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Posted by: AvalonFal Dec 6 2007, 03:32 PM

Was there originally any type of sealant at the engine tin where the various pieces overlap and screw together? I removed the front left piece near the alternator and it looked like it had an old bead of sealant where it overlapped the next piece. Could've been done by a PO? Or original?

Posted by: davep Dec 6 2007, 08:59 PM

I think it may be a latex type caulking.

Posted by: McMark Dec 6 2007, 09:24 PM

The majority of the motors I've looked at / taken apart have not had any sort of sealant. So by the numbers, I find it unlikely that there was anything there from the factory. The stuff that I have seen on a few engines is more of a foam strip than a 'goop'.

Posted by: Pat Garvey Dec 6 2007, 09:37 PM

There IS a foam strip that was used on the sections that overlay the cooling box (or whatever it's called). Naturally, it disintegrates from age & it was very thin. It'll take some searching, but replaced mine with factory pieces in the late 70's & kept the parts labels. That's the only area that had it. All other pieces simply mated painted metal on painted metal.
Pat

Posted by: davep Dec 7 2007, 07:22 AM

Now that I think about it, you are probably correct about it being a sponge tape. That is probably why they corrode so badly; foam retains water.

Posted by: Pat Garvey Dec 7 2007, 07:35 PM

Yeppir!

But when it's young & not subjected to too much moisture it does its job - cooling!

Sponge tape isn't really correct - it was just a length of sponge-type material (maybe still is), without adhesive on one side. I suspect it was jammed in as the pieces were torqued down. At least that's what I did with mine (no adhesive). You can easily reproduced this at any hardware store, though it will probably have adhesive on one side.