The motor for the wife's Z32 is almost complete and ready for reinstallation but noticed that while the exhaust cam rocker cover comes with a nice fat rubber gasket there seems to be nothing for the inlet rocker covers. All three engine I have pulled apart are the same and have just been siliconed which I have no issue with (in fact I've already done so and set them back on the motor) but I remembered the silicone around the cam gear ends being quite thick. Is there supposed to be a seal or o ring there? Do I just coon the bejesus out of it to be on the safe side? I'm paranoid about ever having to pull the motor apart over leaks of any kind especially when I have a second one to build as soon as this one is finished. I'll take some photos and update the thread tonight as a reminder.
[strike]There's no full gasket but there are a couple of semi-circle rubber bits that go over the cam housings.[/strike] Edit: Scrap that, think I might have it confused with the sump. If the gap is extra large it may be bent?
Oh, and you've got the cams confused (or the covers on the wrong side?) Intake cover (near the injectors) gets the rubber gasket, exhaust just gets silicone.
I considered mentioning those, but he couldn't possibly be considering filling that much space with slaz right?
Just remember when using sealant always put the parts together lightly and wait 1 hour before tightening down as this gives you a firmer seal body to compress giving a better long term seal. Cheers Dave
Actually, it's the inlet cam covers that come with the gasket and the exhaust cam cover that just uses silicone sealant. The nice new soft rubber gaskets get a little firmer and shrink a little after a few thousand kms and frequently leak on a recently rebuilt engine especially if you use brand new rubber washers under the screws the inlet cam covers on. If the inlet covers were machined to just use sealant that would be a big improvement on the big rubber gasket. The aluminuim half moon seals for the exhaust cam covers are a worthwhile investment against future oil leaks.
Thanks gents, I did get it arse about in the first post. Was concerned I'd lost or not received the exhaust cam cover gaskets but took the punt and just got hi temp black silicone so should be all set now. Looks to be a wet and rainy brisbane weekend so looking forward to spending some time in the garage on this thing.
