Valve cover gaskets????

[mnypitTR8]

OK found the leak. I thought it might be leaking from inside the bellhousing, maybe I didnt get the rear seal in properly. Well I was wrong. It is running down the back of the head onto the bellhousing and our the bottom. Yep, you guessed it, VALVE COVER!!!!

Is there an alternative? I hate these cork gaskets. They never fit properly, and then if they do, they leak anyway. What to do???

John Peacock
"like many other great ideas this too started with 2 guys in a bar"
80 TR7, Brooklands Green, Maybe on the road soon
98 Z28 over 500rwhp

[paul w]

John,i allways stick the cork gasket to the rocker cover with
sealant,and a smear of grease on the side that mates to head.
Som times you may need to trim the cork to fit better.lastly,
and most importantly,fit new rubber half moon seals to each
end.They love to dribble!

See ya. Paul

[FI Spyder]

I spray the cork gasket on the side that mates with valve cover with red tacky gasket spray. Put it on with head side dry. New half moon seals. I don't know why they can't cut the cork to the correct size. Mine was a bit too big but squeezed it into place. Replace rubber grommets on the screws that attach the cover. Talked to one TR7 owner that his now hard grommets had cracked and it leaked a lot of oil out there.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[mnypitTR8]

Yeah, I did that. The gaskets I seem to get never fit correctly in the valve cover. When I try to make it fit, it simply distorts it and it doesnt seal. I did replace the half moons.

They need to come up with a compression type rubber gasket that actually fits. That would be nice.

John Peacock
"like many other great ideas this too started with 2 guys in a bar"
80 TR7, Brooklands Green, Maybe on the road soon
98 Z28 over 500rwhp

[Hasbeen]

The trouble with cork gaskets is, that like all things wood, they
expand with moisture, & shrink, without it. I have never had a
problem with a gasket being too big, because of our mostly dry
climate.

If I did, I would put it in a warm, [only warm] oven, for a while.
Our problem is that they are often too small. To correct this, the
trick is to wet them. This is a bit of a bugger, as you may have to
spend a day, or two, soaking them, in water, then another getting
them dry enough to accept silicone, or gasket cement to bond them
into the cam cover.

Hasbeen

[mariusl]

Poly gaskets are available and should last an livetime Mine works
fine.

Mariusl

[mnypitTR8]

Where do you get the poly gaskets?

John Peacock
"like many other great ideas this too started with 2 guys in a bar"
80 TR7, Brooklands Green, Maybe on the road soon
98 Z28 over 500rwhp

[colonel bogey]

Please tell.....
I also hate the cork gasket as it usually ends up leaking,tried many times to perfect the method of sealing,but as yet still trying[:(!]

Greg



'76 TR7 FHC Auto Java Green
"Colonel Bogey"

[FI Spyder]

About a year or two ago somebody at our club meeting brought up the fact about reusable silicone valve cover gasket being available for the Spitfire which means they may well make one for the TR7. If I can track down the info I will post.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[Rich in Vancouver]

There is a place called "The Roadster Factory" that makes them for MGs,and may well make them for the 7. I have one on my MG-ZA and it's great.

Rich

1975 TR7 ACL764U