I set off this morning to replace the rocker cover gaskets, as my 3/8" torque wrench and 3/8' drive hex socket screw bits have now arrived. I discovered why both my rocker boxes were weeping. Both gaskets had split and prior to my ownership, someone had done a cack handed repair and instead of replacing the gaskets, had "mended" them with great gobs of "Bodgers' Friend" silicone gasket sealer. I now wonder if the black rubbery material I found when I cut open the old oil filter, was not the liner of the original oil pipes but surplus silicone gasket goo, which had squeezed out into the inside of the rocker cover.
Anyone got any thoughts of a good solvent for dried on silicone gasket goo? I have tried acetone, cellulose paint thinners and benzene, with little success. The acetone seems to soften it but not dissolve. I don't have my machine scrapers in France and have been peeling the worst off by very gentle scraping with a Stanley knife blade. Any other suggestions would be welcome. I have some aerosols of brake cleaner arriving next week but I seem to recollect that does not touch gasket goo.
Wilson
PS done the worst (by far) of the two covers, using elbow grease, scraping with a sharpened lollipop stick,1200 grade wet and dry and acetone. I have ordered a tube of RTV silicone sealer solvent gel, as I can see that the other rocker cover has even more gasket goo around the seal, maybe why it is leaking less. The gasket goo had hardened above the exit port for the exhaust, into a rock like material, that neither a Stanley blade would not touch nor acetone soften. I had to buff it away with wet and dry. That was also where the worst of the leaking was. Hopefully the new high tech gasket will cure the leak. W
Last edited by WilsonLaidlaw; 18/07/20 09:21 AM.
