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Hoody Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2007 Posts: 1948
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:18 am Post subject: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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What's the consensus on the best brand of valve cover gasket? The type 4 store only sells Elring. Are the Victor Reinz ones better? Is there a preference among the two? |
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SGKent Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007 Posts: 41031 Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:33 am Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Bob - I've used both and had both leak. The issue is how old they are I think. The older they are the harder they get so they don' t flex as much to conform to differences in distance between the head and cover. I can squeeze some with my finger and feel the give while others are as hard as a rock - and more prone to leak. below is a post from 2011 about what you are asking.
SGKent wrote: |
I ordered some VC gaskets from SAB in Riverside based on Colin's recomendation. In the meantime we stopped by Bugformance on the way home and picked up some T4 valve cover gaskets so I can get it taken care of this weekend. They were Elring also but they were much lighter in color - more cork in them.
me, "Gee, these sure look lighter in color. Elring?"
Bugformace "Yes. - did you have some Elring that were darker by just a little?"
me, "Yes....
Bugformance, "We got some of those too. Looked the same in every other way but too much rubber in them so they leaked. Had lots of leaks for about a week until we figured out it was a bad batch. Had to pull them off the shelf so many came back."
So - there you have it. These are going back to the east coast where they came from.
edit: I just pulled my stash down. These are maybe 1 month old. The color is barely different (a tiny bit darker in spots with more rubber) but most of them are as hard a rock in spots where as the Elring I just got locally are soft and pliable evenly. The gaskets never sealed up. So if you buy some T4 valve cover gaskets from a place back east we all buy from make sure they are soft and not hard like a rock or you will think your push rod tubes are leaking too. |
_________________ “Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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Hoody Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2007 Posts: 1948
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:42 am Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Thanks Steve! Do you know if there are production dates listed on the packaging or is it just a roll of the dice? |
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tootype2crazy Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2007 Posts: 1276 Location: St. Louis Missouri
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SGKent Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007 Posts: 41031 Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:57 am Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Hoody wrote: |
Thanks Steve! Do you know if there are production dates listed on the packaging or is it just a roll of the dice? |
roll the dice. I have some that were thick and some thin from the same vendor and manufacturer. As for sealers - when the actual gasket is hard and thin - nothing works unless it is slopped on. And that is a mess to clean up each time. In 400,000 miles on my 1971 I never had a valve cover gasket leak. In 5,000 miles on my 1977 I have run into this several times. Also have to make sure the covers are not warped. Lay them on the head with no gasket and see if they rock. The more they rock the more flexible gasket you will need.
I don't know if he still recommends them but here is where he was getting his, and I had good luck too. SAB in Riverside CA http://saveabug.net/ _________________ “Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin
Last edited by SGKent on Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Hoody Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2007 Posts: 1948
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:57 am Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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I remember years ago seeing these silicone ones. But I have never heard of anyone who actually uses them. Maybe I need to a search on a 914 board or the type4rum? |
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Rubber Duck Samba Member
Joined: January 18, 2006 Posts: 806 Location: Pitt Meadows BC
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 12:43 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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These guys have a whole bunch of them for all the different uses in a beetle and bus. All except the one I'm really looking for, which is the rectangular breather box one. For some reason, I seem to get an oily film on the engine, and I attribute it to this one not being tight. Then again, it also doubles as my oil filler opening and I may have spilt some oil.
https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/SearchResults.cfm
I've been very lucky with the valve covers on my bus. Never had them leak before and I'm using the same cheapo cip seals for a couple of years now. A
s for the wire bails, I can slide mine off and one using finger strength alone, so they can't be all that tight. They've just never leaked. Always made me wonder if oil never really enters that area...after all, whenever I adjust valves, the area is dry. I wonder if maybe my engine is always low on oil. _________________ ---------
Rubber Duck
1974 Westfalia |
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surfwagonorangevw Samba Member
Joined: February 06, 2013 Posts: 111 Location: Hawaii
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:23 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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i know it sounds dumb but make sure you have your valve covers the right way up , they will leak if wrong The little vw logo needs to be upside down to be correct . I did try the silicone ones , but put the cover on wrong way and had a horrendous leak , thank god I never drove more than a few miles Never tried them again , using Victor Reinz ones now . |
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ac78 Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2008 Posts: 330 Location: Nashville
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 2:26 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Rubber Duck wrote: |
These guys have a whole bunch of them for all the different uses in a beetle and bus. All except the one I'm really looking for, which is the rectangular breather box one. For some reason, I seem to get an oily film on the engine, and I attribute it to this one not being tight. Then again, it also doubles as my oil filler opening and I may have spilt some oil.
https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/SearchResults.cfm
I've been very lucky with the valve covers on my bus. Never had them leak before and I'm using the same cheapo cip seals for a couple of years now. A
s for the wire bails, I can slide mine off and one using finger strength alone, so they can't be all that tight. They've just never leaked. Always made me wonder if oil never really enters that area...after all, whenever I adjust valves, the area is dry. I wonder if maybe my engine is always low on oil. |
Rubber Duck- I'm curious to know how many miles you have on your engine and if your oil breather has the pin hole in top of the cap(like mine)? I was also getting oil on top of the engine/cap. After redoing the top end this summer with Mahle P&C kit, I no longer have the oily residue on top.
My fear is that your rings are failing and each stroke is producing blow back of a fine mist of oil through the pin hole as mine was. The inside of my intake manifold was really oily too.
Wipe off your cap and then check it again in about 30 days to see if you've got oil up there again.
This video is after I pulled the 3/4 head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvJx3Z2mRuk
TCash- I can take this to a new thread if needed. I don't know how to move his quote though. _________________ 78 Westy 2.0l hydr. FI
VW Campmobile
For people who believe a family's
car should be it's castle ! |
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SGKent Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007 Posts: 41031 Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 3:15 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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if you get actual oil out that small hole in the top of the breather the diaphragm in it is perforated and it is bad. If you have FI you will need to find a solution to replace it or your FI will never run right. In addition the vacuum getting into the case thru the torn diaphragm will pull in valve cover gaskets and create other issues. The valve is NLA. I think maybe there are 3 NOS ones left in the world and they are all accounted for. _________________ “Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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ac78 Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2008 Posts: 330 Location: Nashville
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Maybe I wrongly made a corolaration between an oily cap and bad rings. My experience was an oily cap and top of engine with old P&C kit. I have about 4,000 miles on the engine since July 15th and just checked the cap, no oil. Previously it would only take a few hundred miles to notice oil on the cap.
I'll start searching for the test procedure of the diaphragm to see if that is truly bad.
Edited- I forgot to mention that my other 78 had the same exact pin hole in the cap. Are you saying it's not supposed to be there? _________________ 78 Westy 2.0l hydr. FI
VW Campmobile
For people who believe a family's
car should be it's castle ! |
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Hoody Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2007 Posts: 1948
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:43 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Yes the hole is supposed to be there. But if your seeing oil on top of the PCV valve cap the diaphragm inside has failed. I tried years ago to get this diaphragm reproduced as well as another critical diaphragm. The person who said they may have been able to make them wasn't able to. It's nothing more then a disc with a spot for the spring to sit. It's some type of rubber or silicone. I think Viton would be perfect for this application. Someone else tried to make molds and cast them but nothing ever came of that as far as I know. I have seen people "plumb" PCV valves from other cars into the hose that they said worked. It sure doesn't seem like a hard diaphragm to reproduce. It seems to me that the correct material and a perfectly round one that seals and moves up and down as it should is the challenge. Search PCV valve and you will see many discussions on this. Hope this helps. |
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:11 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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The OP said he adds oil through the breather. So I'm thinking he has a screw on cap.
Tcash |
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Wildthings Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50261
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:46 pm Post subject: Re: Best brand of type 4 valve cover gasket |
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Rubber Duck wrote: |
Then again, it also doubles as my oil filler opening and I may have spilt some oil. |
The function of the PVC valve on the Porsche and Type 4 car engines which it sounds like you have is different from the function of the crankcase ventilation valve on the bus engines. You need the correct system for your application. |
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