Gasket installation: Dry, Wet, Sealer????

[82SC]

Well I am a budding DIY grease monkey and I am in the middle of my first engine drop, clutch replacement etc....

With all my weekend projects I have seent different gaskets: Paper, fibrous material, rubber, plastic, metal, asbestos etc...

I have heard differnt suggestions, coat with oil, coat with moly grease, install dry, use sealer, don't use sealer

Are there any rules of thumb and cardinal rules for gaskets and seals?

I would think that for anything oil based, coating with oil can't hurt, moving parts seem to call for moly grease, then there is good old white lithium...

Or are some gaskets most effective when installed dry?

Thanks

MJ

[zotman72]

Bruce Anderson says to install all paper
gaskets dry. That said, my just finished
2.4S Mag engine with dry gaskets is leaking
big time. I am pissed and wondering what/where I have go fix these nefarious
leaks. Several local Denver wrenches now
tell me to use Loctite 574 everywhere there
is a gasket.
I really do not know what to tell you. Good
luck.
Bill
72T with leaker 2.4S engine.

[82SC]

Well the 3 rubber ones in the oil cooler I coated with oil...I have heard Warren say to use Dow 111 on the return tube O-rings...what is Dow 111 a lube or a sealer?

Well on all the o-rings in oil related passages I coated with oil

On the shift rod selector seal I used non-hardening gasket sealer per the tech article

On the oil breather contraption on the back of the engine I used oil on a paper gasket...and I am worried about this one. I can't imagine a paper gasket, with all the holes and spaces would seal well, even if squished down...then again aren't the valve cover seals paper as well?

Hmmm maybe John Walker or Roland or Warren our resident experts can lend a hand...gentlemen???

[Zendalar]

I have had very bad experiences from the Loctite family products. Everything that drys and forms a "flexible" surface is bad. Some of this goo will come out of the seams and then after a while the goo comes loose and goes to places it should not.

For gaskets I use this "Hermetite" gasket glue. Its supposed to be used in metal-metal connections, but it can be used so that you use it on gaskets (Will attach to graphite gaskets too). It smells terrible, and when dry, it looks your girlfriends nail polish thingie (although its brown).

In my opinion its the best thing there is.

//Zen

[Jens Wendorff]

Same question with the 915 bottom gasket.
Should go in sometime next week together with the speedo drive seal.

Anyone???

Jens

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

There isnīt a general answer to the question. I think each mechanic has a different opinion.

Each sealing component has specific workfields and can fail used on other purposes.

For Papergaskets I allways use DIRKO as this will not harden but fill the scratches. It also supports dissasembling and reusing from gaskets.

For deeper scratches or bend parts HYLOMAR is very usefull.

Loctite 573 ( Green ) or 574 ( orange ) are special sealer who will not work on gaskets and need a special treatment for application.

If you use a papergasket dry it might need a retourqeing after it soaked oil.

Normally you donīt need any sealer for rubber parts.

Also there are slight differences in design by the manufactorers. Some papers will expand if they get soaked by oil while others only get soft.

Domestic engines have some applications with similar problems ( SB chev oilpan ) and similar products. I think Fel Pro has a complete product line. Some sealers based on Silcone will not work on aircooled engines but are easy to remove compared to acryl based components.

However to much will not help and sealer will not seal on other sealer.

Grüsse