Thread: Leaking gaskets need diagnosed (with pics)

Put a towel down in the valley between the heads to keep any gunk from falling in there. That's called the lifter valley. Then.. yes.. scrape clean. Spray cleaner on rag and wipe surface.

Yes on doing valve cover gaskets. Although..I'd suggest you clean your surfaces of the LIM and heads, clean your bolt threads for the LIM bolts, get the sealant you are going to put on the bolt threads ready.. put a blob of RTV in the corner where the Head meets the block (4 corners) then put your gaskets in place, another blob in the corners again and sit your lim in place. Now apply your sealant to one bolt at a time and put in all 12. Hand tighten in a criss cross pattern starting in the middle and working your way outward. Then torque them to 15ft lbs if you have the aluminum gaskets, 13ft lbs with plastic gaskets.

Once the LIM is all set. Then I'd move on to the valve covers. Clean the surfaces, put your new grommets and gaskets in places, torque bolts to 87 inch lbs.

Yes sir.. all four corners

Before you put the gaskets down.. and then after

Yes..it sure can be. Be careful of that sensor under your thermostat area. It's your coolant sensor and about $25

i see bill has hooked you up good.

that area where the gasket wont come off. I used a board and sand paper wrapped around it, then sanded it off, used like 100 grit paper.

match them up to your old ones. one is for a n/a engine the other is for the supercharged lim.

mine were orange lol

if you took the alt bracket off put them back in when you do the alt bracket.

so put the lim on first in that case.


if your like me and didn't take the alt bracket off, you make sure the lim is dry, slide the upper elbow into the lim, then lower the lim into places you slide it into the bracket.

oh, if no one said it yet. make sure you clean off the threads of the lim bolts and put some plumbers thread sealant on them when you put them back in.

not doing this can cause the bolts to leaks later on.

Also if it hasn't been said, make sure you put the bolts holdin down the alt in the right holes. Some people have punched a hole in the rear valve cover before.

Sent from the Milky Way

pretty sure thats impossible on a 97 alt bracket. iirc thats a newer style bracket issue.


the 97-98 bracket also clears the rear valve cover, no need to loosen it up to remove the cover.

Ohhh disregard then.

Sent from the Milky Way

close enough lol

looks like its 1/2 way to 20 so as long as no bolts broke its all good.

most will do it by hand. just past snug. i like to use the t wrench myself.