Silicone Gasket question

[PaulW]

I picked up a tube of Permatex Ultra Blue to make a gasket for my rear-end. Now the instructions seem to leave me hanging a little and since I have never used this stuff before I thought I would ask here.

The instructions are clear to start. Lay a bead on the surface surrounding each bolt hole. Let it dry for 1 hour and place the cover on and finger tighten the bolts just until you can see the blue silicone ooze out a bit. It then says that after 24 hours the material skins over.....and that is were it ends. After the 24 hours do I then tighten the bolts all the way?

Thanks for any help.

[Someday I Suppose]

Paul, thats correct, they just dont want you to torque it down and squeeze all the RTV goodness out before it has a chance to cure.

[AC Bill]

I didn't bother to wait the 24 hours. I tightened it while it was still a bit gooey, and have had no leak issues. Any RTV that squeezed out, I wiped off. The trick is to try and get a uniform bead thickness, as best you can.

[rich grsc]

A thin bead, less is more.

[riptide motorsport]

you can do liker acbill said if you dont care to wait.....Steven

[Kevin Davis]

Just make sure you clean the crap out of both surfaces so it'll adhere correctly. I cleaned mine up with acetone and let it try, then did the rtv and put it together. It may be totally wrong, but I always liked the gooey consistency to get things stuck together.

[PaulW]

Thanks for all the input. With the rearend not in the car yet I was going to be lazy and fill the case with gear oil and friction modifier before I bolted on the cover as it would save trying to pump it through the little filler hole. Just wanted to be sure that the silicone would not be pushed out when I righted it and slipped it into place.

[Kevin Davis]

Thanks for all the input. With the rearend not in the car yet I was going to be lazy and fill the case with gear oil and friction modifier before I bolted on the cover as it would save trying to pump it through the little filler hole. Just wanted to be sure that the silicone would not be pushed out when I righted it and slipped it into place.

I did the same thing, only to find it leaking after it was in the car. If I had it to do over again, I would take the lazy route, fill it all, etc, but then put the pumpkin in "real life" mode with the pinion at parallel to the ground and let it sit that way on jacks for a while to see if it leaks. Way easier to deal with then. If you do choose to use the fill hole, if you haven't already, verify the bolt works. Mine doesn't, which I didn't find out until too late, so I had to crack the cover to drain it. Mine's just sealed shut from age.

[Big-Foot]

RTV cures over time... I like to use 24 hours as a curing time-frame..
For the best results, make sure that all surfaces to be sealed are 100% clean of any oily film. I use lacquer thinner or acetone for this. Install as suggested above by just light pressure on the bolts (like finger tight) then torque after 24 hours. After you re-torque the bolts, THEN add the fluid. When done this way you are assured of a long-term leak-free seal.