Cam Cover Gasket

[PetrolHeadPete]

Thought I'd share some minor niggles I've had using the RG thicker cam cover gasket (to stop the chain hitting the cover...mine has a lovely 1mm deep gouge).

Gasket is made of some kind of weird plastic that resists temperature (its about 2mm thick at a guess). But what they dont tell you is that it tends to expand a little when really hot.
So having lovingly fitted it using normal silcone gasket stuff and tightened it down gently...was a bit shoked to arrive home the other night to find clouds of oil smoke coming from the engine bay...above the manifolds to be precise.
Luckily I have a flip bonnet so poped it open to check it wasnt about to catch fire only to find the gasket had "looped" out between the fixing screws and was letting oil drip right onto the cat ! ouch...and VERY smokey.
Had one more attempt using Blue Hylomar instead and this time the damned thing looped inwards...so couldnt even see it. Keep in mind the length between screws on the cover is only about 2" so it must expand and move quite a bit.

Anyway, think I just fixed with a fairly complicated steel wire (0.6mm dia) "web" that I bent to the right profile to fit the centre line of the flange on the cover. I boned this to the cover using silcone, making sure it was nice and flat and well cured. Then bonded the gasket to this, again with silcone and then tightened it down good and proper so that the steel wire pushes hard into the gasket and stops it creeping.

So far so good...keeping fingers crossed now.

Just a word of warning if you buy one of these (RG said they tend to use evostik to bond it to the cover but I cant see that lasting with the heat...could be wrong of course)

[RiddleMcFiddle]

Jesus! Think I'll stick to silicone.

I bet you wish you hadn't bothered?

Flip up bonnet on a Tuscan?

[drivingfroggy]

RiddleMcFiddle said:

Jesus! Think I'll stick to silicone.

I bet you wish you hadn't bothered?

Flip up bonnet on a Tuscan?

Yeah, tell us more about this. Any pictures?

[nelly1]

Some links...

Here...
&
Here...

[Whitey]

I had the RG gasket fitted at my last service by my dealer not RG. I bought it in person from RG and they only would sell me the more expensive gasket (circa £50) as they had had issues with the cheaper one they also used to sell. They did start to mention how to fit it with whatever spray glue but no idea as my dealer had fitted it before so they already knew how to fit it.

I have had no issues with mine so far, but I've only done maybe 200 miles since my service in June. YES I must drive it more

[PetrolHeadPete]

RiddleMcFiddle said:

Jesus! Think I'll stick to silicone.

I bet you wish you hadn't bothered?

Flip up bonnet on a Tuscan?

Yup about 1/2 way through the job was starting to doubt the wisdom of it all !
Drove it 45 miles today good as gold

For my conversion to bonnet search on one of my threads called more flippin bonnets

[Night Rider]

Raceproved also do a gasket but it’s a proper firm paper style. I have been running it for 2000mls now with no problems at all. Best thing is it doesn’t compress and is very re-useable....I've had the lid off no fewer than 4 times during the 2000 travelled.

[Whitey]

Nightrider are you saying you have also tried the RG gasket and your preference is the raceproved one?

cheers
Whitey

[Night Rider]

Whitey said:

Nightrider are you saying you have also tried the RG gasket and your preference is the raceproved one?

cheers
Whitey

I like the firm gasket type as they don't compress. The RG type must go mushy and compress with age. Collets would've been a clever idea like the Rover gaskets which allows you to tighten without crushing the rubber.

You should drive your lovely car more Whitey.

[NCE 61]

RG fitted one of these while in for a service in June this year & have had no problems after 2K miles or so. Better than the possibility of getting silicon in the oil ways.