420A Valve cover gasket?

[Ckkime55]

Need to replace my gasket but I wanted to get peoples input on a good gasket. Ie had horible luck with the molded rubber ones

 

[zedicus]

wow i just did a fel-pro valve cover gasket like 2 weeks ago and it was the regular old black style.

 

[bigbird94]

It helps to have a metal half moon. The stock rubber one will expand and contract with heat and cause leaks.

 

[my dreamt dsm]

Blue? Your profile says N/T.
Curious where you bought it at?

 

[bryanwheat]

Apparently they fel-pro came out with a new gasket type. It's blue rubber!!?!?!?

Every felpro 420a valve cover gasket i have ever installed was blue like that.

wow i just did a fel-pro valve cover gasket like 2 weeks ago and it was the regular old black style.

He has a 420a engine.

 

[Ckkime55]

This is my first one on a dsm so I didn't know they were this color. Never seen one like this before.

Blue? Your profile says N/T. Curious where you bought it at?

At autozone

 

[1G Eclipse94928]

This is my first one on a dsm so I didn't know they were this color. Never seen one like this before.



At autozone

Like he said, its because your a 420A not a 4G63

 

[Breezio69]

When I bought my felpro from pep boys they gave me the wrong one the first time, it was the blue 420 gasket. The 4g63 is black.

Also, to the people naysaying rtv on things such as this, I will say this. I've seen it over an over, on buddies cars, wheelers... really anywhere this stuff is applicable.... most people DO NOT follow directions, if you apply it then torque your gasket ( or wp housing, thermostat housing, etc etc.) Down before you allow it to tack up you will have problems every time. I have always, always followed the directions, and on some vehicles even ran gasket-less on a few things, never ever a problem.

The key is a smooth consistant application with very little "squish", where it mashes out the sides. Make a small layer, let it set up, have a smoke, a beer.... whatever you are in to... then go torque it down after 20+ minutes. Usually when I torque stuff down I can touch the rtv and feel it is still soft, but it won't leave anything on my fingers when I touch it.

Take it for what its worth.

AND... here is an edit.

I've adapted a small technique from my dad, where after you have spread the rtv evenly across the nice flat machined surface. You take your finger with moderate pressure and outline the object you applied rtv to, with your finger on a small angle toward the flat surface. This bevels the rtv back, so when you let it start to set up, THEN torque it down, you get a lot less product smashing out of the sides, and more importantly, the inside.

Hope this helps, for even more things than the vc gasket... I've redone my thermostat gasket and a throttle body elbow this way... perfection. You are basically hand crafting a rubber gasket, do it right, or do it over.

 

[John6028]

Hi I don't know how to post my own but I have a 98 gs and I replaced oil pan gasket and valve over gasket and it's still leaking from somewhere idk where but down the back side of the block any one can tell me what it would be ????? It there a hose?

 

[Ckkime55]

When I bought my felpro from pep boys they gave me the wrong one the first time, it was the blue 420 gasket. The 4g63 is black. Also, to the people naysaying rtv on things such as this, I will say this. I've seen it over an over, on buddies cars, wheelers... really anywhere this stuff is applicable.... most people DO NOT follow directions, if you apply it then torque your gasket ( or wp housing, thermostat housing, etc etc.) Down before you allow it to tack up you will have problems every time. I have always, always followed the directions, and on some vehicles even ran gasket-less on a few things, never ever a problem. The key is a smooth consistant application with very little "squish", where it mashes out the sides. Make a small layer, let it set up, have a smoke, a beer.... whatever you are in to... then go torque it down after 20+ minutes. Usually when I torque stuff down I can touch the rtv and feel it is still soft, but it won't leave anything on my fingers when I touch it. Take it for what its worth. AND... here is an edit. I've adapted a small technique from my dad, where after you have spread the rtv evenly across the nice flat machined surface. You take your finger with moderate pressure and outline the object you applied rtv to, with your finger on a small angle toward the flat surface. This bevels the rtv back, so when you let it start to set up, THEN torque it down, you get a lot less product smashing out of the sides, and more importantly, the inside. Hope this helps, for even more things than the vc gasket... I've redone my thermostat gasket and a throttle body elbow this way... perfection. You are basically hand crafting a rubber gasket, do it right, or do it over.

Very insightful. Now when u say let it tack up before torquing down I'm assuming the valve cover is already on the car and the belts started?

 

[Breezio69]

Very insightful. Now when u say let it tack up before torquing down I'm assuming the valve cover is already on the car and the belts started?

Not necessarily, it all depends on what you're doing it on.

On things like a vc it shouldn't be all that necessary, like stated before. If its torqued correctly it should be fine on its own with just small dabs in the corners of the cam caps and a smooth layer under the half moon. That's how I did mine and its been leak free for 2 years. If you were to rtv the entire gasket, I'd personally put it on thin (like even with the ridges on the bottom) then drop it on and just line up a few bolt holes on opposite sides, then let it sit for a bit.

 

[Silver99OZ]

Here is a good write up on replacing the valve cover gasket on the 420A engine.

2GNT.com - Replacing_valve_cover_and_spark_plug_gaskets

 

[dgdsm]

The key is a smooth consistant application with very little "squish", where it mashes out the sides. Make a small layer, let it set up, have a smoke, a beer.... whatever you are in to... then go torque it down after 20+ minutes. Usually when I torque stuff down I can touch the rtv and feel it is still soft, but it won't leave anything on my fingers when I touch it.

I let it cure overnight last time, before torquing it.