Best gasket maker?

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I have a tecumseh ohv engine that is leaking pretty bad all of a sudden. What is the best gasket maker to use on an air cooled engine like this? I was thinking the Permatex Ultra Black or Grey, or should I use the higher temp Copper stuff?
 
Its on the valve cover btw and the parts are tricky to get here so I am just making a new one from gasket material and silicone gasket maker.
 
Whichever of the RTV is the cheapest will work fine. When I make a gasket with RTV I follow this procedure. Clean both surfaces well. Apply RTV to dry cover (VC or what have you). Allow it to skin over (15mins to 30 mins depending on ambient temp). Then bolt together. If you wanna be 100% on no leaks then after bolting it let it sit for 24 hrs before use.
 
I have used non-ultra permatex RTV and can say the ultra is, suprisingly, better! The cheap stuff weeps oil and IMO doesn't compensate as well for inferior/scratched/warped/uncleanable surfaces which you will invariably encounter.
 
No right stuff at the parts store, indeed no Permatex Ultra grey or black so I bought the Versachem Mega Gray. Hope it works.
 
I plan on mowing the lawn tomorrow so I will know then. The versachem stuff said 12 to 24 hours for a full cure. Well since its 90 degrees out I think it will probably be fully cured by tomorrow morning.
 
I like the Gray myself...it seems to stick better than blue or black. Isn't the gray pretty much what automotive manufacturers use??
 
Originally Posted By: mopar_monkey
permatex "Right stuff"


+1
I discovered it a couple of years ago, on the recommendation of a full time mechanic I worked with.
I have used it several times and it has performed better than anything else I have used.
 
Well it rained all day so no mowing, but I did start it up and let it run in the garage for a few minutes. Next time I know if it worked or not since it was leaking all over the exhaust. If there is no smoke cloud I am in the clear. So far so good.
 
Well no seeping or leaking after mowing so far. Its 105 according to the heat index and if it was going to leak today would have done it since that air cooled engine was probably running pretty hot.
 
JR said:
Permatex aviation grade gasket maker. I never have good luck wkth rtv style stuff.
Head/metal gaskets get stay on copper.
I know you said Tecumseh. Briggs says install dry. I still use aviation sealant/maker.

I use it on automotive stuff. It gives you a working set in 15 minutes. RTV takes hours to cure.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Its on the valve cover btw and the parts are tricky to get here so I am just making a new one from gasket material and silicone gasket maker.


I just made one of those from cork last week and it worked fine and will be much easier to remove when I have to adjust valve clearances in the future.
 
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