W-30.......Valve cover.

banjoman09

Well-known Member
I assume this engine is the same as some others- maybe the "F-Series" also; Im having a time getting the Valve cover to seal and not leak oil. New composite gasket; good straight cover; when I tighten it down enough to almost stop the leak then it dents the top of the cover(pulls it in). Still leaks....any one have this problem? Thanks.
 
if your denting the cover your tightening it way too much. should be a cork gasket about 3/16" thick. just tighten in small increments each stud back and forth. just a light pull with 9/16 wrench. get gasket to seat in the middle as its tricky keeping it in place. i use permatex high tack sealer on all my gaskets and no trouble. the only oil up there is the oil you are pouring over the rocker shaft felts.
 
There is always the option of RTV if you are serious about stopping the leak for good. But the downside is that it won't be able to easily take it off in the future.

I'm partial to grey RTV, clean both sides with brake cleaner until a clean white rag picks up no trace of dirt. On a cork gasket I put a thin film on both sides of the gasket and tighten. Don't want big globs because those can fall off during assembly and get in the oil system and plug stuff up and they will not break down over time. Allow to cure overnight and its all good.
 

I also struggle with these valve cover gaskets. Every one i have seeps oil and runs down the head and block. Mine are all f series. I dont want to rtv them in place because when it it time to adjust valves or anything else up there it hard to get a scraper between the water manifold and the rockers to get old rtv off.

There has to be a better way to get them to seal up with just the cork gasket but i havent figured it out yet.
 
RTV cork gasket to the cover not the head, than it can be removed easy.
As said below light pressure when you tighten it down.
 
All good advice; maybe I need to start over with a new gasket; then the grey sealer on the gasket; the cover was on this tractor so I assume its the right one; it really has NO ledge for the gasket to sit in just a sharp lip on the bottom that contacts the gasket- kinda strange for a valve cover. Thanks for all the advice- I will try again.
 
With all due respect to the others, I know why we always used to rtv to the valve cover, that was so that
replacing the gasket would be easier, scraping it off the cover instead of the head.
For a long while I have been rtv gluing the gaskets to the head, especially when I know the engine is not
going to come apart again in my lifetime. After the heads are cleaned and i'm ready to adjust valves I stick
the cork gasket right to the head and usually adjust valves several times, then the cover goes on. I have found
over the years that this creates a dam for the oil which is never all that much unless I over oil the rockers.
I have found that this keeps leaks to basically zero in many cases.
It wasn't done that way originally, but it works very well for me. If these tractors didn't leak some, we would
not have had cleanup for painting. But after we spend the time painting, why not keep it clean.
Your mileage may vary.
 
I own F series,and have some of the same problems.You are tighting to tight,but I understand why.One of my tractors had a flat bar welded on the inside of the valve cover allowing more pressure to evenly be exerted
 
I understand; seems to me that the "silicone" can make the gasket slide one way or the other; "permatex" better? Thanks
 
Naw, most rtv will keep that gasket right where you put it, I glue it down and tighten the valve cover
down until it cures.
 
You are tightening too much.

I like to Indian Head the gasket to the cover, let that dry, then apply thin layer of RTV on gasket surface on block and install.
 
I bought a W30 parts tractor that some one had ran an oil line up to the top of the valve covers & used the holes that were originally for the primer tubes. I installed this on my engine, (unfortunately). This sealed up the valve cover & then I learned two things: it's hard to adjust the amount of oil flow & also crankcase ventilation came into play (with an engine with a lot of blow by), I never did get it to stop leaking at the valve cover. Went back to the factory set-up, stopped leak. I believe these engines do not have enough crankcase ventilation & will build up internal pressure if you try & seal the valve cover. As I stated, my engine has a lot of piston ring blow by. I used Fel-Pro #2 between the gasket & head, didn't put anything between cover & gasket. Don't know if this has anything to do with your problem, just my two cents.
 
Very interesting and thanks. Thats sounds like a good idea on the oil line but- might not be in the end. Doesnt this engine have a
vent tube coming out the back of the block? I think mine does...anyway- im going to try a few things mentioned here and hope to
have it soon. Thanks!
 

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