The best sealant I've encountered is good old Permatex #2. only problem
is you only get to use the gasket once, removal destroys it, but it
won't leak in the meantime.
Very little torque is required to hold the covers in place. Refrain fron
getting them too tight, that's how the cam covers get bent and leaks
occur...
Clark
On 17 Oct 96 20:45:15 +0000 Bret Cravens <bcravens@beckloff.com> writes:
>I've been wondering about valve cover leaks myself. See, my engine is
>st=
>ill quite ugly, never having been detailed in the least. And I am
>having=
> a leak problem. Perhaps the 'why' of my leak will be illuminating.
>
>Mentioned in an earlier message that I had put Lumenition in my car.
>Per=
>haps I should further explain that this wasn't actually a deliberate
>choi=
>ce. I may get wordy here, so my apologies in advance. See, my Stag
>deci=
>ded to quit starting one day. Just out of the blue, it quit sparking.
> C=
>oil was fine, points looked fine, everything seemed to check out.
>Becaus=
>e of the dual-point, insanely offset breaker system, I've never been
>able=
> to get a dwell meter to work on the car properly. (Advice here would
>be=
> appreciated now that I've got electronic ignition, as my tacho
>doesn't w=
>ork well and I'd like to set my low idle speed. Can't get an external
>ga=
>uge to work properly.) Anyway, hooking up a test light to the coil
>final=
>ly revealed that my distributor had developed a dwell angle of 360
>degree=
>s. Think about it. Adjusted the points as best I could using feeler
>gau=
>ges and got it running again, but badly. Went to time the ignition,
>as i=
>t was, best I could estimate, running at around 40-45 degrees BTDC.
>Not =
>good. But when I loosened the distributor bolts and went to rotate
>it, g=
>uess what? Memories of y'all's head stud problems. It had corroded
>into=
> the block permanently. Ended up removing the carbs, intake manifold,
>an=
>d both valve covers to get at it with the biggest wrenches and pry
>bars I=
> own. Finally was able to get it to move a degree or two by employing
>th=
>e strength of two men, a strap wrench, and a 24" pair of channel
>locks. =
>Of course, there was no way to dynamically set the timing as I had the
>in=
>take system off the car. It doesn't run very well that way. :-)
>
>BTW, I did manage to worm the distributor out of the block a few
>thousand=
>ths and tried using the multiple putty knife approach mentioned by
>Gerry =
>Uenaka to pry it out of the block. The flanges promptly broke off and
>I =
>ended up with a distributor fused into the block with no remaining
>hold-d=
>own bolt flanges. Don't try that trick on your distributor. Wasn't
>much=
> of a loss as I'd pretty much destroyed the base at that point with
>the b=
>ig pliers and an air hammer.
>
>After recovering from the shock of the price quotes I received on a
>compl=
>ete replacement distributor, I found a used housing-housing & shaft
>only-=
>for $50 in Arizona. Ordered it and a Lumenition kit and set about
>figuri=
>ng out how to finally remove my mostly destroyed unit. Accomplished
>this=
> by combining a big bearing puller finger assembly that just fit
>around t=
>he sharp flange at the upper bell of the distributor with the biggest
>sli=
>de hammer I could find. When I did get the sucker slammed out of the
>blo=
>ck, sure enough there was a good deal of corrosion around the collar
>abov=
>e the sealing O-ring. Same problem as the head studs, I believe. The
>di=
>stributor casing is cast aluminum, and the block is steel. I buffed
>down=
> the hole in the block and put in the junk yard housing after applying
>a =
>liberal coating of anti-seize lubricant. Rotated just fine, so I
>fitted =
>the Lumenition kit to my old shaft and base plate and finally timed
>the c=
>ar for what may have been the first time in 10 years. No wonder it
>ran h=
>ot with the timing so far advanced. Now I wonder if all my cooling
>syste=
>m mods were necessary.
>
>Okay, back to the original point of this. The valve cover gaskets
>seem t=
>o be of the old cork type. I had a dickens of a time getting them to
>sta=
>y in place while fitting the covers back on. I continue to be
>perplexed =
>by the minute torque specifications for the covers. Can anyone
>explain? =
> Now that I've got everything back together, I have significant
>seepage f=
>rom under the valve covers. Would anyone recommend using silicon
>sealant=
> on the valve cover gaskets? Or not? Any other advice?
>
>Has anyone else had an experience like mine with their distributor?
>The =
>local LBC shop seemed very surprised by how firmly mine was frozen
>into t=
>he block.
>
>As much as I love my Stag, and as much as I've enjoyed all the
>education =
>I've received working on it, my one constant frustration as I've
>worked t=
>hrough its various systems has been frozen parts. The R.O.M.
>constantly =
>says things like "remove the nut from..." or "withdraw the stud
>from..." =
>and it is NEVER EVER that simple. I now own more nut crackers and
>easy-o=
>uts of varying sizes than I ever thought I'd own. I'm beginning to
>belie=
>ve that routine maintenance for any LBC should be to completely
>disassemb=
>le it annually just to buff the threads of all the bolts and reapply
>anti=
>-seize compound.
>
>--------------------------------------
>Date: 10/17/96 8:07 AM
>To: Bret Cravens
>From: TheHerrs
>In a message dated 96-10-14 22:50:44 EDT, rbaugher@naplesnet.com (Robb
>Baugher) writes:
>
><< Do you think the plating is causing them to leak or are the=20
> gasket edges warped or pitted? >>
>
>
>I just think the edges are warped. It is extremely hard to make a bent
>pi=
>ece
>of sheet metal straight for over 15 inches. This is why I went to an
>allo=
>y
>valve cover for the TR4A.
>
>Wouldn't a special set of alloy covers for the Stag V8 look great!
>Especi=
>ally
>with black ribbing and Triumph cast in to the top.
>
>Back to reality, the stock Stag covers really do look good chromed.
>Good =
>luck
>with your car.
>
>Dave Herr
>73 Stag
>65 TR4A
>
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