The gasket is what seals the bolts. If there is oil weeping from the bolts, the gasket is not sealing. I would replace the gasket and when doing so, insure the pushrod cover is straight, the drain holes are clear (so it’s not pooling on the bottom) and don’t over tighten the bolts. Just get the bolts snug then tighten them 1/4 to 1/2 a turn additional. You can always snug it bit more if you have a leak but if its overtightened, you’ll distress the cover and you’ll have to start over.
I only use gasket cement on gaskets that I want to keep in place and won’t stay by themselves and resort to gasket sealer/maker only after I tried everything else and still can’t get it to seal.
One more thing. If you use silicone gasket maker, make sure you read the instructions carefully. They tell you to apply a bead, compress the cover until it starts to squeeze out, then let it sit for and hour, then tighten an additional 1/2 turn. That is assuming the temperature is at 70 degrees. I have had better luck letting it sit a bit longer to let it set up, then tightening.
I used it on my water pump which has Pre ‘68 Dave’s 235 adaptor plate to put the water pump in the correct position for my ‘52 3100. I this case, I felt that an additional 1/2 turn was not going to be tight enough to secure the pump. I waited 24 hours making sure it fully cured before tightened up the pump
Last edited by Phak1; 11/30/2020 2:22 AM.
