When installing the pushrod tube seals, do they go in dry or do you use a dab of oil or some sort of sealing compound?

Thanks!

I use a dab of engine oil

I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but the local dune-buggy shop in town uses gorilla snot (3m Super Weather Strip Adhesive). I imagine if you got any little bits inside, they might block some of the smaller passages and prevent proper oil flow. But these guys have been fixing aircooled VW's for 20 years, so they must know something. . .

You do not use adhesive or sealer on the pushrod tube seals. You can use some lithium grease or engine oil. If you glue them in they will leak.

In Bruce Anderson's 911 book he writes...
"Lubricate the O-rings with a silicon paste or grease-type lubricant. Dow Corning 111 compound works well here.
The advantage of the silicon paste or grease over petroleum grease is that it will withstand very high temperatures and will not run off.
The reason for lubricating these O-rings is so they will reseal themselves anytime they have been disturbed by thermal expansion of the engine.
Do Not use silicon sealer in this application. These O-rings, by design, must be free to move and work to do their job correctly."

Bruce is talking about 911 oil return tubes, but 914 pushrod tubes work the same way.

Ah, that's perfect. Thanks, Don!

I shall convey all recommendations to my mechanic when he calls me back. He neglected to take his laptop to the "job site" with him this morning, or he'd've posted the query himself.

The only problem with using a silicone grease is the fact that silicone is known to degrade rubber. The newer seals may not be rubber, i don't know. They are hard to install without some kind of lube.

I just did this Saturday. I used clean engine oil. 65 miles so far. no leaks.

Just out of curiosity...what shop are you referring to? (I've lived in SLO county for thirty+ years.)

the perferred o-rings to use are Viton, which are not affected by silicone

Just spoke to Pancho (onespeedboy) and what he has available are clean engine oil and teflon grease, so he'll make a decision from there.

He says "No wonder your engine was spewing oil: your old seals are COMPLETELY DEAD."

You know, it never occurred to me that we might get the engine out and find that I needed something less heinous than valve guides...but it sure is looking like we're going to be able to track down the sources of the leaking & burning without having to go that far.

In any case, our plan is to deal with all these peripherals (seals, harnesses, pcv valve), put the thing back together, and get it back on the road...and then wait to see what happens after that. I may still need the headwork after all, but I'm going to cross my fingers and wait to see. The good compression check that I got last year and the overall good running of the engine give me enough reason to hope for the best.