best sealer for Nortons

I did some testing comparing Yambond, silicone and other sealers. The best by far was “the right stuff” (Permatex #25229 or 25223). I even used it around the pushrod tunnels with a copper head gasket (also on a .003" thin copper headgasket ring). The right stuff is good to 500 degrees F. Everything else developed a leak except the right stuff (with a bit of 30 weight silk thread for insurance at the pushrod tunnels).

Silicone worms its way out

Yamabond can't take cylinder head heat very well.

Loctite 518 worms out at the bottom of the cylinders and burns up on the head near the exhaust ports.

But Loctite 518 works fine on the vertical case split and Yamabond works fine at the bottom of the cylinders.

See my next post below for dealing with the "right stuff" applicator.

Good to know and will try some as ran out of Racer Blue Hylomar, also a Permatex product now. Will ping them on their opinion, if they have one.

Here's use of 25229,
http://www.nwpengineering.com/VQ30DE_4th_gen.pdf
And for engines with more the 6 PSI boost
http://www.nwpengineering.com/VQ30DEK_4 ... ations.pdf

Good information Jim. So what do you recommend for a string or thread. My guess would be cotton but what have you found that works?

The right stuff is great though pricey - it actually made my triumph preunit almost oil tight :shock:

but the dispensing tube/applicator it comes in sucks big time and i keep having trouble with it essentially being a one/two time use sort of product as the damn thing constantly plugs up

still i'd rather use it than have to deal with the typical leaks

Been using The Right Stuff for several years now on our race bikes. It works. Never leave home without it. It comes in a Cheez Whiz style can. Put a bead on. Good luck getting it off.

when I was living in England we used red Hermatite with cotton thread seemed to be the best cure at the time [ late 60s]
sealants have come a long way since then
Sean

jseng1 said:

I did some testing comparing Yambond, silicone and other sealers. The best by far was “the right stuff” (Permatex #25229 or 25223). I even used it around the pushrod tunnels with a copper head gasket (also on a .003" thin copper headgasket ring). The right stuff is good to 500 degrees F. Everything else developed a leak except the right stuff (with a bit of string for insurance at the pushrod tunnels).

Click to expand...

Did you try Yamabond 4 (the grey stuff) or Yamabond 5? I'm curious, I've been using Yamabond 5 lately with very good results, seems tougher than the older Yamabond 4 and has held up very well on a T140 engine I rebuilt last year...

Grey Yamabond under my Combat barrels only hold up a year or less as seems to turn to a type of dry clay that then cracks with heated vibes. The tarry stuff works ok but tends to glue parts together. If you use thread, which I like to do, use non synthetic ie: rare hard and expensive to find nowadays, cotton or hemp or flax or silk, as the synthetics tend to melt and separate in globs leaving hollows where goop set up cold. Jim told us thin un wax dental floss works.

The Right Stuff IS a good product. I too resist buying it because the dang applicator trigger/tube thingy dries up and it peeves me to pay $13 or $15 and get one use out of it.

The valve cover gasket for one of my turbo car, a neoprene casting, is no longer available. The only goop that really seals it is The Right Stuff but I dread the task of removing that valve cover because the stuff is too good, it's as if I used JB Weld. A slow four or five minute application of careful levered pressure is required to get it to finally pop loose, all while I sweat cracking/breaking the cast valve cover.

USE 30 WEIGHT SILK THREAD. It holds up very well but you have to find it online because 30 weight is not at your local fabric shop.

Yes the "right stuff" applicator sucks but its fine if you toss out the removable tip and just bend the applicator stub attached to the can to make it work. Use your finger to spread it. Then always leave about 1/2" hanging out of stub to dry. When you need it later just pull out the the dry sealer and it will work again. This worked for me after storing a couple months.

Kenny - Thanks for introducing me to this "stuff".

jseng1 said:

I did some testing comparing Yambond, silicone and other sealers. The best by far was “the right stuff” (Permatex #25229 or 25223). I even used it around the pushrod tunnels with a copper head gasket (also on a .003" thin copper headgasket ring). The right stuff is good to 500 degrees F. Everything else developed a leak except the right stuff (with a bit of 30 weight silk thread for insurance at the pushrod tunnels).

Silicone worms its way out

Yamabond can't take cylinder head heat very well.

Loctite 518 worms out at the bottom of the cylinders and burns up on the head near the exhaust ports.

But Loctite 518 works fine on the vertical case split and Yamabond works fine at the bottom of the cylinders.

See my next post below for dealing with the "right stuff" applicator.

Click to expand...

Hi Jim
why do you put the silk thread around the stud hole and not just the pushrod tube opening, surely this will allow any leakage to go up the stud hole?
JohT

You can just go around the pushrod tunnel. But sometimes there is not a good match between the head and the cylinders and there is not enough aluminum material to clamp the string. In this case you can go all the way around the stud and then use aluminum washers under the stud nut. I have such a problem wit a head and this is what I do.

I just got an email from Herbert Toscany and he just smears sealer on the silk thread (not on the head) and lays it down.