I've been thinking about this.

Don't like the idea of sealant. Don't like the idea of finding and paying for an "OEM" gasket, especially if it's just another VR.

I might pull the valve cover and grind off some of the shoulders to allow more "squeeze" on the gasket. I've gone so far past the torque value of the valve cover nuts (on a 617) trying to stop the leaking that I'm all the way down on the shoulders. Still leaking bad.

What do you all think?

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1981 300TD 310k miles
1970 280sel 172k miles
1966 230 Fintail 162k miles

"Where are we going? And why am I in this hand basket?"

Grinding the valve cover would lessen the pressure. I find it difficult to believe that the tooling to make the gaskets would have been changed unless the design of the OE part changed.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

The shoulders I was referring to are the ones at the bottom of the stud openings in the valve cover, not the sealing edge of the cover itself.

Whether the shoulders have been ground "shorter" or not, setting the nuts to the torque value should be enough to seal.

But as I said, torquing to value didn't keep it from leaking even before I tightened down to the shoulders.

I really don't understand what is going on with these gaskets.

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1981 300TD 310k miles
1970 280sel 172k miles
1966 230 Fintail 162k miles

"Where are we going? And why am I in this hand basket?"

I've been asking for a pic of the VC to be posted. From descriptions, the shoulders limit compression of the gasket so once the shoulder hits the head surface, bolt torque value is meaningless in terms of sealing ability. ( More torque won't further compress the gasket. )

If there isn't enough gasket compression, any gasket will leak. If the valve cover is distorted no gasket is going to seal.

My prior posts in this thread outline how to identify and solve the problem.

I have a theory that the Victor-Reinz gaskets might be made of less than ideal quality rubber that shrinks and hardens with engine heat more than it should. They might work fine for a few weeks but then as the rubber shrinks and hardens, there is no longer a tight seal and the oil starts to slip past. Essentially, the rubber turns into a smaller plastic over a short time.

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DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

You are correct Squig. I have given up on aftermarket vc gaskets and now pay the (about) $25 for an Genuine MB gasket. Cost is ameliorated by getting at least two uses out of them.

I also use the oem gasket

I found some pictures in other threads ( Cam cover leak repair and Valve Cover Modifications for OM617 ). I hope they help!




My genuine Mercedes (Bruss, made in Ireland) valve cover gasket is leaking, but I might have installed it 8 years and many miles ago, and it's been in an extreme hot and dry desert environment. I noticed when it was new, that it had a cratered sealing surface (bad casting, worn mold?) that didn't seem like it would seal well. But, it worked for several years.

Now I have a new genuine Mercedes Bruss gasket, and it looks even worse. I wonder if it will seal at all.

Attached Thumbnails

         

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Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

Have not read all the pages of this thread, but I would never use RTV on an oil sealing gasket, as was suggested on page 1. If you use even a hair too much, it will squeeze out on the inside, and can end up clogging an oil passage. It's not unusual for an amateur to use so much RTV, that it ends up clogging the oil pickup tube screen. Any of these scenarios will destroy the engine in short order. Not to mention that next time you change the gasket, you'll have to scrape off the old RTV, and doing so without getting any bits into the engine is a challenge.

If you must use a sealant, use something non hardening, like Curil-T. Not only will it be safer for oil passages and screens if you apply a little too much, but it also has the ability to expand and contract slightly (it's non-hardening) to account for temperature changes and shrinking/swelling of the rubber gasket, so it provides a superior sealing ability as compared with RTV.

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Current fleet:
1998 E300 turbodiesel
2008 E320 bluetec - leaky oil cooler seals replaced
2012 S350 bluetec
2015 GL350 bluetec

Sold:
1996 Passat TDI
1997 E300 diesel

I've thought about filing the valve cover shoulders to get more gasket compression, but seems I don't have leaks in my 1984 & 85 300D with the current gaskets. Not sure the brand, maybe Victor-Reinz. If I were to use sealant on the bottom of the gasket, I would try Permatex gasket sealant which is a purple gummy liquid, which cleans up easy with ethanol. It might be a butyl rubber.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

Gaskets fitted to the right torque will never leak . No need for selant .Its when the bolts are locked down so tight it buckles the rocker box along with the gasket = leak.

In theory, yes. I think the problem is aftermarket gaskets which are possibly too small in diameter and shrink and harden. That, and possible damage to the parts that space the valve cover from the head. The recent genuine Mercedes gaskets not having a flat sealing surface is quite a concern. I am very skeptical that my new genuine gasket is going to seal.

I agree that there should be no need for sealant. If there is a leak, there is a problem somewhere.

__________________
Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

That can't happen.