I really need advice here as I am starting to become very disillusioned with the thing.

Did my rocker gasket about a month ago, using some loctite 5922 flange sealant. I noticed after a few days that it was still leaking so I thought I might of been using the wrong sealant, so went off back to Halfrauds and bought some more expensive Loctite 5910 Premium Silicone Black Gasket Maker/Sealant thinking it would be better, but nope, still leaking, and dare I say it, leaking much much worse now.

What gasket sealer should I use here and how much should I use when sealing it? I have trawled the forum looking for idea's and some say put loads on, some say a thin smear? I have cleaned all the surfaces before each attempt.

I really need this sorted as I am in the wifes car this morning, plus my knuckles cant take much more bashing against the engine

Thanks in advance

 

i had this problem.
ended up just going to subaru,they did both sides it came to 120 all in.

and it never leaked again

 

It usually isn't the gasket/sealant. Sometimes have to put washers underneath the bolt shoulders to clamp the cover tighter...

 

I used normal silicone sealant same as I use on exhausts to seal those tbh
But bonesetter is right the O rings can weep oil past them, you normally change these when you do the gasket, you can just use normal O rings so I bought 1 of the sets with 200 in for about 3 quid.
hth

 

Did you re-seal the half moon plastic cutout blanks at the rear of the cams? Sometimes these look secure but still leak. Break them out and re-seal with any of the RTV sealers you have.

Remove the rubber seals from the cover, clean them in solvent (I used petrol) Lay a bead of RTV in the cover, push in the rubber seal and lay another bead on RTV on top. Lay a bead of RTV under the rubber seals on the bolts. Bolt it back together but not too tight, the shouldered bolts are prone to shearing.

Successfully done this on three engines and no more problems till the big ends go LOL




.

 

You need a complete genuine gasket kit with rocker seal, cam half moons, bolt washers, spark plug seals and use three bond high temp sealer . Clean and degrease everything first .


Mark

 

I didn't times 3.

Just building another engine for the wife and I won't again.


Correct. Spend the money if you will but the secret is not in the originality or newness of the parts but in the cleanliness and thoroughness of the procedure, providing the existing gasket is not split or perished that is. Even Subaru recommend glueing the gasket in with sealant. That's what Threebond is, and not a cheap one at that. Get it wrong with new seals and you will still get the same leak, just more expensive.




.

 

right, its looking like three bond stuff then. I did a search for it on google and the results came back...
three bond gasket sealer - Google Search
theres a few ebay links (I'm at work so cant see any ebay gubbins here as they are blocked, but can somebody point me in the right direction. I'm not green as grass where cars are concerned (although I do sound it at times lol)

cheers

 

If going the threebond route you need 1215, but there are lots of alternatives such as Dow Corning 7038, 3m-T3 silicone or Loctite/Permatex 599 ultra gray




.

 

Finally got the three bond 1215 (delivered yesterday but I was at work so had to pick it up from post office). Took the old cover off and gave everything a wipe down, but you say clean it all in petrol? Also, how much of a beading do i put in from the Three bond? I dont want to put too much in, or not enough. Also, how long do I leave it to set/go off once its all bolted together?

Fingers crossed it will be sorted tonight, so I can use the damned car again

 

Any cleaning/degreasing solvent will do. I tend to use petrol as it is easy to get out of the fuel filter. The important thing is that the surfaces are clean/oil free.

Thin bead 2 to 3mm wide. Difficult to do evenly.

Ran mine up straightaway after putting back together, but check the instructions on the tube.

Good luck




.

 

I hate my life...big time.....

Putting it all back together, managed to snap the bolt on the bottom front of the cover..now, before you call me heavy handed, I have a feeling this was ready to go, as I used no pressure at all on the damned thing...grrrr....anyway

Looking at the position it is in, I would guess I need to get the engine out so it can be drilled out, or is there any way that the engine can be tilted so I can get at the bolt from underneath with the drill. Maybe undo the engine mounts and lift it slightly from the passenger side so it tips. Obviously I cant go too far for fear of drive shafts, gearbox etc, but do you think this is a viable option...I'm about ready to set fire to it

 

Ooops.

Sorry, think it's an engine out job to be sure......




.

 

I know what it's like when a simple job goes pear shaped because of shredded fixings, happened to me plenty of times on my old MK2 Golf

I don't know for sure if this will work, but you could try a right angled attachment for the Dremel, or maybe even the flexible shaft attachment, in conjunction with a short drill bit (might need to cut the shaft down). I was just in B&Q and saw these attachments, which reminded me of your post. Off-hand I can't remember how much space there is between the rocker cover and the shell (I know it's tight), but it might be worth measuring it up and checking out these tools before resorting to taking out the engine.

 

got it booked into a garage to get it done, so will wait till payday and pay properly

cheers anyway

 

I would not recommend petrol as a prep cleaner as not only does it leave a petrochemical residue, but by its nature in undulated form especially, it clashes with almost all sealants. I recommend brake cleaner or wax grease remover or any suitable (solvent) even metho would suffice which will dissolve all trace of oil and remove it from the surface. This applies to the seating grove in the rocker cover and the sealing surface. In my opinion the best way to install and apply is to use a sealant like ultra grey max for the half moon/crescent on the curve then install to head then ensure a light coat across the top of just the crescent. lightly Spray Hylomar onto the rocker cover seals grove a wait 2min then install seal securely into the rocker cover groove now give a light spray of Hylomar to the seal surface. Wait 2min. Ensure heads surface is free of any oil runs and is still clean. Go ahead and carefully place rocker cover down without allowing it to contact any oily rocker gear. Install screws/bolts and tighten evenly in two or three rounds starting from the centre and working your way out. There is no need to go crazy on tightening, the goal isn't to make the two metal surfaces touch, just to apply enough squash/pressure. You can achieve a perfect squash by use of an appropriate torque wrench( overkill) or a small mm reading ruler to check each end. Just to add by not squashing the hell out of the seal you gain three positives- you have a better chance of being able to reuse the seal and using Hylomar allows easy cleaning with brake cleaner or similar if in future the cover must be removed. And IF you do have a leak a quick half turn of the bolts or screws in that area should stop it. But if you follow these instruction you should be right, i have done hundreds this way without issue. If you have low dipping corners of the head where the oil will pool it can help to put a little sealant on the corners before application. Sorry so long hope this helps others. Remember whether you applying paint, welding some metal or fitting some gaskets, Prep is most important. Lawzy.

 

Hey Lawzy. Makes sense...

but please paragraphs next time (my eyes!)

 

Notice on a 07 that the covers are a little corroded from road salt, etc. I took a file and filed down the tops of bolt holes good and flat and put a small washer on bolt. I also use RTV on bottom corners of gasket. Some OEM have completely done away with gaskets and use RTV only. I would think you could do with a Subie but I haven't tried it.

 

Use new gaskets (on the bolts and the inner and outer seals and use three bond 1215 as shown on the workshop manuals.
That should last you 100K miles.

 

07 does not have gasket on bolts

 

MY06/07