|
I can't speak to your application, but I knew an old engineer out of Rochester who always soaked carburetor gaskets in oil before assembly, he swore that they sealed better and came apart better, to the point that you could reuse them.
I have tried this method, and found it to be effective on paper carb gaskets. My opinion is that if the gasket takes the oil and swells up, it will work. Pete is right though, it is possible to over tighten on a swelled gasket and this can cause trouble, especially warping of the mating surfaces. They have to be tightened down gently, as if you were torquing a head gasket, all together in series, and not too much.
I am not a big fan of the silicone smear, but I know it is done, and I have done it. I prefer blue hylomar on gaskets I don't want to stick, and it does not take much.
Dry gaskets on perfect surfaces is hard to beat, but it can sometimes be a case of horses for courses.
|