Valve cover gaskets and RTV

1993 HONDA CIVIC
90,000 MILES • 1.5L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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DUSABRIVE
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  • 7 POSTS
I'm about to change the valve cover gasket. The Haynes manual says to use RTV with the rubber gasket but when I called up Permatex their technical support person says to use nothing but the rubber gasket and no RTV. Who do I listen to?
Jun 11, 2019 at 4:09 PM
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ASEMASTER6371
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Good evening,

On rubber gaskets, you never use RTV. It will cause the gasket to move and you will have a leak.

Install it dry.

Roy
Jun 11, 2019 at 4:50 PM
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STEVE W.
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With a rubber gasket you don't want to add RTV as it will act like a lubricant and cause the gasket to squeeze out of place, On the molded ones that go into a groove in the cover you don't use it because it will cause the gasket to torque unevenly and leak.
The only time you might use RTV with a rubber gasket would be if there is a seam under the gasket and the manufacturer calls for a small amount.

Jun 11, 2019 at 4:51 PM
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