Topic: on the subject of oil leaks and gasket sealers

[paulages]

i installed a brand new gasket on my clutch cover after pulling it polish. i believe i pinched the gasket out of alignment on the bottom, causing a massive leak (pouring at running temp.). just to be safe, i ordered another new one from honda.

i see in another thread that people are talking about sealing the head gasket or not. what about for the clutch cover? any old gasket sealer used sparingly on the cover side of the gasket?

[cd811]

some guys freak out when it comes to sealants...I use it..permatex#2...it NONhardening...yamabond makes a good one too...just a thin layer (I use my finger) and wipe offf any excess...on covers,I say go ahead

[scondon]

 I use Gaskacinch on the side cover gaskets. It's not really a sealant, more of a tacky substance that keeps the gaskets in place while mounting the covers. I haven't had much trouble with side covers leaking as they don't have a lot of oil behind them, but a little sealant at the bottom, where the oil pools, couldn't hurt. Nice thing about not using sealant is that you can usually reuse the gasket if you need to pull the cover to re-do something.

[HondaMan]

The clutch covers are one of the "tough" places to keep dry.

If you can find it, get FelCoBond from FelPro. It's sort of like rubber cement that can takes 400 degrees. It comes off fairly easily the next time the clutch needs work, too.

Next best choice: Yamabond.

Most important: keep it THIN and EVEN. The cover will not smooth it out for you if it's not evenly spread, causing a leaky spot or two.

[southbound]

Paul-

one thing i had a problem with on my kwaka was keeping the sealant from pinching into the inside of the clutch cover (in my case it was the stator cover).  basically, if you see it creep out on the outside you can be sure it's creeped on the inside as well, and can eventually clog your oil screen.  motoseal worked pretty well, but the best results came with replacing the gasket, after scraping all the sealant off.  be sure to try what i mentioned- taking a straight edge to both the cover and its mating surface, and see if a feeler gauge will slide into any points.  if it does, your problem should be obvious.

[paulages]

yeah, thanks brad. i will do that, but it didn't leak before i pulled the cover, so i doubt it warped while de-torquing it or whatever. i think you called it right with the gasket slipping though, which is why i was inquiring about the gasket adhesive.