MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Preparing for tune up

Just a couple questions about parts.

I've always used the cork valve cover gasket and of course it leaks a little. Anybody have success with the silicone one?

A small item. For the rivets that hold the valve cover plate; how do you get a good roll over on the back side? When I installed it I turned a rivet driver out of a nail in my drill press, but it never did very well.

Finally, I believe I have a MGB distributor cap on there. I think it was a recommended conversion. Is that still suggested?

Thanks
Tysen McCarthy

Tysen,

I have silicone valve cover gaskets on my bugeye as well as my MGA and find no problems with them to date. Glue the gasket to the "oil free" valve cover with silicone adhesive. Weigh the cover down on a flat surface until the adhesive has cured, then you're good to go.
However, don't bother with silicone tappet cover gaskets. I've just replaced mine with tried and true cork gaskets since the close proximity of the stock exhaust manifold heated up and distorted the rear cover gasket. This brought a lot of oil into contact with the manifold. There was a cloud of dense smoke and I thought my newly completed MGA, 5 years of restoration work, was a gonner!

I enjoyed removing the carbs and tappet covers. So, a good lesson. Cork has worked fine for decades. Silicone sheet, a wonderful, modern gasket material, should be used only in areas where the environment is compatible (i.e. the valve cover).

John
JR Alexander

Tysen,

I have used rubber (silicon?) gasket on the valve cover of my (our) A over the last 12 years (40K+ miles), and while we've h had some minor leaks due to the nuts becoming slightly loose, a simple tighten has always cured the problem.

No adhesive ever used, and the covers have been off and on many times for valve adjustments.

- Ken
KR Doris

The cork ones leak mainly because they move during installation or because the mating surfaces still have bits of old gasket lurking. The pressed steel rocker covers have channels to locate the gasket and are (if cleaned properly) much less prone to oil leaks.

Cleaning the surfaces and removing old remnants is the first step in any gasket replacement. Gluing the gasket to the rocker cover is a cheap and simple second step (I use superglue). Then the cork doesn't slip, and it doesn't leak, whether the cover is steel or Alu.

Even of you use a silicon gasket, you still have to stop it moving around during installation (particularly with aluminium rocker covers). Try gluing a silicon gasket to anything......
Dominic Clancy

I 'stuck' my cork seal to the rocker cover with Wellseal gasket compound. Brilliant stuff. never had any problems with leaks from that area or any other with that product. I can't speak highly enough about it.

Steve
Steve Gyles

This thread was discussed between 13/06/2017 and 20/06/2017

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.