Replacing Cam Cover Gaskets

[DUCeditor]

I've been living with leaky cam covers for years and when I checked them recently I, too, found them finger loose. I just ordered some replacement gaskets from IAP. Are these drop in or will they need to be affixed with a gasket adhesive of some sort?

Any suggestions for removing the old and installing the new will be appreciated!

-don

[So Cal Mark]

I use sealer on them. Check the covers for flatness once you're removed them

[majicwrench]

Sealer is almost always weaker than the gasket, and should be used sparingly if at all. Most people use WAY too much. Nothing looks tackier than sealer oozing out around the gaskets.
Mark certainly gets a chance to work on a LOT more Fiats than I do, but I do not use sealer on my Fiats, or on the vast majority of valve cover gaskets I replace.
Keith

[DUCeditor]

Pardon my ignorance, but is "sealer" a type of material or a brand? Is it used to attach the new gasket? And if so, to the base (as I would assume) or the cover?

-don

[majicwrench]

Don,
"Sealer" is any of a number of products used to "seal" tween the gasket and the surface of whatever. THe most commonly used, and misused, is silicone based, comes in a toothpaste looking tube. One of my fav "sealers" is Aviation Form-a-Gasket, which comes in a bottle with a screw cap and a brush. Very sticky stuff. Permatex makes a whole line of "sealers".
Again, on a Fiat, I would use no sealer. It is designed to seal with just a gasket.
Keith