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Message started by RTC on 03/26/10 at 23:01:58

Title: RTV head cover gasket
Post by RTC on 03/26/10 at 23:01:58

i've read all the previous post but i would like to hear again if anyone cares to post. i am doing the head plug replacement tomorrow. will black rtv be okay or are the other colors that much better? what is the difference? the packages don't really say much about their differences.

Title: Re: RTV head cover gasket
Post by BurnPgh on 03/26/10 at 23:46:13

basic differences between color are gas resistance and heat resistance. I use copper seal. i dont remember if its gas resistant but I think so, and its the highest heat resistant RTV I could find. 700* or so I think. I think you'll be okay with black , but check the specs. I dont think head temperatures get much above 200* but its always good to have as much leeway as possible.

Title: Re: RTV head cover gasket
Post by Oldfeller on 03/27/10 at 03:08:56

If you castings are black, pick a black that allows you to bolt up wet.

500 degree is fine for the head cover, just remember to put it on thin and wet as you want most of it to squeeze out of the joint. The current Permatex black is 500 degree wet bolt up capable.

Do not make the mistake of:

1) putting it on thick and letting the stuff set up before assembly - this leads to greatly increased cam journal clearance gaps and greatly reduces oil pressure at idle (leads to wear and damage).

2) once you put the head cover on and bolt it up DO NOT ROTATE ANYTHING about the engine for 24 hours - you want the RTV to set up 100% completely before any rotation. You have squeezed some RTV into the cam journal oil clearance space and you want to let it jell in place at the parting line rather than get smeared across a journal bearing surface (smearing would pick up trash and might lead to a contamination type journal failure)

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1256079122

Title: Re: RTV head cover gasket
Post by Digger on 05/28/10 at 21:36:34

I think the choice of sealant here is fairly important. Since the job is such a PITA, you don't want to go back in there a few miles later for an oil leak.

I used to use Permatex® Ultra Copper® Maximum Temperature RTV Silicone Gasket Maker (http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Copper_Maximum_Temperature_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm) with fairly good luck. I'd just have some minor seepage starting after about 4000 miles.

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When installing the cylinder head cover, the FSM says to tighten the cylinder head bolts "diagonally." Clymers says the same thing, but adds to tighten the bolts in the middle of the cylinder head cover first.

With this vague guidance in mind, here is the bolt tightening order I've arrived at after removing and installing the cylinder head cover a few times (loosening order (e.g. when removing the cylinder head) will be the reverse of the tightening order):

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/HeadCoverBoltTorqueOrder-1E.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/HeadCoverBoltTorqueOrder-2E.jpg

My methodology was to start with the inner-most bolts and move diagonally as much as possible. This is just the pattern I have been using. Your way most likely will be better, please share if so.

I torque these bolts using a 0-200 in-lb beam torque wrench in three stages (snug, half-torque, full-torque).

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However, the last time I did this job, I used Permatex® Ultra Grey® Rigid High-Torque RTV Silicone Gasket Maker (http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Grey_Rigid_High-Torque_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm). I got a leak after about 600 miles (under the front, port-side corner of the head cover), but I think that was my fault due to a faulty torque protocol (keep in mind that the Ultra Grey sets up pretty rigid):

So, off the head cover came again. This time, I did things a little different:

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You may have noticed that, in the above post, I did not consider torquing the bolt that goes in the top left hole in the pictures.

This is because that bolt is also used to secure the left decorative chrome head cover. With that cover in place, some of the other head cover bolts would be hard to access.

However, if you don't mind going through a little extra trouble, you can torque the head cover in a more complete fashion.

Here is what I used to take the place of the decorative head cover - a stack of washers:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/LS650/HeadCoverSpacerE.jpg

I just placed a bunch of washers on the bolt. This allowed me to torque the bolt down properly.

After the gasket sealant used on the head cover was cured, I removed the washers and installed the left decorative chrome head cover.

Here is the torque order I used with the extra bolt in play:

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/LS650/HeadCoverBoltTorqueOrder-4E.jpg
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No leaks yet.....I hope it works this time!

BTW, this stuff seems to be working well on the rubber plug, along with the rubber camshaft end cap: Permatex® Ultra Rubber Gasket Sealant & Dressing (http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_sealants/Permatex_Ultra_Rubber_Gasket_Sealant_Dressing.htm).

IHTH someone!