Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 X-Wedge Rocker Cover Gasket

Morgan are still sending car out with the old cover ,joke really

And they will until the supply of engines is exhausted. I wonder if any have the new internal bolt modification to stop the crank wandering?

Hopefully my cynicism is misguided and I look forward to eating humble pie!

Mine as got old cover ,and when I get it will be taking it off to see if new bolt is fitted.if not Morgan will be getting a email to say ,WHY

Just going outside to replace my M3W rocker box gaskets, very efficiently supplied by Matt. I assume since tappets are hydraulic, there is no point in even looking at valve clearances. I am not sure my 3 foot+ long torque wrench goes down to 15-18 lbs/ft or if it does will it be accurate at those low torques. It is the one I used to use on the 32mm centre lock nuts on my Ralt F2 wheels, which needed 165 lbs/ft. I have a 3/8" torque wrench for low torques but that is back in the UK and I am now in France. As 99% of the work I do on cars when in France, is on the Morgan, I wonder if it might be a good idea to hit Amazon France for a 3/8" or even a 1/4" drive torque wrench. I have to change the oil as well. I had noted at the end of last year, before I went back to the UK that there is a weep round the union for the oil return line from the tank as it enters the dry sump, so I have brought a bottle of Loctite 542 down with me to sort that, when I change the oil.

Wilson

PS The quick answer for my large torque wrench is that it won't work. The graduations only start at 30 lbs/ft.

I believe that 'Snug, Plus a Tweak' is the correct torque setting for the rocker cover bolts.

Wilson, get a proper torque wrench, you are working on aluminum and something expensive. A decent torque wrench can save you money. I own 5 torque wrenches and use them all, although one is rated in nm and not ft/lb.

I thought it was "tighten until it breaks and then back off 1/4 turn"

I had ordered yesterday afternoon a 3/8" drive torque wrench from Amazon. During the night the thought suddenly sprung into my brain that I don't have any AF hex drivers other than a very nice set of Beta T handle Allen wrenches. I have a set of 3/8" drive AF sockets but I am not going to saw up one of my lovely Beta T handle AF keys to get a length of 1/4" hex to go into the 1/4" AF socket. I have a very large set in France, of all sorts of 3/8" drive drivers: Hex, torx, double square etc etc but of course all metric. The nearest metric hex size is 6mm but 1/4" hex measures 6.322 mm on my micrometer and I don't want to risk rounding off the rocker cover bolts using a 6mm driver. I then recalled there was an old tobacco tin with all the hex keys I have acquired over the years that came as assembly tools with various bits of machinery, furniture etc. I looked in there and was delighted to find a 1/4" Allen key, where I can use my Dremel to cut off an inch long length to fit in the 1/4" AF socket. Trying to get AF tools in France is not easy. I bought the AF sockets a few years ago from an aircraft tools supplier in Marignane near Marseille airport but they seem to have shut down, as their website is 404.

Wilson

PS I did a bit of googling and found another French company selling aviation and imperial size tools. I have ordered a set of 3/8" AF hex drivers from them, as the next time I need one, I may not be lucky enough to find an old inch size allen key to saw up.

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

That experience makes you wonder who and why they resorted to silicone sealant. Was the surfaces so damaged that a new gasket would not work properly? Or was the fellow to cheap to get new gaskets?