Liquid Gasket or Not?
Turbo Mini Forums

I've build a few engines now, and only my first engine didn't leak oil and it was the only one I didn't use Instant/silicon/liquid gasket on.

I'm at the point where I need to put my engine back together following an oil leak from the half moon seal, and I'm debating in my head if i should use liquid gasket again or not.

the stuff I used last time was some random tube from helfrauds, should I be using something better? or nothing at all?

discuss..

TIA

Anton

I always use RTV sealant now and it works a treat. Its made by permatex called 'ultra black', wouldn't use anything else now.

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

You can get stuff thats like a red putty. Dont know the name but ive seen stuff put together with it and it looks good.

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


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there is some good pink stuff floating arround the place which is a constant wet seal type thing. imo it depends where it is, i used Locktite gold sealent on my rocker cover, exhuast, and to patch up my gearbox and never had a problem with it :)

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so the general opinion is to use it then? Is there any particular places to avoid using it? (apart from the transfer case obviously)

Use it everywhere, Rover did.

Word of causion though, use only a thin smear on the gearbox to engine gaskets, otherwise, what gets squeezed out will find its way into the sump and block the centre pick up and use loads on the half moon seal, both faces.

I've never used anything other than the gasket and I've never had oil leaks except that bl@@dy primary gear lip seal.

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I always use it on the transfer case? Or am I missing something? Lol

The main thing to, do as colin says, is use only a thin smear and most importantly make sure it is applied evenly. One of the main reasons I like the Permatex stuff is because it is easy to work with and it cleans off easily next time you rebuild!

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

Oh yeah I tried well seal and found it fooking aweful to work with, very messy,sticky and got everywhere! lol

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

Like mat says use RTV it is the best and works Spanner dones not like the smell of it and for me that is reason enough to buy tubes of it just to piss em off :)

Wellseal for me, apply it carefully with a small brush and it goes only where you want it, and no leaks.

Hylomar gasket sealer or JC5A. I dont put silicon or RTV anywhere near where it can get into my oil not woth the risk.

Own the day

Just to show my age...

Red Hermatite, but only a very thin smear. It's not RTV. The only time I use RTV (Blue Hylomar) is on metal to metal joints and the only one I can think of on a Mini is the diff casing on the final gearbox castings.

For the half moon seal I do three things,
1 - I use the cheap type, the one with no metal re-inforcing and always appears to be too long.
2 - I always assemble with the engine upside-down.
3 - I cover it with plenty of red rubber grease (probably unobtainable now apart from NOS on eBay).
Never had one leak.

My donor engine had been put together with RTV (the orange one) and it was not used sparingly - the gauze strainer in the gearbox (the standard large one) was 30% blocked with stringy orange crap.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

The stuff I use smells more like vinegar. Really can't fault it over the last 3 builds. There is only a risk of going in your oil if you use too much, as with all gasketing compounds!

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

^^^that man speaks the truth ^^^^

Edited by Sprocket on 20th Oct, 2008.

well i use any thing i have in the shed, and being an X builder it';s noramly bath room white mastic. this works a treat, and the good thing about it is (and it was Hoggy that pointed this out) you have NO sticky gaskets to the block of casing when you cvome to rebuild it a year later, so it saves time there. As for leak, i don't get many at all.

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On 20th Oct, 2008 Sprocket said:

On 20th Oct, 2008 matty said:
The stuff I use smells more like vinegar.

Thats the Acetic Acid. BP chemichals at Salt End, Hull, make the stuff and when you're on plant all you can smell is that stuff, makes your mouth water like you were in the Stevonia chipy in Blackpool, loading your sausage supper with vinegar

David.

The acetic acid as used in silicones, and (I think) some RTVs, is very interesting...

Apart from the smell I mean.

It's not actually acetic acid when you get it mixed with the gunge in the tube, but anhydrous acetic acid.... that means all the water has been removed so it doesn't become acetic acid until it's exposed to the air (which is full of moisture) and then reverts back to what it once was (acetic acid) and causes the silicone to cure.

Funny really, as it's exactly the opposite to things like loctite (which is anerobic) which means they stay liquid in the tube/bottle because they have air in there... and cure once they get sealed away from air inside threads etc....

Here ends the chemistry lesson.....

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Edited by James_H on 21st Oct, 2008.