rocker cover gaskets???

3rd August 2011, 23:19

took my rocker cover off today for paint and spoke to my local motor factors about new gasket for it and they just gave me black silicone, i used it and drove 10 miles to find oil pissing everywhere and burning on my manifold. now is this the corrrect way to re-seal the rocker covers or have i just been a bit skimpy with the silicone or not allowed it to set before driving??? any help would be great

3rd August 2011, 23:22

pretty sure thats what people normally use for the vts rocker covers, just make sure you put a good thick bead of the sealant with no gaps and leave it to set for a while, should be ok

3rd August 2011, 23:23

cheers mate just needed to make sure i will give it a carefull re-seal first thing in the morning followed by a good steam clean as theres oil everywhere lol

4th August 2011, 07:56

VTS covers can be an arse to seal, you sometimes have to do it a few times to get it right

Remove them
Remove all the current sealant which is stuck to both the head and the covers so the surfaces are completely clean
Then get an instant gasket sealent - I got a cheap one and it didn't work, I used A loctite one from halfords in the end for like £17
Put a thick bead right around and double up on thicker areas
Leave it for 20-30 minutes to dry a little
Then rest the covers back on and screw in the bolts by hand but NOT tight and leave for a while longer to dry further
Then finally tighten up the bolts completely

The mistake most people make is to whack the sealent on, covers straight back on and bolts done up tight and that just crushes the sealant and creates gaps