Since a couple people asked and Justin isn't handy to clarify, here are the
pre-conditioning instructions for the silicon gasket that Justin Wagner from his
4 page "owners manual":
To combat the over expansion of the gasket due to heat, it is helpful to pre
condition your gasket to the temperatures it will encounter in use. The follwing
procedure will help limit the expansion of the silicone and is only useful if
performed before installing your gasket for the first time.
Place your gasket on a sheet of aluminum foil, on the center rack of your oven.
It should be laid flat and upright. Do not preheat. Set the oven at 300F or 149C
degrees and leave it to bake for 3 hours. The room should be well ventilated.
(The silicone can handle temperatures far above this, so don't worry, it won't
burn at these temperatures!). Then turn off the oven and allow the gasket to
cool to room temperature on a flat surface. Once cool, it is ready to install at
any time.
Note: this is not the same as simply installing your gasket, and letting the
motor condition the gasket. (Installed, the gasket faces rapid temperature
changes while under pressure from the valve cover.)
In order to keep costs down and the price of the gasket reasonable, this
procedure was not performed before shipment.
There's some installation stuff, and "care and feeding" instructions too.
--
Steven Newell
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