[T3] Valve Cover
willjahn
willjahn975 at gmail.com
Thu Aug 16 10:50:22 PDT 2018
I used to get the gaskets from an independent VW repair shop. These were to small and to thin and were the color of cork. I would have to use contact cement to get them to fit the covers. I found the ones autozone sells are much better and are dark like some mix of rubber and cork , they fit perfect and are thicker yet I used Permatex 2 to hold them to the cover . Just a thin coat on the gasket which was still messy stuff because I tried to put it on the cover and gasket first try.
From what I read on Samba many use some sort of seal on the cover only. I never though of using oil on the head and gasket yet it makes sense .
William
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
From: Jim Adney
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2018 8:09 AM
To: type3 at vwtype3.org
Subject: Re: [T3] Valve Cover
On 15 Aug 2018 at 19:25, Jeff C wrote:
> What is the current way to ensure the valve covers are sealed?
I use a small dab of sealer in the middle of each long side, between the
gasket and the cover. That keeps the long side of the gasket from "drooping"
inward. If the gasket you use is the right size, that's all you need. NEVER
glue the gasket to the head!
Late valve covers have a little dimple pushed inward on the top to prevent
that "droop" on the top, but I've seen gaskets creep upward along the
bottom.
Berg recommends keeping a spare set of covers on a spare set of heads, so
the sealant will be dried/set when you need them. I've never done this, but it
sounds reasonable because wet sealant could still allow slippage.
On the head side of the gasket, I run my finger along the full length of the
mating surface of the head, to make sure it's smooth. Then I wet that finger
in some old oil from the head or cover and wet both the mating surface of the
head and the head side of the gasket.
I find that the gaskets last thru many valve adjustments. I replace them only
if I can no longer push a fingernail into them. There seem to be 2 common
types of gaskets: black or beige. The black ones are good, but the beige
ones, that seem to come in the gasket sets, are undersize and don't fill the
cavity in the cover. I understand that they can be expanded by a minute or
so in boiling water in a small frying pan, but I've never done that. (I
remember seeing mechanics doing this in the 60s at my dealership. There
was a hotplate on one side of the shop that everyone used. I didn't
understand what they were doing until Russ explained it.)
Don't ever try to get away with a gasket that is undersize. Either boil it, or get
a better one.
--
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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