rocker cover gaskets

[lewdon]

I am having trouble getting my rocker covers to seal and would welcome any advice from the experienced spannermen on here. Mine have been leaking slightly since I got the car.
When I took them off to set the tappets I found that they had been overtightened, denting the area round the bolt holes and bending the load spreaders.
I straightened the covers and spreaders before refitting with new gaskets (Ford type - with the little aluminium spacers).
I very carefully torqued them down to 6 ft/lb in the correct sequence. Then ran the engine up to temperature. The cover on the nearside was fine but the one on the alternator side was weeping at the bottom middle bolt holes.
I checked the torque and all bolts (both sides) were now approximately 2 ft/lbs. I re-tightened the bolts on the leaking cover to 8 ft/lbs. And watched the gasket split and extrude next to the 2 mid lower bolts and leak become worse.
So with a cry of Oh bother!, I remove alternator, coil and hoses etc to get the cover off again. Checked everything is flat using a straight edge and fit another gasket (the only one I could get on a Saturday didn,t have the aluminium spacers). Very Very carefully torque it down to 6ft/lb, and run the car up to temperature. Oh joy, Slight oil leak at mid 2 bottom bolts. Check the torque and it is 2 ft/lbs again. Retorque just these two bolts back to exactly 6ft/ lbs, gasket splits and extrudes slightly at these bolts. But leak finally stops.
As they are now not leaking I have left well enough alone for the moment.
Can anybody offer any insight into what I may be doing wrong, and should I re-torque all the bolts on both sides to 8ft/lbs with the engine hot, or will this just wreck the gaskets again. Has anyone else had any similar problems.
Any advice, or even ridicule if I am doing something stupid, will be very greatly appreciated.

[phillpot]

First thing I'd do is throw the torque wrench away and tighten them "by feel".

The gaskets should be self adhesive, the "old stock" genuine Ford ones I have have lost most of their stickyness. They can be glued to the rocker covers with Evo-Stik type contact adhesive.

Cork gaskets shouldn't need any sealant in theory but I think that a thin smear of gap filling, silicone type product would be my next plan?

Sketch is exaggerated but while faces may be straight are they bent up like right hand cross section?



Not cheap but might be worth giving these a go.... Rubber Gaskets

Edited by phillpot on Sunday 3rd February 08:57

[lewdon]

Thanks Phillpot, unfortunately doing them up by feel depends on knowing what they should feel like. I thought I would be able to detect the difference when they came up against the aluminium spacers but didn't. Your point about the distortion was true when I took them off the first time, I think the previous owner had used a 4 ft crow bar to tighten them, but I think I have managed to get them reasonably flat. I used a very thin smear of red hermatite on the unglued face of the gasket and on the head.
The answer appears to be the rubber gaskets you suggest. The fact that they make them in rubber suggests that other people have had problems with the gaskets behaving as if they were made of toffee. Thanks once again, your advice is very much appreciated

[Barkychoc]

If you have a screwdriver style handle to turn the socket with you can feel whats going on at low torque settings much better than a standard socket set bar or ratchet.
More difficult to over tighten too.
(This where that cheap crap socket set you've had for years comes in useful)

If you don't have an appropriate handle just use the socket on an extension bar and turn the extension bar by hand as if its a screwdriver.
These low torque settings really are little more than to stop the thing falling off, any more torque than that is too much.

Edited by Barkychoc on Sunday 3rd February 16:34

[tvrgit]

I tighten them Barkychoc's way, using one of those cheap screwdriver sets - all you need to do is nip them up. The one time I tried doing it right, with torque settings and all, I had oil pishing out everywhere and needed new gaskets again.

[steve j]

I would check the mating face on the rocker cover, mine were slightly out of true and needed a minor adjustment/tap,

[phillpot]

Barkychoc said:

If you don't have an appropriate handle just use the socket on an extension bar and turn the extension bar by hand as if its a screwdriver.

Totally agree with Chris on the screwdriver type socket thing or one of these does a good job and it doesn't need to be a swanky Facom or Snap On one

[lewdon]

Thanks for all the advice it is very much appreciated. I have just re-tightened all the bolts, using a screwdriver jammed diagonally in the square drive of a socket, and run the engine up to temperature. So far so good, no leakage at the moment.
The next time I need to have the covers off I think I will use the rubber gaskets noted by Phillpot. They are expensive but I assume they are re-usable, so might be reasonably cost effective in the long run.
Thats axle, gearbox and engine oil changed, fluids topped up, stone chips on chassis touched up and re-waxoiled. tappets re-set. brake pads replaced and now all I need is a sunny day with no salt on the road.
Thank you all.