Valve cover RTV

[carboncopy]

I am trying to wrap up a repair on a cracked exhaust maifold, and found that the valve cover gaskets are in extremely poor condition.  Can I use only RTV with these covers to seal them?  Ordering a set willl need to come from the US, and it's just more than I am wanting to spend on this repair at this time.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Jerry Roberts]

Can you buy a sheet of cork gasket material locally ? I would not glue everything together as you might want to take the covers off in the future . You could glue the cork to the covers and then use grease to seal the covers to the block . That way if you did want to remove the adhesive you can do it on the workbench . 

[lostviking]

If you use RTV rated for hot oil, it can work. Lay your bead out and put the bolts in very loose. tighten them evenly until the RTV just starts to squish. Now, let it sit and begin to cure. I usually allow 30 minutes so it skins. then tighten them, but not excessively. Allow to cure 24 hours and recheck the torque on the bolts.

 

I do that for the rear diff cover all the time and it's common for the valley area on a V8 intake. Done right, it will seal. Done wrong you will squish RTV into the engine and that can be fatal.

 

If you can buy the cork, you might try that also. I've done both successfully, so it can't be rocket science