Gasket Sealer, which is best?

[1BadRS]

I'm putting together a new 2.8 for the Bronco II. I picked up a factory manual on CD that says to add gasket sealer to the matting surfaces. I also bought a complete gasket set but it doesn't have any sealer. What do you all recommend to coat the gasket with? Any specific brand and kind I want to use.

Thanks

 

[Big Jim M]

VERY littld pooky!!

I'm putting together a new 2.8 for the Bronco II. I picked up a factory manual on CD that says to add gasket sealer to the matting surfaces. I also bought a complete gasket set but it doesn't have any sealer. What do you all recommend to coat the gasket with? Any specific brand and kind I want to use.

Thanks

The gaskets and seals on engines don't need pooky! The only place to use any silicone is where the pan gasket meets the timing cover gasket... And then only a green pea sized dot of it.
All the gaskets contain the sealant they need. Just make sure the opposing parts are entirely clean and dry...ready to have the gasket pressed tightly against them.

Truthfully I have a small tube of sillicone that has been in my box for 5 or 6 years. I have used it only as mentioned and have never had a single problem with gaskets leaking.

If you think about it a while, the sealant is moveable and squirts out of a tight fit,.. The results will be long strings of sillycone floating around in your oil and coolant... Not good!
As for BRAND of sealant? I don't see any difference that could occur between brands.. If they are at a parts house and say something about temperature...Buy it and forgetaboutit.
Big JIm

 

[1BadRS]

Thanks Jim! This is my first time putting one together and the manual was a little vauge to me in this area. That is the goal to not have leaks and I did buy a good gasket set so we will go with your recomendation.

Thanks again :icon_cheers:

 

[Hotrodlincoln]

Agreed. Don't coat gaskets with anything except in corners of the oil pan. Just be sure the mating surfaces are 100% clean and smooth and you should have no trouble.

 

[enginepaul]

Agreed as to very little sealer. In most cases you won't need any because the gaskets are designed to bridge gaps when necessary. Some manuals call for a dab or small bead on certain parts of certain engines; sometimes you have to read.
A side note here: when doing a carburetor, I use Chapstick (the lip stuff) to put a wax-like coat on the bowl cover gasket to make removal easy. (1 chapstick tube for a whole lot of carbs)

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

As for a brand, get some Permatex Ultra Grey.

 

[enginepaul]

Oh - I forgot = Make sure it is compatible with your sensors; it will say something to that effect on the tube or package. In the early days, some silicone sealers fowled some of the emission stuff. That would be particularly important on valve covers and intake parts.
I use Permatex products = not sure which ones.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Everyone that has said you don't need gasket sealer is only partially correct.

It actually depends on what type of gasket you are using. It is true that most modern, high quality gaskets don't need any sealer.

However, if you bought a cheap gasket set full of old-style paper gaskets (I just used one 2 months ago on a budget build), you'll definitely need gasket sealer. The stuff I use is called "High Tack". It's a sticky purple liquid substance and comes in a can with a brush attached to the lid.

Again, rubber and plastic gaskets generally don't need sealer. Paper gaskets DO need sealer. Also RVT silicone IS NOT gasket sealer, rather it is gasket MAKER. Using RVT silicone as gasket sealer will never work well. Using RVT silicone as the gasket itself, works OK in some situations (I've had good luck on thermostat housings and intake manifold joints when I was too cheap to buy a gasket or the store was closed, etc).

 

[Big Jim M]

Paper gaskets?

Everyone that has said you don't need gasket sealer is only partially correct.

It actually depends on what type of gasket you are using. It is true that most modern, high quality gaskets don't need any sealer.

However, if you bought a cheap gasket set full of old-style paper gaskets (I just used one 2 months ago on a budget build), you'll definitely need gasket sealer. The stuff I use is called "High Tack". It's a sticky purple liquid substance and comes in a can with a brush attached to the lid.

Again, rubber and plastic gaskets generally don't need sealer. Paper gaskets DO need sealer. Also RVT silicone IS NOT gasket sealer, rather it is gasket MAKER. Using RVT silicone as gasket sealer will never work well. Using RVT silicone as the gasket itself, works OK in some situations (I've had good luck on thermostat housings and intake manifold joints when I was too cheap to buy a gasket or the store was closed, etc).

Many times I make my own gaskets. I have some sheets of paper gasket. In a pinch I use a cardboard box and cut a gasket out of it. I NEVER use any sealant of any kind on these gaskets! Not even the cardboard ones. In my 50 years of using these gaskets I have NEVER had a failure.
Sealant simply isn't needed when two iron parts are pressed together with a sheet of cardboard between them by two or more bolts!! The two iron pieces will ALMOST seal themselves. The gasket simply fills in the small areas that might leak without it.
In certain areas, such as the 90* areas of the front and rear of some oil pans, pooky is advised because the gasket material MIGHT get pushed out of it's desired location by the thrust of the bolts. EVEN these areas don't need pooky, except IF the gasket slides aside as the bolts are tightned.
Big JIm

 

[dangerranger83]

I use gasket sealer (black stuff for oil areas) around the oil pan gasket, fuel pump, auto tranny, etc.... When I didnt they leaked (and yes the surfaces were properly prepped.) My dads 2.8 fuel pump is only 3 years old and from day one of putting a new one on with a new gasket has leaked and everything was torqued to specs. But hopefully after this weekend it will be gone due to a TBI system being put on his truck.

Now the places I dont put it are the valve cover on my 2.8 (knowing that over time a 2.8 has to have the valve adjusted I dont) I bought the all rubber gaskets for that, but actually did put a dab of sealer where the intake and head mate together just to be safe. Another place is the thermostat housing, I dont use sealer for those areas either.

An oil pan gasket is kind of an inconvenance to have to replace if its leaking for some reason, I like to be safe then sorry, the other gaskets I can get to with very little problem.