NOT use the gasket.

If the leak persists, it's the connection at the hose, NOT the breather.

[wjdunham]

Originally Posted by dannobee

Clean both surfaces with alcohol or brake cleaner until spotlessly clean and omit the gasket. Use Threebond 1215, metal to metal. It simply will not leak, seep, or "sweat." Ever.

If you can't find Threebond 1215 locally, the gray GM Engine Sealant 88864346 will work just as well. Do NOT use the gasket.

If the leak persists, it's the connection at the hose, NOT the breather.

Upon further inspection it looks like the issue is on the case side, right were the case halves join there is a small indentation, sort of like a "V" right where the halves join.

Not sure what my options are here, if the Treebond 1215 will take care of that lack of flatness on the case. I'm not inclined to remove the entire intake so I can get to the area and try to flatten it out with a block and some sandpaper, and I'm not sure that will even work in this case. The imperfection isn't that big, but big enough to cause the seepage issue I'm seeing.

[wjdunham]

Here are a few pics of the case. I'm sure "not that bad" is debatable here
Not sure how I missed this on the engine build, it's the only leak I have anywhere on the whole motor/oil cooling system. Options?

[tsuter]

That looks more like a J-B Weld solution than 574...

[manbridge 74]

No on the JB weld! A joke, I’m sure.

574 will only seal with no gap or very little which is why a single strand from an applicator brush can cause a leak path between cases. Here, with this “v” or on other cases a “step” you simply need three bond or the 5900 product (same/similar as the GM product listed above) and it will not leak again in your lifetime. I’m sure the gasket is fine, superseded or not.

[proporsche]

for that use Curil T green sealant...
BTW are you sure you had the gasket the correct way? Everybody makes mistakes ,i`ve done it too..was in a hurry;-)))
Ivan

[wjdunham]

Originally Posted by proporsche

for that use Curil T green sealant...
BTW are you sure you had the gasket the correct way? Everybody makes mistakes ,i`ve done it too..was in a hurry;-)))
Ivan

Hi Ivan, I had the gasket in correctly, I can tell by the indentations in the gasket matching the outline of the breather cover. If you think the Curil T will work I'll probably try that first as it is easy to clean up, and I have some in my tool kit. If it does not work, I'll go with the threebond type of product without the gasket. Seems like I'll only get one shot with that and if it doesn't work I'll be stuck with a difficult cleanup given the limited access to that area.

[wjdunham]

Also, use the Curil T with or without the gasket?

[eastbay]

Threebond with gasket. And like with v8 intake gaskets at the head and block corner, put a small blob of Threebond at both case seam parting lines.

[dannobee]

Threebond, NO gasket. We haven't used gaskets or seals on the American V8 "China walls" in decades and the engine sealant seals that 1/8" to 1/4" gap just fine.

The paper type gaskets are a leak waiting to happen, as the oil eventually seeps through the paper itself. That issue does not occur with Threebond.

"Fix" it however you want. I'm just stating what I KNOW will fix it, as a working professional for almost four decades.

[manbridge 74]

No gasket also acceptable….

But I really haven’t seen these leak through the paper in this area.

[wjdunham]

And the winner is... Ivan and Curil T for 50 points :-)

I figured that was easy to try and clean up if it didn't work. I put a nice even thin coat on the bottom facing side of the gasket (case side) and a bit extra in the little "V" in case that was leaking. Went for a spirited 60 mile drive today and so far dry as a bone.

Thanks everyone for all the help and suggestions, appreciated very much as always!

Bill