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Triumph TR6 - Rocker Cover Gasket

There may have been a previous thread on this, but the archives are not willing to share it with me. (Or it's a case of Vooja-day, which is remembering something that never ******* happened). I seem to remember some discussion about thin rocker cover gaskets, and a recommendation for a company that is selling a silicone gasket. I have been through two gaskets in 1500 miles since I got my car on the road, and can't tighten the cover down enough before it bottoms out on the head. Anybody else remember this???
Thanks in advance....
Rod
Rod Nichols

Hi Rod

Have you checked the cover for flat? First mark were you see leaks.

Clean up the cover and head surface. Get a bit of blue dykem from any machine shop supplier paint the cover area on the head and set the cover down. Press around bolt and remove. Were it does mark you have a seal etc. Edges get bent up from over tightening. Manipulate? Otherwise known as gently tap with hammer over long piece of wood till metal conforms? Try again.

Check the top with a straight edge for a dimple in the bolt mount. Is the fiber oil washer there?

Unless really mangled should work.
If all else fails try using a good silicone designed for the job. Not too much! Mount the gasket to the valve cover and allow to cure for about 10 minutes. Set the cover on the head and leave for full cure overnight. Don't use on head surface. If its clean should be OK and will let you remove cover for valve adjustments. Will give a uniform surface when snugged down.

Bill
Bill Brayford

Hi Rod
I got fed up with problems trying to seal the original rocker cover, mine was quite distorted by previous abuse so I bought one of the alloy covers, not only does it look a lot better you hardly need to tighten the hold down nuts much more than finger tight and it seals without resorting to any sealants.
Ron
R. Algie

I'm with Ron, newer alloy covers seem to seat much better. all I've ever used is regular gasket and a thin layer of grease. never had a leak so far. : )

knock on wood.
Ian Kinaid

No news on the silicone gasket, but with my Triumphtune cover, I use grey Permatex on the cover side and Hylomar on the head side of the gasket. No runs, no drips, no errors. This also worked with my previous OEM cover.

Rick O.
Rick Orthen

To get all the archives, click on the main home address and sign in as a member, then you can access all the archives. It's free.

http://www.british-cars.co.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=tr

Good Luck

I have used about 4 cork gaskets in the original valve cover since I bought my TR in 1958 and they never leaked in over 155,000 miles.

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A

Over 2,000 miles so far this summer and no problems.
I'm in Toronto on my way back from Indiana in "TRusty" to watch and video-tape 4 days of Triumph Racing at Mosport with the Triumph Challenge Race on Sunday next.
Don Elliott

Don:
Actually found the reference to the silicone gasket in the 6-Pack mailing list archive. No one knew where to get one! That's why I couldn't find it in this archive. Bill: I did straighten the edges, that was after the first gasket, then carefully 'glued' the gasket into the cover with 3M weatherstrip adhesive(successfully used this procedure for years) and re-installed after it set up. Did catch the thread on soaking a cork gasket in water before install, but didn't give it a try (yet). The issue is the gasket is so thin, when tightened down, (not over-tightened) it is swallowed in the channel on the rocker cover and the cover bottoms out so the gasket won't seal. (Soaking would probably help this) I had the cover powder-coated, and am reluctant to replace with the alloy cover, but that's what's in the works. When it gets off back-order from the Roadster Factory.
Thanks to all..........
Rod
Rod Nichols

Rod- Bought mine from Moss England and saved alot of money. This was a year and a half ago and the doller was a bit friendlier.
Don K.
DON KELLY

Rod
Sorry to read about your valve cover oil leaking, but the car wont be rusting thru from the bottom.

Pete
pete17

Hi Rod

Powder coated usually means sandblasted first to remove all rust. Yep usually there was a coat of rust in those channels?

Double check for distortion due to cure heat. Have a few friends in the business and its a get them gone quick high volume low buck deal.

Bill

Bill Brayford

My 2 cents:

I couldn't get my stock cover to seal 100% even after pounding out the deformed bolt hole shape. Instead
I went with an aluminum cover from TRF and a thin paper gasket with permatex blue. Seals perfectly. I tried the thicker cork gasket and found you can't tighten the cover very much before the cork moves, deforms and causes leaks. The paper gasket, however, allows you to really tighten things down.

For what it's worth, my aluminum cover initially leaked where the vent tube is pressed into the aluminum cover. I had to seal it with epoxy from the inside. (The quality of some aftermarket parts really does suck...)

JP



John Parfitt

There's a silicone gasket listed on ebaY: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2421516257&category=34202&rd=1

It's for four cylinder applications, but you may want to contact the seller for a six cylinder application.

Rick O.
Rick Orthen

I used clothes pegs to hold the gasket in-place while I allowed a small amount of gasket cement to set the standard gasket on the valve cover. I choose not to install the black spongy hi-temp rubber version.
johnston21

Hey Rod
I tripped over these guys researching something else. They indicate there working on silicone gasket for 6 presently market 4s may be ready?

http://www.jmwagnersales.com/

Bill
Bill Brayford

I bought an alloy O-ringed cover from Cambridge Motorsports in England. Will never need another gasket again. Shipping was expensive though. They have a lot of cool stuff for the TRs. If only I remembered to add the distributor advance springs to my order.
p Hazelfeldt

With reference to Bill's link above to Wagner about the silicone TR6 valve cover gasket, Wagner will be ready in a couple of months with this new product. They are prototype testing it now.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Here's a copy of an email I received from them


I basically have one sitting here at my desk.... I'm working out the
final details and setting up some field testing. I'll likely have them
to sell by the end of the month. Let me know whether you have a stock
or aftermarket cover and how soon you might need one.

--Justin Wagner

Doug Campbell wrote:

>Just wondering if you have any plans in the future to produce a silicone
>gasket for the TR6.
>
>Doug Campbell
>1973 Triumph TR6
>douglasdwc@aol.com
Doug Campbell

Don- Do you know everybody??
Don k.
DON KELLY

This thread was discussed between 21/06/2003 and 10/07/2003

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