You raise a legitimate question. Prior to getting my washer and ten gallons of
pretty good solvent, here's the approach that evolved in my shop:
General parts washing solvent -- buy odorless mineral spirits. Not as dangerous
as gasoline, works better than kerosene, doesn't stink up the house.
Removing gasket goo -- these usually respond to either lacquer thinner or to
enamel reducer. If you do only occasional jobs, get the smallest can available
of each, since gasket goo's tend to respond to one or the other but not both. A
more aggressive solvent readily available in paint stores is MEK
(methyl-ethyl-ketone). That stuff will cut anything -- including your
epidermis, so buy the right kind of rubber gloves at the paint store for $3.
For holding the gaskets, I've tried all the goo's available and ended up with
two: The copper colored RTV, spread on both sides of every gasket THINLY with
fingers so little globules don't squeeze out into the engine's innards for all
joints except rocker covers. For rocker covers, I have the best success with,
the old-fashioned Indian Head or Permatex type 1 black liquid goo. I goo only
one side of the joint -- on aluminum valve covers with a flat surface, I glue
the gasket to the cover, holding the gasket in place with spring-loaded clothes
pins until dry (you find out what these are when your wife is an es-farm girl
who hung clothes up on the line -- but don't tell her I swiped these from her).
If you keep the goo off of the engine side, you can disassemble without
damaging thae gasket for repeated valve lash adjustments, for example. I clean
the surfaces with lacquer thinner first, to make sure there's no petroleum
based residue.
I do race engines and have occasion to disassemble engines I have initially
assembled, and my engines do not leak and do not have globules of goo in them.
Good luck.
Gary Kneisly wrote:
> Somewhere there is a book that has hints and kinks on how to take apart and
> reassemble automobile components, and explains all the glues, gunks,
> lubricants and sealers needed to do the job right. Anybody know of one?
>
> Also, lacking such a reference perhaps you can help a novice with a simple
> question:
>
> Without benefit of a parts washer, what solvents or cleaning solutions are
> preferred for cleaning engine parts? More precisely, I have removed the
> rocker covers from my Rover Efi V8 (Aluminum covers and aluminum block).
> There is residue from the cork gaskets that won't come loose without some
> chemical or physical help. And, I don't want to scratch the cover sealing
> edge so would prefer chemical assistance rather than scraping. I've tried
> "goof off adhesive cleaner" and a commercial "grease / wax remover" with
> little effect. Any hints?
>
> What is the preferred method of reinstalling these covers with a cork
> gasket? Should the gasket be coated with anything to help it seal better?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Gary
> Grafton, OH
--
uncle jack --
TR4 -- in surgery
TR6 -- recovering nicely
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