Rocker cover gaskets for v8

[Brianc]

Going to fit my newly polished covers - any advice on the best type of gaskets to use?

Also what sealent if any would you use?

Many thanks

[FI Spyder]

Some people swear by silicone gaskets, some people swear at them. Don't know why they work for some and not others. Speaking for my experience on the slant 4 (a valve cover gasket is a valve cover gasket) I've used the original cork gasket, sprayed weak side (meaning the valve cover side) with red tacky gasket sealer from a can and left the engine side bare. Never had a leak in 11 years. This year I pulled the valve cover to repaint it and replaced the gasket with another cork gasket using the same spray. After the first use I had a leak from the rear. What I should have done is taken it through a heat cycle and retightened when hot. I did this after first check (run) after noticing the leak and the leak stopped, not reappearing.

[darrellw]

I use the rubber Land Rover gaskets.

They have a nice feature of having a metal spacer to keep you from over tightening them.

They have a not so nice feature of a metal spacer that can fall inside your engine and do a number on your cam.

That said, I still use them, just now make sure all of the spacers are accounted for. I glue them to the rocker cover with RTV.

[saabfast]

I do it the old fashioned way on a slant 4, cork gasket with grease 'seal'. Always a bit worried about RTV, on Saab engines you always use anaerobic sealant (Loctite 518 or equal) as bits of RTV can break away and block things. As I understand it the anaerobic stuff only goes off in the joint (metal to metal on Saab sumps etc, no gaskets) and any minimised excess breaks down in the oil as it does not set, although the oil is fully synthetic which might make a difference. It is pretty expensive although you need very little in the joint.

[Cobber]

I don't appove of the fashion of using bloody silicone muck all over engines, as the excess can ouze out and break off, travel though out to lubriction system and block off something important. I've seen it happen!

On cork gaskets I use permatex No. 3 aviation grade non-hardening gasket sealer.
I paint it onto the gasket with the brush attached to the lid of the bottle.
As it's non-hardening you can get the gasket and sealant off with realative ease when next you need to pull the assembly apart again......no need for the jack hammer!

https://www.permatex.com/products/gasketing/gasket-sealants/permatex-aviation-form-a-gasket-no-3-sealant-liquid-3/

I see that there are some health warning on this stuff now
Carciongenic and reproductive, so wear gloves etc and don't paint it on your pecker, but why would you.....it's non-hardening!

[DNK]

I use the rubber Land Rover gaskets.

They have a nice feature of having a metal spacer to keep you from over tightening them.

They have a not so nice feature of a metal spacer that can fall inside your engine and do a number on your cam.

That said, I still use them, just now make sure all of the spacers are accounted for. I glue them to the rocker cover with RTV.

Ya can't have your cake and eat it too!!