theogre

As many of you know... Valve cover bolts, transmission pan bolts, and certain other low torque fasteners like to work loose. The common answer is to use Locktite thread locker but this isn't free of problems either. First you have to pick the right thread locker but even then it doesn't always behave as expected, especially for bolts threaded into aluminum.

Worse... cleaning the holes in a transmission that is dripping oil is a pain in the ass. If you don't have the holes clean and dry the thread locker doesn't work right.

The best thread locker is the stuff you apply and let dry completely before even trying to thread in the bolts. This is similar to the pre applied thread sealer you've likely seen on some parts. Problem is these products usually aren't available to the public.

There is another way and you may already have it.

Use teflon pipe tape on the bolt threads. Wrap enough tape that the bolt feels snug as you thread it into the hole. Avoid wraping the first couple threads so you don't risk cross threading the bolt, very easy to do in aluminum.

Note that this will mess with a torque wrench... The teflon will lube th threads but the compression of the plastic will tighten the thing. I'm not sure how it would affect the torque numbers. Since most people don't use a torque wrench on pans and valve covers that problably won't matter. Just make sure you don't mash the gasket.

On gaskets...

Many people, myself included tend to hate cork gaskets. A couple tricks may help here....

CLEAN!!!! all the oil and grease have to be removed. make the last step of cleaning something like alcohol or brake cleaner and let the part dry completely.

Use a THIN layer of RTV silicone on the pan/cover side of the gasket. Let the RTV setup a little while. If needed use a few pounds of weight to hold the gasket against the cover/pan while the RTV tacks up good. This is easier with some pans/covers than others. You want the RTVS to tack up and hold the gasket but not go solid.

I don't use RTV silicone on the side facing the engine/trans. That side I spray with Permatex High Tack adhesive sealer. This is to seal any pores in the gasket material before instalation. Let this tack up good before putting the part in place. Even if the transmission flange isn't perfectly free of oil, the sealer will have already plugged any small openings in the gasket material. (It's damn near imposible to get a transmission to stop dripping while in the car. Clean as much as you can as best you can. As long as you don't destroy the gasket by over tightening the hardware it will seal just fine.)

On rubber or silicone gaskets it's sometimes harder to know what to do... Many are installed dry. I often spray flat rubber ones with High Tack on one side to help them stay in place durring assembly. In some cases you have to use RTV silicone in certain spots with these gaskets. If you use the wrong instalation method with these things you will have a leak.

Many engine oil pan gaskets combine cork side parts with silicone ends. Make sure you apply a small amount of RTV silicone where the parts meet.

These tricks combined with the thread locking trick should help you get a cork gasket to seal and stay that way.

RTV silicone...

This stuff is evil but needed. The main problem is few people know how to use it. Including allot of so called mechanics. Most people use way too much of the crap.

The other problem is people use it in the wrong places. As I mentioned above there are places you have to use it to joint gasket sections. Slobbing it all over a gasket is almost certainly going to cause a leak in short order. It can also result in boogers in your engine/trans that block things up and cause major problems. When used with cork caskets you only want a very thin film of the stuff.

Yes, before you ask, you can make a gasket with the stuff. Doing that sucessfully isn't easy in most cases. GM tried it with the Fiero and other valve covers and had a bunch of problems. I'm not going to even try to explain this as it is often as much art as science to get this to work reliably.

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurasic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top of every forum page...)