The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216 valve cover seal

Well I re sealed my valve cover using a cork gasket and copper permitex top and bottom. Didn’t last.

Now I’m thinking I will redo it with permitex “right stuff” and skip the cork gasket. With only 2 bolts holding it in place. That doesn’t give it much pressure.

Does anyone see a problem with this?

Thx Don

Most 216 valve cover gaskets that are available these days are slightly too short to seal properly. Cork gaskets in particular have a tendency to shrink, and other than soaking them in very hot water prior to installation, there's not a lot that can be done to improve the situation. The fix is fairly simple- - - -and it doesn't involve using any of the common squeeze-tube gasket material. Buy two gaskets, and cut them on a diagonal in such a way that when the remaining pieces are patched together, the total length is about 1/2"-3/4" longer than original. Glue the gasket pieces to the cylinder head with 3M trim cement, paying particular attention that the diagonal cuts are joined firmly and evenly. Then bolt the cover down, and don't overdo it on torque- - - - -firmly snug should be plenty. There should be about 1/4" of gasket protruding past the metal all the way around the valve cover.
Jerry

Hot rod
Thanks for the fix advise but I’m done with cork. Also, my valve cover has two acorn nuts so it’s not getting over tightened. There are so many products available today.

Don

And check to make sure it doesn't look like this picture of my leaking gasket before I fixed it.

No my cover is a new one with a nice flat edge. I checked it for Flat before reinstalling.

Don

Make sure it isn't bowed out in the center and not deformed (collapsed) in the areas near the acorn nuts.. These 2 acorn nut valve covers can certainly be over-tightened and often are.
Also look for a gasket made specifically for a 216 engine and not the ones made to "fit both 216 and 235". They don't. If the gaskets have been made with the four holes which still have the cork in the holes, keep looking.
Carl

Carl
I’m going to use the “right stuff” gasket maker. Thanks for the advise if I do use a gasket.
Don

There’s a seller on eBay with silicone valve cover gaskets for both 216 and 235. I haven’t tried one but they look pretty cool.

REAL GASKETS TENNESSEE

They seem to have one-size side cover and one-size valve cover for all years 216/235 and 1957-1962 261.
That is odd.

The side cover comes in two types of silicone.

Has anyone here bought/used one?

I have not used these gaskets on a stovebolt, but I have used them on older Porsche valve covers that are notoriously difficult to seal. Very light pressure will seal this type of gasket vey well and they are re-usable many times. If they have gaskets that will fit my engine, then I'll be buying one.

Tim, on EBay they had a 216/235 gasket with no bolt holes and also one with holes

Good, JW51

Too bad they are not careful/correct on their website.

If you look closely at the pictures, they have both on the page you linked to. But their descriptions are lousy.

I'm half tempted to try one, but would like to hear a review from a stovebolter first.

I vaguely remembered an old thread about this. Found it with the search function.

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/1079863/1.html

“Fredthecat” bought one, but never reported back with results

Fredthecat hasn’t been seen in 3 years.👋🏻

This is what I was asking about but no one made a single post about the product. Guess I’ll be the first.


Thanks anyway,
Don

Don,

The first video was an ad screen/photo and words.
The second video was talk but no example - just a photo of a partially used tube.
The third video was "The Right Stuff Failure".
I stopped looking at videos, after that one.

Maybe no one made a single post for a reason?

I have never had a leak problem on a 2-bolt or 4-bolt valve cover or a side cover, with flat/clean metal surfaces and good gaskets. I use sealant on one side of the gasket - so I can reseal. Just be careful not to over tighten.

Tim
Just a simple honest answer would be fine. It’s not like I kicked someone’s dog. I guess all you regular posters have no experience with it.
Reminds me of the time when plastic pipe came out and all the plumbers 💩💩ed it.

Don

Sorry, Don, I posted nothing at first, but . . .

"This is what I was asking about but no one made a single post about the product. Guess I’ll be the first."

I only referred to the resources that were cited by you.

Experience is a great teacher- - - - -bad experiences make the lesson stick that much tighter. Do you honestly think that more than a few of us (over the past 50-something years like me) haven't tried using gasket goop improperly? P.T. Barnum appears to be working for Permatex these days.
Jerry

Well it just appears to me that as often as you should adjust the tappets on a 216 it would take a lot more time to break the bond and clean the surfaces. I stick the gasket to just the head, and that allows me to remove the cover and then replace using the same gasket. The cover on mine was tightened down so much as to crush the gasket, and the rockers were dinging the cover when I got it. There was a nice bead of rtv or something like it gluing the cover down so it wouldn't leak. It was a pain in the ### getting that stuff cleaned off. Gaskets make doing repairs so much easier, things come apart without using a chisel or screw driver on parting surfaces with a hammer. If you would like, glue your entire engine together with that stuff. Its probably not going to leak but its just going to make it harder for the next guy to work on it. Gaskets in a tube have been around for a long time, with the same repeating problems.

It's really entertaining when an innocent topic gets a bit edgy. That said, I've never used "Permatex The Right Stuff Gasket Maker 29208". I am active on other forums dealing with modern high performance drivetrains and have read about others using it with great results. From what I understand it's thicker than the products we've seen in the past and does a very good job of sealing. If I were going to use it I'd put a bead on the clean head, then place a thin coat of Vaseline or grease on the valve cover (makes disassembly easy), assemble and get on with life. My guess is it'd be fine.

Don, let us know how this works.

Good Luck, RonR

Pulling rank is boorish and your first response was the last thing I was going to do. The gasket wasn’t short to begin with.

Thanks anyway

Lee
Thanks for the best response and coupled with reason rather than a puffed out chest. You make good sense and if your post had been just a few days sooner I might have forgone the no crock approach or had done as you suggested and stuck the bottom side.

Thanks Don

Time to put this thread to rest. Ya'll play nice.

So Don, what did you end up doing?

I used the RightStuff. So far so good. Tomorrow I’m going to a cruise in and will let all my hot rod buddies take a look at it and give me their 2cents worth. One of them said he used a gasket maker in place of a head gasket and said it worked fine and he never had any problems.

Don

The instructions say to install it dry , no oil or lube of any type.
torque 20-25 inch pounds
tighten one more time with engine hot.
Just make sure your valve cover and the head surface are clean and dry .
Keep us posted on this product.

Tim

The other thing to remember (having just gone through this on my 261 rebuild with Jerry) is to make sure the mating surface on your valve cover is flat (where it contacts the gasket). I converted to use a 216 valve cover with the acorn nuts, so we wanted to be sure the valve cover was flat. Jerry had showed me how to do it on the oil pan, so I worked the flange on the valve cover the same way, put the gasket (cork, BTW) on dry, placed the valve cover on and just snugged the acorns and no leaks yet. We've run the engine on the test stand now for about an hour, so not a conclusive test, but I think if it was going to leak, it would have done so by now. I used the 261 gasket that was in the gasket set, but I used the box cutter out of the rear main seal kit to trim the 4 bumps off (where it surrounds the 4 screws on the 261/235 valve cover.

Just offering my 2 cents -- if you still have leaks, you might check your valve cover for flatness.

I hope this was helpful

Well John I did that first. I have a tablesaw that’s flat as a pancake. But the 216 cover is an odd bird. It doesn’t have a very wide surface. This product is different than regular rtv . It’s consistancy is not gooy and shiny. It’s not stringy either. It been a few days and driven around town and has gotten a little harder

Don

Don,
I have used "The Right Stuff" on two vehicles I have restored. It is a remarkable product in that it seals much better than others without seepage around bolts or edges. One characteristic is that it is also quite adhesive. Thus, I like to use it with assemblies that are not likely to be broken down, such as differential carrier for example. I predict you will be happy with the sealing qualities but will struggle when trying to remove the valve cover. It will really take some effort to remove it.

There are several theories on the best way to handle the valve cover gasket, from no sealant, to sealant only on the valve cover (since it is just a stamped piece that may warp as noted in the discussion above), to sealant on the head surface only, (since this is the most likely surface to weep oil). If you believe you have a high quality cork valve cover gasket I would suggest sealing on the head surface only with the "Right Stuff" and then you will be able to remove the cover easily to adjust valves, etc.

You will be fine with what you have done and it won't leak, but take your time when you need to remove the cover as it will be stuck pretty good.

Kent

Kent, great report with 1st hand experience to back up your comments. I suggested using a release agent (grease or vasaline) on the valve cover and Great Stuff without a release agent on the head. Have you tried this technique?

Moparguy,
No, I have not tried using a release agent on one surface. It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has done this successfully.

I do not know about products called release agents, but I normally put a little "release" grease on one mating surface (level, clean , and shiny) for a gasket and Gasacinch on the surface of the gasket (to seal-to, adhere-to) the other level, clean, shiny surface. This technique has worked for side cover, valve cover, oil pan.

This hint was given to me by a life-long professional engine builder/rebuilder, who died last year (thanks, Mike).

As has been noted in other recent posts, if the release agent contains silicone grease, you are risking later contamination when painting that vehicle, and/or painting in that garage.

So far the “RightStuff” is doing its job. I have reduced the drips on the floor in half. Oil pan gasket is next to be replaced.

Don

Just be aware that if you're trying to stop all oil leaks you have a long road to travel. If you find an old Chevy six that doesn't leak oil it doesn't have oil in it. I know a fellow on another forum who went to extreme lengths trying to stop his '38 from leaking. He even put a PCV set up to stop the dripping from the draft tube but to no avail. He still had to keep a potty pad under his car. Good luck.

Well Tiny, I got the valve cover to seal and the oil pan has some really big leaks from setting for seven years. I really think I will be better off if I chase them at least once or twice. I’m sure seals are one of the few things made now that are in fact better than what was available to us years ago.

Don

I'm not criticizing you for doing what you can. My point is to not become obsessed with having to have no leaks at all. That's a rabbit hole you don't want to go down and a fight I've never heard of one winning. If one can't stand a few drips on the garage floor they need to stay away from old Chevys & old Harleys.

Kent,
Thanks! Great timing - I will be doing this in about 2 weeks.