My engine out is nearing completion and I am close to the stage of re-installing the valve covers and cam o-rings to seal it back up. New gaskets / o-rings from Ricambi of course. Any tips, tricks, lessons learned on the best way to do this so they do not leak?
Debur the valve covers and block where they touch the oring. They will pinch and damage it and it will leak 100%. Valve over is razor sharp there. Don't let the gasket touch the o ring. Use dab of hona bond around the oring. Sent from my SM-G990U using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Thanks. I'll be sure to look at that. You are referring to the small gasket between the two o-rings? The interesting part is the previous mechanic that did the engine out has used some type of gasket sealer on the entire valve cover gasket as against the head. In addition it looks like he used ultra Grey on the o-rings. Is there any gasket dressing on the gaskets or or-rings?
No, the actual valve cover gasket has a notch to go around the o-ring on the cam seal housing. Minimize that contact.
Ultra Grey isn't a bad choice. Honda Bond 4 is very good. Some do out of ignorance cover the entire gasket surface, both sides with glue. Makes a mess and isn't needed. Nor is it on the circumference of the O rings.
Thanks Brian. I have been a tinkerer with cars since I was 15....so 40 years now. The more I do it the less I seem to know. After valve cover removal, I had to scrape sealant form the entire head surface. I have that largely cleaned up, but the o-rings had me confused as well. This is what I found upon valve cover removal and what's leading me to all my questions. Sorry to open up what should be a simple topic, but it's the details that can kill a project if not taken seriously. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
A. I am very unclear what you are asking. B. You are putting it together with an old belt and old O rings? c. Above you were told to trim back the gasket so it does not touch the O ring. Was that not important?
Lots of people do that, it is not needed or advised. People try and stop leaks but don't understand what leaks come from and why they leak. The thought is slather it with sealant to fix it. That's not the fix. I suspect if you spin the o-rings and look, they have abrasions from the gasket. Especially the exhaust side. I use a paper hole punch to open the gasket a tad around the o-rings if its neeeded btw.
a. Asking if I really need sealant on all the gaskets. b. No. test fitting bits and getting a plan before I tear it apart. The gasket is one from Euro Spares that arrived damaged. I bought new ones from Daniel I will use later. c. It is very important. I just haven't done that yet. Sorry if I confused anyone.
Thanks. That's what I figured, but thought perhaps there was a real reason for the Ultra Grey or 5699. I don't want to assume I am somehow smarter than the last guy that was here so just checking. I'll spin them and see what's what later on when I get ready for the install of new ones. Paper hole punch is a great Idea. I'll try that on the sacrificial gaskets to get the locations correct.
The ribambi gaskets did not need any modification btw. Other gaskets I has did. Sent from my SM-G990U using FerrariChat.com mobile app
There is a real reason. It needs to fill gaps and survive constant exposure to oil. Some sealants have a really terrible adhesion ability around oil and do not work well there including most silicones. The Honda Bond and the Ultra series work well and are both grey so don't look really bad. I have a 1/4 and a 5/16 hole punch in my tool box just for gasket work. Gaskets are being made by several suppliers but Ricambi last I knew only sold Ricambi Originali gaskets and no question they fit better. Not perfect but for sure better.
Another thing worth mentioning is to make sure that all of the sealing surfaces are really clean and wiped down with rubbing alcohol to further remove any contaminants. Sealer will not stick to any oily surface and will leak. Also, I don't see the point to be in that deep and not replace those orings and cam seals. It would be a really bad day after getting it all put back together and have an oil leak from those orings or cam seals.
Agree. I have all the o-rings and seals and plan to swap them. Easy - Peezy for guy's like Brian. Not so much for me. I need to think through all of it and take my time before I turn a wrench. Torque values are the last hurdle.
Torque specs are all in the factory manual. If you do not have one leave the hood closed until you do.
I have one. All three volumes. In fact I have read them all cover to cover. Pages B86, B87 & B88 are pretty sloppy to decode. I want t0 make sure i have the right call outs. Asking for clarification and verification seems prudent.
This is a very important statement that applies to doing anything on these cars. Rush it and you will pay dire consequences, and that goes for professionals and DIYers alike. This is another reason why repair bills for these vehicles can get quite high.
I wish I had taken some pics of mine, they were gooped up with a ton of sealer. I've learned that less is more when it comes to sealant like that. Took me 2+ hours to completely clean the valve covers and heads. I put a few dabs in just the corners where the gaskets meet and left the o-rings with nothing. I could see that the surfaces had been deburred before in a few places and put a small amount of sealant in the few places it looked like it didn't have a factory finish. So far no leaks, and future me will hopefully be much less frustrated when it's time to do again. They were not leaking before the service as far as I could tell except one spark plug hole. Those spark plug gaskets were the worst part, I had to gently stretch them until they fit the groove, then put sealant on them to hold them and make sure they stayed lined up when installing the valve covers. That took half an hour alone. In the end I do not know how they'd ever hit the book number on a major service. As someone on here said, it's not a big job but a thousand little ones, and you have to take your time and do each one right.
Agree on all counts. I have spent hours polishing the mating surfaces and removing sealant. They look much better now. I have some tiny dings in the head surface that I think I will add a small amount of 5699 to as it sounds like you did. The spark plug holes / seals look to be a complete pain and almost every one was leaking into the spark plug holder. I am hoping for a better result This is a perfect explanation: Thanks for the input.
