Re: alfa-digest V7 #67

[Joel Hailey <alfadoc@xxxxxxxxxx>]

YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT USE SILICON GASKET SEALER IN AN ENGINE WHERE IT IS IN
CONTACT WITH THE OIL SYSTEM...
ALFA, I seem to remember, issued a service bulletin which said that the engine
warranty would be voided if silicon sealant were used...

Not to pick nits, but it's silicone, not silicon, which is hard and used to make
resistors and the like. Secondly, in the 164 4 cam parts microfiche, after a
certain engine number Alfa lists as an oil pan gasket a tube of silicone sealant.
It would seem they've reversed their stance on it over the years. My personal
experience is this: that nasty blue crap, when used in conjunction WITH a gasket
(which is what all of the Joe-Bob backyard mechanics do around here), is an
absolute disaster, and will surely end up clogging the oil pump pickup. Conversely,
the good high temp red Permatex, used properly as a gasket replacement between two
rigid cast parts such as between lower and upper sump on a spider or to seal a
trans case where Hylomar would originally have been used, is very effective and
appropriate substance. I have had zero failure rate with its use in my shop.
Joel Hailey
Charlottesville, VA

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