Casing jointing compound (2018)

Time Warp said:

I can't say I have ever had a problem wetting both sides of a gasket with Loctite 515 (Its not toothpaste )
My 850 base gasket will get just that in the morning as did the inner gasket on the gearbox.

Even my DR780 got Wellseal at the cam/rocker box to upper cylinder head joint.
It was Hylomar from the late 1970's to I forget when.

Its all good if the oil stays on the inside.

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So... what’s your criteria regarding when to use Wellseal and when to use Loctite ?

Modern sealants are all good & being in the trade have at some point used most of them.... IMHO if the mating surfaces are sound, clean and free from oil use what works for you

I used Yamabond on my cases. No leaks. I didn't think there was much differences between formulas.

My Norton Owners Manual says to use Wellseal, but back in the '70s, when I spllt my cases due to a persistent oil leak, Wellseal could not be found, and no internet. Thus, I used the best that was in local auto supply shops which was Permatex Form a Gasket (non hardening). Fifty years and fifty thousand miles later, the seal is dry as Death Valley.

What would I use today with a choice of modern sealants? Considering the work involved if the sealant fails, such as the cases, I would go with what has worked for me in the past, Permatex non hardening FaG.

I am with Olympus, the sealing surface quality is more important than the choice of sealant.

Slick

NickZ said:

Wellseal doesn't seem to be that easy to get in US. I couldn't find it on Amazon. Several sources on Ebay but all in UK. Shipping $ almost as much as product.
I was able to order some from Pegasus Auto Racing located in Wisconsin.

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Available in the US from Pegasus here:


That's where I bought it. Just be sure and have it shipped UPS ground to avoid hazardous material fee of $54!

Ken

John Hudson swore by Wellseal but it always leaked. Yamabond best but you have to get it on quickish.

Fast Eddie said:

So... what’s your criteria regarding when to use Wellseal and when to use Loctite ?

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I'm not sure there is one (a criteria) , being an Antipodean I simply prefer British sealant on a British bike.
Anything troublesome would get ThreeBond mastic, it might even have the edge over Wellseal with high temperature.
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The days of shellac (if that is what they were) type sealers are all but gone that once baked turned into a hard varnish type of thing so no wonder things could leak.
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I have never used any form of 'gasket eliminator ever (iirc) over a intended gasketed joint even if that was what it was for , I think the word used to be gasket dressing and that is what I do, dress the gasket lightly with 515.

The gasket eliminators have merit but not when they are used as a shortcut and used in excess.
So for me it is only used with a gasket sparingly as a back up (Machined surface finish on 50 year old parts can be way different to something contemporary.
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You might even then (in the case of a 850 base gasket) consider this.
Once the cylinder head is in place there is then no access to the four long cap screws, do you torque them (after optional lap checking of the heavy washers) to 30 ft/lbs and be done with it or do you fit the cylinder and retorque it over the following days/week on the bench then fit the cylinder head doing the same cycle.
Not to be confused with over torqueing as another option as there is still the possibility of some settling of the gasket and structure (cylinder / head) . (Its not like it's race day tomorrow)

Everything can be debated(yes I saw the thread)
Do you anneal a copper head gasket ?
On a modern machined surface perhaps not, on a 50 year old machining technology surface perhaps yes so the gasket can conform to the surface at its best with interval retorquing. (Something you would not want on an engine where the through cylinder head fasteners are not accessible after full assembly)

Or you could just slap it all together, it will still run.

Ducati engines are built with Threebond. When I worked at a Ducati dealer before I retired, all the engine work was done using Ducati badged Threebond and I never saw a failure. Available from Ducati dealers in grey or black.
Regarding Wellseal and red or green Hermetite, I haven’t used that since the late 60s when I started using Hylomar as that was used by Rolls Royce. Nowadays Threebond is my sealant of choice.

I used Wellseal with a silk thread. Pretty old school. No leaks. Last engine I did I used Permatex Hitorque gray. This is pretty much a 3 bond . No leaks. Agree with previous that the surfaces have to be dead flat and chemically clean. Wellseal is the easiest to use as the open time is nearly endless.