[Farmall] Seals and Gaskets

[Mike Sloane]

Ed Gilliland wrote:
> What is the best way to install a new seal?  Is it OK to tap it in
> with a wooden block?  I am concerned about damaging them.
A wooden block is fine. The main thing is to put pressure evenly around 
the seal, not concentrate it at one place. You can get inexpensive "seal 
driver" kits from Harbor Freight or similar, which are plastic discs of 
various sizes that you attach to a shaft that you hammer on. If the seal 
is recessed into the housing, you can probably find some large washers 
to put between the  seal and the wooden block. You should not need a 
sledge hammer to place the seal - if everything is clean and lightly 
oiled, gentle tapping should do the job.
> 
> When replacing a gasket, do you recommend putting any type of sealer
> on the new gasket, or is it best to install a gasket dry?  I am
> thinking about fiber and cork gaskets.
You will find lots of opinions on this, and it depends on a lot of 
variables. Valve covers (both overhead and side) are notorious for 
leaking, and a non hardening cement is often helpful. If the mating 
surfaces are not under pressure, you can probably get away without any 
sealer, but most people use non-hardening cement just to make sure. I 
would avoid the silicon cements, as they (in spite of their labels) do 
not seem to hold up well, and the excess can squeeze out and get into 
places it shouldn't be (like oil lines). One area where cement is almost 
a necessity is on oil pans, as getting a dry oil pan gasket to stay in 
place while raising the pan in place is virtually impossible (for me 
working alone). I wouldn't bother with cement on carburetor, oil filter, 
head, or transmission top cover gaskets. If your carburetor is warped, 
gasket cement isn't going to fix the problem.

I guess what I am saying is that putting cement on most gaskets can't 
hurt, but don't use a hardening cement, or you will have a devil of a 
time getting things apart and removing the gaskets if you ever have to 
go in there again.

Mike
> 
> Thanks for your help.  Always enjoy your comments.  I have my Dad's
> 1950 Farmall H,  that I am getting ready to reassemble.
> 
> Ed Gilliland
> 
> egilliland at kc.rr.com

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
mikesloane at verizon.net
Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>

The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are
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life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life - the sick,
the needy and the handicapped. -Hubert Horatio Humphrey, US Vice
President (1911-1978)


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