Hard to cure rocker cover oil leak. Any advice pse

[npjrogers@btinternet.com]

I have a 1.6 8v single point injection in my santana vit 3door soft top. I have cleaned out a filthy rocker box and fitted a new rocker gasket. The result was a disaster as i didnt torque the cover down properly.. So I bought another new gasket and tried again.. The leak moved from the intake side to the exhaust side around number 2 cylinder. Can anyone please tell me how to make sure the gasket is properly fitted with equal margins on both sides. Should I use some gasket sealer and should I torque more than the 5 to 6 ft lbs mentioned in the manual. Is it possible that the rocker cover is distorted?

Sorry for all the questions but this prob is really bugging me as the engine is running well but oil is dripping out even when idling. I have checked that there is positive crank ventilation so I dont think the prob is high rocker cover pressure..

Hope someone has seen this prob before.. Have sucessfully fixed a dizzy oil leak at the back of the engine.

Nick
Belfast

[ferris]

Was the replacement gasket the rubber type or the cork type?

I replaced mine with one of the cork ones and found it to be pretty useless. In the end i just plastered it in gasket sealer and it has been fine since. Not an ideal solution but it stopped it leaking.

[npjrogers@btinternet.com]

It is a cork one. Might i ask which gasket sealer you used and whether you pit it on the join between the cover and the gasket as well as between the gasket and the head?
Nick

[ferris]

I use the loctite copper silicone stuff, and i put it on both sides of the gasket just to make sure it would stop the leak.

[Darrell]

On an SJ mind, but I used a smear of this on both sides of the gasket (cork). A good solvent degrease helped first though http://www.hylomarsealant.com/


Well I let my local garage do some work on it and they reused the oily gasket with some silicon on it and oil pissed down the side . Then they had the cheek to say the engines worn mate so it's pressurised, silicon on an old gaskets is OK. Wan"ers Needless to say that was the last time it went to a garage and it sure as hell won't ever be going back to that one.

Rant over New gasket with sealer has not leaked at all for the past 4 years and no I don't bother to check my valve clearances . If it doesn't chatter leave the buggers alone .