What brand and type of valve cover gasket material is the best for long term sealing of stock stamped steel valve covers?

Should I use RTV, glue, or just install them dry?

 

I use cork gaskets cemented to the cover, with a thin coat of axle grease on the head side, and/or the head itself.
Really hate the mess with scraping gaskets off the head, when you can put the cover over a can and save your back!

 

I also use a good quality cork gasket (Mr Gasket or Fel Pro) siliconed to the valve cover but I never put anything on the head side they always come loose if they need removed.

 

My car had cork gaskets put on this way over 4 years ago and they showed only a tiny weep. Covers came off easily at least! In fact I think mine were only tacked onto the covers at the bolt holes.

Since I already pulled the covers for maintanence, i will use Felpro rubber gaskets when they are put back on. I will see if those last for 10 years or more. Cork often leaks after 6-7 years, at least they did on my old Ford.........

 

I have the Fel-Pro rubber ones. Light "gooing" in small areas. Year and a 1/2 so far, no issues.

 

I am tired of the valve cover seepage, and I just want to fix it one time and be done with it.

The car does way more setting than it gets driven. Is this setting all the time causing the vavle covers to leak?

I do know that FEL-PRO makes a very nice ribbed blue silicon with a metal inner layer valve cover gasket for other makes, but is not making for Oldsmobile V8.

I have never had any luck with rubber valve cover gaskets inbetween stamped steel valve cover to a rough cast head.

So.... I guess the old style cork gasket is the way to go

 

Make sure the flanges on your vc's are flat around the bolt holes, no dimpling.

 

Great idea, I will do that!

So...the smart money is use cork gaskets and glue them to the valve cover. Then the face of the valve cover cork gasket gets placed to the rough cast of the cylinder head dry with no glue, sealer, or RTV?

My 442 is an A/C car and the valve cover gaskets are hard to get to with all of the brackets that go over the top of the valve covers.

This is why I am asking for ideas about the best long term solution to prevent seeping valve cover gaskets.

 

I think that one of the biggest causes of valve cover leaks is that the bolts back out. Because the valve cover is so thin, and because it seats against a soft gasket, the torque spec is very low (7 inch-pounds rings a bell) -- way lower than it would normally be for a bolt that size. Throw in a little lubrication and you've got a bolt that backs off and no longer clamps.

The next time I have everything apart, I think I'll clean out the holes real good and use some mild lock-tite or a dab of silicone on the threads of each bolt and see if that does the trick.

 

Brian, that is a GREAT IDEA, I will try some blue Loctite on the valve cover bolts.