hello its me again! i was wondering where to use gasket sealant with the gaskets and whatnots on a 302: oil pan, intake, timing cover and water pump. what kind of rtv to use and both sides or just one. its been too long since ive dont this sort of thing and i just need a reminder in case any new tech is available in terms of gaskets and sealants. thank you! mike
I run RTV on my oil pan(black stuff), timing cover and water pump(blue stuff). I do not use any on the valve covers cause I am always pulling them off to set vavle lash.
I like to use use it only on part side ( valve cover, intake, etc.) that way when/if you ever remove the part the gasket stays on the part removed instead of needing to be scraped off engine.
elliot, if that ? is for me.....If so. I have no problems with my valve covers leaking. I use rubber valve cover gaskets and they work fine.....atleast for me.
i just read in hot rod that fel pro makes a steel core valve cover gasket that never needs sealant and is reusable for the life of the car. i learned something today! mike
very thin coat of blue rtv on one side of water pump, fuel pump, timing cover gaskets and water passages of intake gasket. not on valve cover gaskets, but use yellow death (weatherstrip adhesive) to glue cork vc gaskets to valve covers and lightly rub some oil on the head side of gasket on initial install. i dont know about lasting a lifetime, but my current set have been on over 12 years. use a little hi-temp on exhaust flanges, never a gasket. if you file the header/manifold flanges flat, there will be no leaks and never pit the head surfaces (exhaust gaskets will hold moisture and eventually pit the head surface).
I've found that with any of the types of silicone, very thin layers on the surfaces to be sealed works best. This may sound a bit simple, but it really does make a difference if you put on a thin layer on each surface versus globs. It likes to stick to itself better than other surfaces, so thin layers on all the sealed surfaces seems to work better for me.
