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Purchased original MB valve cover gasket kit. Replaced both gaskets but the passenger side is still leaking in the exact same spot as before replacement. Anyone know if is okay to use Locktite 5900 to spread lightly along the outer edge of the where the seal is on engine? Will this solve the problem? Also noticed that the bolt at the leak (torqued to 8nm) appears to be bottomed out. Perhaps a slightly shorter bolt here? Doesn’t look like the cover is warped, but wouldn’t take much. Engine has only 56,000 on it and maintained well.
Looks like a lot of scratches on that surface. Those gasket contact surfaces are not supposed to be manually cleaned. They are only to be cleaned with a special chemical. If you decide to try RTV, I'd use that by itself and no gasket.
Thanks for the reply. Yes I noticed those scratches also. This is the first time I have changed the gaskets on this car - picked it up back in the Spring. That Locktite I mentioned, 5900, is supposed to be used on metal to metal surfaces. I was thinking a very thin bead along the entire lower section, just outside of where the gasket sits, might fill in those scratches. No idea why there are scratches, maybe the gasket was replaced once or twice in the past (2003 SL500 with 56K). Maybe someone used a putty knife or some metal scraper to remove old RTV. I am a bit reluctant to only use the RTV and no gasket - and just as reluctant to add the RTV to the outer edges of contact areas.
09-02-2019, 12:32 PM
