Valve cover gasket?

[qstott]

After installing a new valve cover gasket on my John Deere 1050, I developed a leak. It is a rubber gasket and I had some difficulty keeping it from squeazing out from under the cover. When I removed the leaking gasket it was cut by the edge of the vale cover. I installed a new one, and used some yellow weatherstrip adhesive to keep it in place. The new one didn't slip, but it was cut too. The cuts are along the edge of the cover. The cover is aluminum. I'm I tightening the cover bolts too tight? Suggestions anyone?

 

[automech]

does the gasket have metal inserts to keep it from being crushed? If not it could be that you are tightening it so much it is being squeezed out and cut. What kind of gasket was on the unit? Rubber gaskets with no inserts generally don't take a lot of torque to seal properly. Check the valve cover fit on the head without the gasket in place to make sure there's no problem. I clean the threads of the bolts and bolt holes with a degreaser, blow dry with compressed air. Use a little loctite on the bolts and tighten to spec. or just get a some compression on the gasket if no torque spec is available. The loctite will keep the bolts from loosening so you don't have to go crazy on the torque.

 

[qstott]

Thanks! The gasket does not have metal inserts. There are no holes in the gasket. The valve cove has three studs that protrude though the top of the cover. The nuts are sealed with o-rings. I suspect I am tightening them too much. There are no torque specs in the shop manual for the three nuts. I was afraid the vibration would loosen the nuts. Maybe I should back off some.