Valve cover gasket, brand and source

[Wildthings]

I just pulled my valve covers to adjust the valves and since summer ~4000 miles the gaskets have shrunk enough to pull away from the ends of the covers and are beginning to weep. Years ago I used to almost never change a gasket when I checked the valves, and would reuse the same gaskets over and over for years. Today, even reusing them one time is rare because of the poor quality of the gaskets I have bought.

Anyone know a source of high quality valve cover gaskets?

[Tom Powell]

[VDubTech]

I just plan on replacing them every time I take one off. Plan on it costing you about $4 every time you adjust your valves.
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[ned]

www.realgaskets.com

[RocketSurgeon]

[SGKent]

elring but you have to find some that are new and not hardened by age. I found this out the hard way when I got some old stock. When new they are softer and seal better.
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[Hoody]

x2 on Elring. I would get them from Jake. He is crazy about quality control and will not sell old ones. Len Hoffman told me when I asked what he did....He told me to use an old set of heads to actually glue the gaskets to the covers versus Hylomar. Once the glue set up on the gaskets mounted to the old heads. You then put the covers on the new heads. Hope this helps.

[Wildthings]

[Wildthings]

[RocketSurgeon]

[Wildthings]

[old DKP driver]

I have valve cover gaskets that are 30 yr's + still in their wrappers and find
they have No shrinkage Period.
and yes, if you leave them in the elements they will become harder and start to shrink but, they are still better quality than the newer Reintz that come in
the gasket set.

You can put the cork gaskets in Hot water and they will come back to form
but, again the width of the gasket is Not the same as the older one's.

you now have to bend the center tab quite alot to keep th gasket in place
even if you use some type of sealer.

Keep the gaskets and seals in a sealed container and out of the elements.
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[Wildthings]

I wonder if new oils are part of the problem with shrinkage? Twenty plus years ago I would run 30wt during the summer and 10w30 in the winter. Today it is more apt to be a 5w40 synthetic year around. Maybe the thinner oil or it being synthetic negatively affects the gasket?

[curtis4085]

I use VR Gaskets and have done both - glue on cover side and oil head side and the usual - just oil on head side. The glued one I have taken on and off atleast a dozen times now and know leaks. The just oiled ones had to be replaced every time.

Just my experience.
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[fusername]

honestly I ahve never bought a T4 valve cover gasket, aside from a full engine gasket set. 30k + on my bus, regular valve adjustments and all, I oil each side during R&R, so either I am lucky or the gaskets in those sets are quite nice, cork of course.
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[ivwshane]

So what was the consensus of this?

I can't tell if these gaskets from germansupply are cork or not:
http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/product.php?productid=16138&cat=&page=1

And busdepot has these elring ones:
http://www.busdepot.com/021101481

Which one do you guys recommend?


Nevermind I see ratwell recomends cork with no sealent if you have solid lifters. So the question then becomes; are the germansupply gaskets cork?
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[curtis4085]

[Ian]

I started using SABO brand gaskets, and they are way way better than the other ones. I think the other ones are too skinny or something. These ones fit snug between the valve cover and the gasket holder tab.
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[refsta]

[forkzilla]

I have a set on the lycoming engine in my airplane and they stay very dry. Just make sure they are installed dry as any lubricant or sealer tends to make them squirt out slightly.