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Subject:Re: Valve cover gaskets
From:David Brodbeck
Date:Mon, 30 Sep 2002 12:27:27 -0400

On Mon, 30 Sep 2002, Jeff Strickrott wrote:

> I had my valve gaskets replaced about 500 miles back as they were
> leaking. Now I want adjust the valves. Do you think the gaskets will be
> fine if I just reuse them, or should I get new.

If they haven't been glued to the heads, they're probably okay to reuse.
On the aircooled van I used to have I usually used sealer to fasten them
to the valve cover, but no sealer on the head side.  Before pulling the
valve covers I'd look to see if they'd been seeping, and after pulling
them I'd inspect the gaskets.  If everything looked good I wouldn't bother
to replace them, I'd just wipe off the sealing surfaces and put the covers
back on. If they do start to leak it's not that difficult to take the
valve covers off again to fix it.

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "To accept selfishness as an all-purpose excuse for
 |___/             mistreating others is to reject the whole idea of
                   right and wrong." -- Richard Stallman