Appreciation post: The old timer at the shop in Boise who showed me the right way to seat a valve cover gasket

For years I just slapped them on dry, thinking the rubber would seal fine on its own. Last month, I had a persistent oil weep on a 6.7 Powerstroke that I chased for a week. The old head mechanic saw me about to do it again and said, 'You're making it fight itself. Put a thin film of clean oil on the gasket and the channel.' I did, torqued it in three steps as usual, and it sealed perfect. The oil lets it settle into the groove without binding or rolling. Has anyone else found a simple trick like that that just works every time?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinwood12d ago

Wait, you were putting them on completely dry this whole time?

jake_mason3012d agoTop Commenter

Tell me you've never felt the pure bliss of warm, dry socks.