Sealing the valve cover gasket

[Rema1000]

Is there any concensus on where gasket sealant is needed for the valve cover gasket.  It seems that most people agree that it's useful to use sealant to hold the gasket to the cover.  But as for sealant below the gasket, I have read people post here suggesting that we should:

-always use sealant in the "half-moon cutouts" below the gasket
-never put sealant in the "half-moon cutouts" below the gasket

Which is it?

[Kerry]

It seems to me that anyplace you can put a gasket, you can also put sealant without mechanical repercussions.  The question is whether the sealant gets in the way of other things, like disassembly / reassembly.  Or whether the gasket won't seal well enough without sealant.

If the aim is to "attach" the gasket to the cover, then attaching it to the head at the same time seems counterproductive, and likely to result in a best-avoided tug-of-war down the road.

I haven't ever put sealant under the "half-moon cutouts", but judging from the look of my engine I may have paid for it with a few drops of leaking oil.  (I can't tell for sure where it came from though....)

If you're looking for a more authoritative statement, see the last line of BobBroussard's post in the How to remove the valve cover once all bolts are taken off thread.

[mjm]

Is there any concensus on where gasket sealant is needed for the valve cover gasket.  It seems that most people agree that it's useful to use sealant to hold the gasket to the cover.  But as for sealant below the gasket, I have read people post here suggesting that we should:

-always use sealant in the "half-moon cutouts" below the gasket
-never put sealant in the "half-moon cutouts" below the gasket

Which is it?

If the gasket is good, the only function for the sealant is to hold it in place while you install it.  I just put a bit of grease in the groove - holds well enough, but when it melts I need to clean it off.  Once tht is gone it has never leaked - had it off and on a half dozen times or so for valve checks etc.  Had one on a GS1000 for over 36,000 miles without a problem

[Ed89]

I used to put sealant on my gasket, but found that it really creates a mess as I had to remove the cover several times since (for various reasons).  So I removed all the sealant bits (a PITA) and have had no leaking problem at all.

I don't recall any concensus in this forum on whether or where to put the sealant on the gasket.  My $0.02 would be to not use sealant at all.  If it leaks, only then remove the cover and put the sealant on where it leaks.

Cheers,
e.

[scratch]

Had one on a GS1000 for over 36,000 miles without a problem

But, wasn't that the paper type gasket, back then?

Don't use sealer if it doesn't need it. The reason why it's rubber is so that the rubber conforms to the gasket surface, and the reason they use rubber in this area is because it is not a pressurized area, unlike a compression gasket. If you are to use a sealer I suggest Gaskasinch, and use it in the half moon areas.

[Rema1000]

Last time I checked the valves, I was able to get the valve cover gasket to stick to the cover without anything at all.  I wasn't so lucky this time.  This time, I had to use grease above the gasket, to hold it to the valve cover during installation; no sealant at all.  It seems to be holding fine after 2 days commuting (no signs of oil).

I used white lithium grease; it says it's petroleum based, so I figured it would all melt into the oil, then I'd change the oil.  But actually, where it squished out a little during installation, it has stayed solid.

I was fighting the hoses trying to get the cover back in.  It was really a pain, since if the gasket got bumped off the cover, all the grease would potentially pick-up some crud, so I cleaned and regreased it.  Finally, I just taped all the hoses and wires out of the way with electrical tape:



Then it was much easier to get the cover in.

[cummuterguy]

I only put a small tab of sealant in each 'corner' where the halfmoons are (cyl head side of gasket). I do this out of habit, as a lot of cars with overhead cams have similar set-ups. I rarely have a problem that way.

As far as holding the gasket in place during install, I rarely need to use anything, but on occaision I will used a very thinly spread amount, just in the center of the two 'long sides'

[mjm]

Had one on a GS1000 for over 36,000 miles without a problem

But, wasn't that the paper type gasket, back then?

Don't use sealer if it doesn't need it. The reason why it's rubber is so that the rubber conforms to the gasket surface, and the reason they use rubber in this area is because it is not a pressurized area, unlike a compression gasket. If you are to use a sealer I suggest Gaskasinch, and use it in the half moon areas.

You are correct - but grease will still hold it in place  while you get everything positioned - I should have been clearer (and it would have been nice to avoid the brain freeze on the material as well.)

[sprint_9]

Whatever you do dont use too much sealant, I just took my pan off and found a bunch of it laying in there.  I also just put my valve cover back on and its leaking oil and I used sealant,  I seriously think the GS is made by Harley Davidson, Im counting 4 oil leaks right now on my stupid bike, and one of them could be classified as a river. :x  :x  :guns:

[Rashad]

LOL...

Well ive only got one now.. and its the stupid crank seal on the right side i think. It leaks oil out of the small round ignition cover and down the wires onto the pipe.